Exogate Initiative

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"Exogate Initiative" is a management/base-building game where you lead humanity's exploration of the universe through instant portal travel. Plan and build a research facility, excavate anywhere on the map, and recruit a diverse team of specialists to explore and study the unknown. Meet the emotional and physical needs of your team while adding new rooms and equipment as the initiative grows.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 236 reviews

story23 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay that combines base building with exploration and resource management, reminiscent of Evil Genius and Stargate.
The game features a variety of narrative choices during missions, adding depth and replayability to the exploration experience.
The developers are responsive to player feedback, showing commitment to improving the game through updates and patches.

The economy is poorly balanced, making it difficult to sustain a base as patents expire quickly and resources are limited.
AI behavior is inconsistent, with medics and soldiers often failing to perform their duties effectively during critical moments.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, particularly in late-game scenarios.

story
125 mentions
18 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of engaging exploration and management, drawing inspiration from sci-fi themes like Stargate, but it often feels repetitive and lacks depth. Players enjoy the interstitial narrative elements during missions, which provide a sense of adventure, yet many express frustration with the randomness of mission outcomes and the limited variety of story events. While the foundation for a compelling narrative exists, the execution leaves room for improvement, particularly in balancing gameplay mechanics and enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
- “The story is fun, but I definitely recommend downloading all three of the workshop items as they are more stories that can unfold as you explore the galaxy.”
- “One of the standout features of the game is its story delivery.”
- “I love base building; every mission is a story, and the gameplay loop is fun and engaging.”
- “While the tone of the dialogue and story events feels like the game will be a carefree celebration of science and discovery, the game actually delivers a ruthlessly exploitative vision of patenting every wonder in the galaxy.”
- “Just be aware that after a certain point the game just gets repetitive and needs you mostly to confirm mission reports.”
- “The game's story delivery is one of its standout features, but the overall narrative focus could use a lot of tightening and more visuals.”
gameplay
81 mentions
20 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mix of base-building and mission management, drawing heavy inspiration from titles like *Evil Genius* and *Stargate*. While the core mechanics are engaging and the gameplay loop can be addictive, many players find the combat and invasion mechanics lacking, leading to a sense of tedium as the game progresses. Overall, the game shows promise with its innovative ideas, but it suffers from balance issues and a need for deeper mechanics, especially in its early access state.
- “I found myself genuinely interested in some of the tech tree systems, and the mechanic of spending power for a constant connection with ever-more distant worlds is inventive.”
- “The gameplay loop is very satisfying.”
- “I love base building; every mission is a story, the characters have skills and equipment, and the gameplay loop is fun and engaging.”
- “Gameplay is bland and gets boring really fast.”
- “Some of the core gameplay loops simply make no sense, and detract from the immersion and the fun.”
- “Right now in the state it's in, the game has a 'you are losing and it will keep getting worse until you quit' gameplay loop.”
graphics
26 mentions
12 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players finding them solid but lacking in polish and aesthetic appeal. While some appreciate the accessibility for lower-end systems, others criticize the outdated character designs and bland visual elements, expressing hope for improvements as the game progresses towards full release. Overall, the visuals are seen as a weak point, with calls for enhanced textures, color, and more engaging art styles.
- “The art style and sound design are well done and seem rather polished for an early access title.”
- “Graphics are okay right now for lower to mid-end systems, which is a plus as far as accessibility goes.”
- “The core game is fun; however, it doesn't have as much flair and visuals/audio to make it as charming (yet?) as a completed game.”
- “The art style of the close-ups is frankly baffling.”
- “The graphics in the game are all right, but faces are especially old school and a bit disappointing.”
- “Nothing aesthetically strong about the visual designs going on here, but maybe that'll change as the game gets polished up and improved as it gets closer to full release.”
optimization
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, especially as base size and employee counts increase. Many reviewers note that the game struggles with stuttering and poor performance, particularly in the mid-game, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. While there is potential for improvement, the current state of optimization is seen as a major barrier to gameplay.
- “The game has potential, but needs significant fleshing out—more game systems, more conflict, more reason to keep playing, more optimization, and some meaningful/clever introductions of randomness to make it worthwhile to play the game more than once.”
- “Regardless of how I build the rooms, you can put everything into one room and you'll be fine, and due to optimization issues, I recommend this.”
- “- very good optimization”
- “Significant performance degradation with larger bases/employee counts.”
- “The game had a rough launch; not all the systems were there or in the right place in the beginning. Performance was an issue, and the economy was prohibitively difficult to manage, forcing players to game the system and abandon diverse teams in favor of throwing scientists at every eligible planet.”
- “Very poorly optimized.”
replayability
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players expressing that it loses its challenge and interest after a single playthrough. The rigid design and limitations, such as a maximum cap on resources and a lack of diverse gameplay options, contribute to a feeling of minimal long-term engagement. While some players still find value in the game, they recommend purchasing it at a discount due to its limited replay potential.
- “Would I recommend it? Yes, it is worth it, but it doesn't have massive amounts of long-term replayability. Once you have figured out how to play, it loses some of its challenge.”
- “Currently, the game has a little, but really not much, replay value. The developers obviously have further content lined up with character professions and research & development, and hopefully options for your hard-earned resource gathering.”
- “I also don't think there is much there in terms of replayability.”
- “Zero replayability after one playthrough.”
- “I really liked this game initially but struggle to keep my interest after a few playthroughs while we wait for the next update, simply due to the lack of replayability.”
- “It feels like there will be no long-term play or replayability given the rigid design.”
stability
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, particularly with frequent startup freezes occurring over 50% of the time, necessitating a full system reboot. While gameplay runs smoothly once started, users report various bugs and glitches, especially in the late game, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “I'm loving it! The game runs great, and I'm hoping the devs add more events like Stellaris has with anomalies.”
- “Only an hour in, and it runs smoothly. The bots that build are relatively quick and don't need to recharge, so they work all the time.”
- “The priority for the research bench seems slightly buggy but not irritating, which shows the overall stability of the game.”
- “However, it freezes upon startup more than 50% of the time.”
- “It freezes so badly that I can't even stop it via Task Manager, and I'm forced to reboot the whole machine, which is just so annoying that it destroys the whole experience.”
- “Late game is definitely buggy, though.”
music
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, providing a chill atmosphere that complements gameplay, though some players find it lacks distinctiveness and can be confusing with its tonal shifts. While there are no voice lines to enhance player awareness, the overall sound design is effective, even if it sometimes blends into the background.
- “I love the music; sending out gators every few days on missions, building a nice base... very chill game.”
- “Nothing to really write home about, but the sound and music for the game works.”
- “Though sometimes, the music does strangely seem to 'lilt' towards sounding like something bad just happened, then springs back to sounding like something positive happened, which can be confusing if you're expecting audio cues.”
- “No voice lines, which is fine, though it could help with alerting the player to new updates aside from nebulous audio stings and swells that tend to blend in with the background music.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as mildly amusing, with references that evoke a lighthearted take on sci-fi themes, reminiscent of SG-1. Players appreciate the original and funny narratives encountered on different planets, though some find the humor inconsistent and overshadowed by gameplay frustrations. Additionally, there are critiques regarding the quality of animations and character designs, which detract from the overall comedic experience.
- “It isn't as deep as some games, and I'm unsure of the balance especially once the invasions begin, but this reminds me a lot of a mildly humorous take on SG-1.”
- “Having to micromanage some part of your team but not to a point where it's annoying, funny and original story from the different planets your teams will encounter, you never know what your gators may have to face, or run from.”
- “And the sci-fi reference to facehuggers is hilarious, by the way; not even sure it was intended to be that funny.”
grinding
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, particularly in managing team compositions, which detracts from the overall experience. Many feel that the amount of grinding required is overwhelming, suggesting it demands an unrealistic time investment.
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels like a chore.”
- “Unfortunately, once these initial teething troubles are overcome, the game becomes your standard grindy management sim.”
- “This makes switching team composition tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its impressive graphics and high-quality sound effects, which contribute to a chill and immersive experience. The unique construction camera shake and a calming synth score further enhance the overall ambiance, creating a captivating environment for players.
- “First impression wow, didn't expect graphics this decent. I wasn't expecting those sound effects and atmospheric effects; the sound effects are especially good, creating a nice chill atmosphere with unique construction camera shake.”
- “Until then, I’m giving Exogate Initiative a subject-to-change aggregate mega score of 2.91/5 (full scoring breakdown in video, from 'plot' to 'sound'). I'll give a quick shoutout to the game’s calm yet curious synth score that does a nice job of building atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is flat and fails to evoke any real emotion or tension.”
- “The environments lack detail and character, resulting in an overall bland atmosphere that detracts from the experience.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviewers have noted a shift in the game's monetization approach, leading to a more positive perception and moving away from the initial impression of it being a cash grab.
- “The monetization system feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions at every turn.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to progress without spending.”