Gaia

About

Gaia is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Eternal Stardust Studios and was released on April 3, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Gaia" is a single-player Role Playing game offering approximately 3 hours of playtime. As a treasure hunter seeking the ancient planet of Gaia, you must navigate a crashed ship, harvest alien resources, and build modular bases, while encountering three distinct AI storytellers providing varied gameplay experiences. Crafting items, vehicles, and blueprints adds depth to this immersive quest for ancient technology.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game has a lot of potential with interesting gameplay concepts like natural disasters and base raids that keep players engaged.
The developer is responsive to community feedback and has shown dedication to improving the game, which is impressive for a solo project.
There is a decent variety of structures, items, and equipment types to research and craft, providing a sense of progression.

The game suffers from major glitches and bugs that significantly detract from the overall experience, including issues with the building system and resource collection.
Graphics and animations are outdated and poorly executed, making the game feel unpolished and reminiscent of older titles.
The gameplay mechanics are clunky and unintuitive, with a convoluted user interface and a lack of clear instructions, leading to frustration for players.

graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, glitchy, and reminiscent of games from the 90s. While some players acknowledge the charm in certain aspects, the overall consensus is that significant improvements are needed in textures, animations, and optimization to meet modern standards. Despite being in early access, the current visual quality is seen as a major drawback that detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are decent enough for a budget game and it has a unique charm, I must say!”
- “The graphics could do with improvements, but for a very early access game, I've enjoyed the 8 hours I've spent playing it.”
- “Graphics, textures, sound effects, and lighting could all use some improvement.”
- “Worthless game that looks even worse than the trailer... extremely limited to what you can build, terrible optimization and constantly lags, graphics that would make the 90s want to stop gaming, horrible UI.... seriously a 9-year-old could make a better game than this.... it's not even a real survival game.. straight garbage.”
- “The graphics feel like I am playing a game from 10 years ago with the graphics setting maxed out.”
- “Everything seems to work but it's clunky, the graphics are sub-par and it needs a ton of polish.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
Gameplay in this early access title features a mix of interesting concepts like natural disasters and unique trading mechanics, but is marred by serious design flaws and a lack of secondary activities, leading to a repetitive experience. While some players find it engaging and relaxing after understanding the mechanics, others criticize its clumsy execution and amateur design elements. Overall, the game shows potential but struggles with polish and coherent gameplay flow.
- “Wow, I have to say... most of the bad comments have minimal hours spent on the game. I've had at least 5 hours and I'm definitely going to spend more. It's everything to expect from an early access game, and I've had a few now. There will be bugs, there will be glitchy graphics, but the gameplay is great and keeps making me want to go back for more.”
- “Some gameplay concepts like random natural disasters and base raids keep players alert, while trading is done in a unique way, which is interesting.”
- “Gameplay is divided into session preparation, exploration, management, trading, and combat.”
- “Serious design flaws regarding several gameplay aspects.”
- “Absence of secondary activities to break the main gameplay loop: no quests, locations, or NPCs.”
- “Overall, Gaia is a sandbox with some good ideas and concepts, but for the most part fails to execute them properly and is overwhelmed by design oversights, lack of polishing, and flawed gameplay mechanics.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is significantly hampered by major glitches and bugs, particularly in the building system and tutorial, which can disrupt gameplay and require restarts. While some players report minor issues like FPS drops, the overall experience is marred by game-breaking problems, leading to a recommendation against purchasing for those seeking a polished early access title. Improvements are needed to enhance stability and attract more players.
- “It is technically a nice game; unfortunately, it lacks development and there are major glitches which ruin the game's experience.”
- “Starting with building a base, the building system is very limited and quite buggy. Often, you have to shake your camera right and left in order to be able to place blocks.”
- “Buggy game-breaking issues where your save won't save, and you have to quit out of it. Now that the save won't load, it's game-breaking and I'm not happy with the limited building options.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game features three distinct narrators that offer varied storytelling experiences, adding depth to the gameplay. However, some players find significant plot holes, such as the lack of merchant intervention in critical situations, and note that the story remains underdeveloped, with minimal cutscenes and a focus on survival mechanics rather than narrative progression. Overall, while the concept is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired.
- “Three different story narrators make the gameplay feel unique and add an interesting concept to the experience.”
- “There are three separate storytellers that create a very different game experience.”
- “Something where you gather resources, struggle to survive, build up a base, and have to deal with increasing challenges - fending off raids on your base, traveling to increasingly more dangerous areas, contending with weather and mother nature, all while working towards a goal and uncovering the story of the world.”
- “Why the merchants don't just save you from your situation is beyond my comprehension and a huge plot hole.”
- “No cut-scenes or story to speak of at this stage of the game.”
- “There are three separate 'storytellers' that create a very different game experience.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game suffers from severe optimization issues, including excessive lag, poor graphics quality, and high RAM consumption, with reports of it using 16 to 18 GB while running. Users express frustration over long loading times and a lack of overall performance improvements, indicating that significant optimizations are necessary for an acceptable gaming experience.
- “It needs serious optimization to bring its performance to an acceptable level.”
- “There are significant optimization problems: the game consistently consumes an outrageous 16 to 18 GB of RAM while running.”
- “There are optimization problems with loading times and RAM consumption.”
- “It needs serious optimizations to bring its performance to acceptable levels.”
- “Optimization problems with loading times and RAM consumption.”
- “Significant optimization problems: the game managed to constantly consume an outrageous 16 to 18 GBs of RAM while running.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game has received high praise, with users describing it as lovely and amazing, highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature that scores a perfect 10/10.
- “The music is really amazing, to be honest.”
- “We scored a real home run with the soundtrack.”
- “10/10 for the soundtrack.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a dynamic weather system that contributes to its overall ambience, creating a nostalgic feeling for players. The soundtrack, reminiscent of the old Bristol sound, further enriches the experience with its slick and atmospheric qualities.
- “I really enjoy games that have a very dynamic weather system; this adds a lot of atmosphere and ambience that is the icing on the cake for me.”
- “There is a good atmosphere, and the game gives me a great feeling when I play it—kinda nostalgic in a way.”
- “The initial tracks remind me of the old Bristol sound—Massive Attack and Tricky—and there is also a very slick atmospheric sound.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is generally positive, as it features no ads, allowing for an uninterrupted gameplay experience. However, some players feel that the aiming mechanics are imprecise, which may detract from the overall enjoyment despite the absence of advertisements.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the grinding aspect of the game can feel repetitive for some players, others appreciate it as a rewarding challenge that enhances their experience.
- “The game can be a bit grindy, but at the same time, some people enjoy that.”