Gaia Beyond
- August 20, 2020
- Warp Turtle
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"Gaia Beyond" is a 2D action-RPG set in a hand-drawn, dynamic solar system. Engage in fighting, mining, and trading as you navigate numerous factions and interact with hundreds of NPCs. With over 100 sidequests and the consequences of your choices shaping the world, uncover the truth behind the Ganymede Flu in this immersive space exploration game.
Reviews
- The game features a unique art style and a great soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Gameplay is engaging with a mix of mining, trading, and combat, allowing players to progress at their own pace.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.
- The game feels incomplete with many quests and storylines lacking resolution, leading to a sense of frustration.
- Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and combat less enjoyable.
- There are numerous bugs and issues that disrupt gameplay, including quest-related bugs and AI pathfinding problems.
- story167 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it feels incomplete and disjointed, often ending abruptly or leaving loose ends. While some appreciate the interesting narrative and side quests, others criticize the lack of direction and the presence of bugs that hinder quest progression. Overall, the game offers a promising foundation for storytelling but requires significant updates and expansions to fully realize its potential.
“Great game, interesting story worth reading and not skipping :)”
“The story is well written and I enjoyed it.”
“You fly around the solar system doing missions, mining, trading, shooting all the while upgrading modules and ships while the story unravels.”
“The story feels very disjointed and weird, almost as if it's not even finished (it's not).”
“The story is so incomplete and ends so suddenly, on a cliffhanger no less, that I spent quite a while just flying around visiting previous quest givers in an attempt to figure out how to continue it, before I realized that there's nothing more.”
“The main story quest line either finished in the most abrupt and unsatisfying way possible, or it glitched out before it could get good.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gaia Beyond is praised for its expansive, open-world design that allows players to explore freely, engage in various quests, and enjoy a compelling story. While some players find the combat mechanics straightforward and rewarding, others criticize the flight mechanics and shooting systems as challenging or poorly executed. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable mechanics and frustrating elements, with ongoing developer support promising future improvements.
“Gaia Beyond introduced a world with characters I actually cared about, and combat gameplay I could get behind.”
“The gameplay is straightforward, with combat being easier to learn and trickier to master.”
“The flight mechanics can be a bit challenging at times, but they are rewarding and fun once you get the hang of it.”
“Way too cartoonish and bland overall gameplay for me.”
“This game is like if somebody designed a spaceship action RPG just by watching gameplay videos but without ever playing one themselves.”
“Despite the promising concept for the 2D action mechanics, they're horribly unutilized.”
- music21 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Descriptions highlight a diverse range of styles, from soaring classical strings to grungy electric and synth elements, effectively fitting the game's sci-fi setting. While some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive, the general consensus is that the music significantly contributes to immersion and enjoyment.
“It's a game that does two things well: its unique art style and a great soundtrack.”
“I love the music in this game.”
“The music really fits the setting, with soaring classical strings and grungy electric and synth instruments.”
“So often games have super terrible or just plain boring music that sounds better muted.”
“The music really fits the setting, what little I've heard so far consisting of soaring classical strings and grungy electric and synth instruments.”
“Smooth transitions into battle music.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique art style, beautiful hand-drawn visuals, and immersive design, contributing significantly to the overall experience. While many players appreciate the fluidity and distinctiveness of the artwork, some note inconsistencies in style, particularly with NPC portraits. Overall, the combination of great graphics and a compelling soundtrack enhances the game's appeal, despite minor critiques.
“What makes Gaia Beyond stand out is the audio-visual design, featuring amazing artwork and effects, along with one of the best soundtracks in the genre.”
“Really fun space shooter with hand-drawn graphics.”
“The flight model is possibly my favorite out of any 2D space game I've played; the art style is distinctive and high quality.”
“I could forgive the art if it were consistent, but it's a mix of rough drawings and vectorized photographs of the staff with no common style or aesthetic.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the satisfaction of mining and upgrading ships, many feel that the process can be tedious and repetitive, particularly with uninteresting side missions and a lack of content. The game encourages grinding for resources and upgrades, but progression can feel slow and frustrating due to high costs and limited merchant resources. Overall, the grinding can be enjoyable for those who appreciate it, but it may deter others seeking a more streamlined experience.
“Looks like a better than average spaceship action RPG, but plays poorly and is surprisingly tedious.”
“They've created a somewhat interesting system to explore, and grinding for better ships was fun for a while, but this game severely lacks content in both the main and side story departments.”
“I never thought finding a 'treasure' cache could feel tedious, but here we are.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches making it nearly unplayable. While some users see potential in the game and acknowledge that developers are addressing issues, the overall consensus is that it requires significant polish and fixes before reaching a satisfactory state.
“Unplayable buggy garbage.”
“There's a lot of quests that are buggy/broken, and everything just feels like it needs much more work done before it's in a finished playable state.”
“That being said, between spelling errors, mission glitches, etc, there's clearly a lack of polish here.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it entertaining despite the story being described as "hilariously bad" and riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. While the overall narrative has its funny moments, the dialogue is often highlighted as a particularly humorous aspect.
“The text-based storyline is interesting and funny at times.”
“Dialogue can be quite humorous.”
“The story is hilariously bad, and the writing is strewn with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the game features a vibrant world with numerous NPCs and an affinity system that enhances interaction, some players feel that the overall replayability is somewhat limited due to certain constraints.
“The game is otherwise very open and alive with a multitude of NPCs just doing their thing, and the affinity system adds depth to the replayability.”
“Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse choices and interactions available, making you want to dive back in for a different experience.”
“The variety of paths and outcomes encourages multiple playthroughs, ensuring that no two experiences are the same.”
“Combining the last few points, the game has somewhat limited replayability, but it is otherwise very open and alive with a multitude of NPCs just doing their thing and an affinity system to keep track of it all.”
“After completing the main story, I found little incentive to replay the game. The side quests felt repetitive and didn't offer enough variety to keep me engaged.”
“While the game world is expansive, the lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying it feel more like a chore than an adventure.”
