Galactic Arms Race

About

Top-down 2.5D action that combines old-school shooters like Star Control, action-RPGs like Diablo, with a system that evolves unique weapons to player preferences. Single-player and 32-player online coop and PVP.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

50%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a unique procedural weapon generation system that allows for varied gameplay experiences.
It offers a colorful and visually appealing aesthetic, with enjoyable soundtracks and shooting effects.
The gameplay is easy to learn, making it accessible for casual players looking for a simple space shooter experience.

The game lacks depth and a compelling narrative, leading to repetitive and mindless gameplay.
Graphics and overall presentation feel outdated, resembling games from earlier generations.
Multiplayer is virtually non-existent, and the game suffers from balance issues and unclear mission objectives.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The game's story is largely absent, with missions primarily serving as tutorials rather than engaging narratives. Players encounter repetitive and simplistic quests focused on combat, lacking depth or character development, which diminishes the overall experience. While there is potential for a richer storyline, the current structure feels shallow and uninspired, relying on basic objectives like "kill 10 enemies" without any meaningful plot.
- “Gar would have been nothing short of revolutionary even in those heady days, and there is astounding potential still for this game to grow into something insanely explorative. If the developers would provide some modding support, a mission editor, and a few more game modes, this game could easily compete with any AAA game out there in any genre.”
- “The missions will require you to attack them, as well as you must be prepared for enemy ships defending them.”
- “The 'quests', which will involve only a kind of storyline, may not be really clear for their goals, but they will anyway involve only in killing a certain type of enemy, which will be the same at the first 50 levels.”
- “The campaign mode does a good job of gradually introducing you to the user interface, but it is not really tempting to grind missions and do the tedious traveling from place to place on such a limited ambitions title when you could sink the hours in an experience that is actually worthwhile.”
- “Slow and sluggish action with inaccurate controls and unsuitable camera angle, boring incremental upgrade system, no plot or characters to speak of, cookie cutter quests of the 'kill 5 bears' variety.”
- “There is no RPG space-opera storyline, although there are structured missions.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautifully designed visuals of planets and enemy ships, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking in detail, likening them to PS1-era graphics. Although the game offers 4K support and a clean aesthetic, many players find the visuals functional rather than impressive, with some noting that the overall experience relies more on gameplay than graphical fidelity.
- “The graphics are beautifully designed; the planets, galaxies, stars, asteroids, enemy ships, enemy stations, etc. are well designed.”
- “If you like a clean aesthetic with graphics that, for this type of game, are rather nice, then give it a go!”
- “- Smooth graphics when turning and strafing (even my old machine doesn't 'clip').”
- “Visuals are pretty bad and destroying enemies is not rewarding at all.”
- “If you are the type of gamer that needs GPU-melting graphics, then look elsewhere.”
- “Graphics are ugly and the UI is badly thought out.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of enjoyable mechanics and simple movement, offering a fun yet repetitive experience that can quickly become dull. While it features a solid combat system and some engaging elements, many players find it lacks depth and variety, leading to a shallow experience overall. Despite its challenges and some interesting features, the gameplay ultimately fails to maintain long-term engagement.
- “Free-form space gameplay with simple movement and a great combat system, which apparently tests a new algorithm for content generation, which is cool.”
- “It's one of those 'just pure fun' games that can't necessarily be put down to a combination of good graphics, story, or depth, but just good old-fashioned awesome gameplay.”
- “The core gameplay is pretty satisfying and the music is awesome.”
- “Longer than that, the mindless gameplay will become repetitive very fast and bore you to death.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's not very compelling and you will get bored in a few minutes.”
- “The gameplay is pretty much about having a small ship, which must combat many galaxies, each galaxy having one or more bases of your alliance.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music in the game is generally praised for its enjoyable soundtracks and satisfying audio effects, particularly the ship shooting sounds. Players find the music enhances the overall experience, contributing to the fun and engaging gameplay, especially in the initial hours.
- “It has a nice soundtrack and it's easy to play.”
- “The audio is alright; I enjoy how the ship shooting sounds, as well as the background soundtracks.”
- “The core gameplay is pretty satisfying and the music is awesome.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, with repetitive missions and limited rewards that fail to justify the time investment. While the campaign mode effectively introduces the user interface, it ultimately lacks the depth and excitement needed to keep players motivated over extended periods.
- “The campaign mode does a good job of gradually introducing you to the user interface, but it is not really tempting to grind missions and do the tedious traveling from place to place on such a limited ambition title when you could sink the hours into an experience that is actually worthwhile.”
- “I didn't really love it to begin with, and since it didn't become any more interesting the more I played, it just became tedious and boring.”
- “Very well optimized, almost unique in its genre, but can become tedious after a while.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The atmosphere is dynamic and engaging, set against a backdrop of numerous galaxies that players must navigate and combat within.
- “The atmosphere is immersive and draws you into the vastness of space, making every moment feel significant.”
- “The game's atmosphere is rich and engaging, filled with stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the experience.”
- “The atmosphere creates a sense of wonder and exploration, making you feel like you're truly part of a grand cosmic adventure.”
- “The atmosphere feels empty and lacks the immersive quality I was hoping for.”
- “Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
- “The overall ambiance is dull and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a high level of stability, noting that the engines perform reliably without any significant bugs, glitches, lagging, or frame drops.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, standing out in its genre; however, some players find that it can become tedious over time.
- “Very well optimized, almost unique in its genre, but can become tedious after a while.”