Galactic Arms Race

About

Galactic Arms Race is a single player and multiplayer casual shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Evolutionary Games and was released on June 5, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

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.

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48%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The procedurally generated weapon system is a unique and engaging mechanic that evolves based on player usage, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough.
The game offers a casual and fun shooting experience with colorful visuals and enjoyable sound design, making it a decent time sink for short gaming sessions.
Multiplayer and co-op options are available, adding a social element to the gameplay, although the player base is limited.

The gameplay loop becomes repetitive quickly, with missions lacking depth and variety, leading to a sense of monotony.
Visuals and technical aspects are barebones, with a clunky UI and outdated graphics that detract from the overall experience.
The game feels unfinished and lacks a compelling narrative or purpose, making it difficult to stay engaged for extended periods.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
61%
22%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and originality, with missions quickly becoming repetitive and uninspired, primarily revolving around simple objectives like killing enemies or delivering packages. While the campaign serves to introduce gameplay mechanics, it fails to engage players with a compelling narrative or rich universe, leaving the experience feeling shallow and lacking in meaningful content. Overall, the absence of a substantial storyline detracts from the potential of the game, which could benefit from more diverse missions and character development.
- “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.”
- “The missions will require you to attack them, as well as you must be prepared for enemy ships defending them.”
- “Although there are missions, they are mostly designed to teach you how to play the game.”
- “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
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the colorful and 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 some light graphics options, many players find the visuals functional rather than impressive, suggesting that the gameplay experience is more about fun than graphical fidelity. Overall, the aesthetic appeals to those who prefer a clean look, but it may disappoint gamers seeking high-end graphics.
- “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!”
- “Good music, colorful graphics, and enjoyable shooting make it fun for about 1-2 hours.”
- “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 interesting elements, many players find it lacks depth and variety, leading to a shallow experience despite its initial appeal. Overall, the core gameplay is satisfying but may not hold players' attention for long due to its cookie-cutter mission design and limited RPG elements.
- “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 during shooting sequences. Players find the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, contributing to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere, especially in the initial hours of gameplay.
- “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
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, combining arcade shooting with light RPG elements. While the campaign introduces the mechanics effectively, many feel that the repetitive nature of grinding missions and traveling can become tedious and unengaging over time, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite its unique qualities and optimization, the lack of depth in the grinding loop leads to a sense of boredom for some players.
- “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
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere is dynamic and engaging, set against a backdrop of numerous galaxies that players must navigate and combat.
- “The atmosphere immerses you in a vibrant universe filled with countless galaxies to explore.”
- “The game's atmosphere is captivating, drawing you into its expansive and dynamic environment.”
- “Every moment in the game is enhanced by its rich atmosphere, making each galaxy feel unique and alive.”
- “The atmosphere feels empty and lacks the immersive quality I was hoping for.”
- “Despite the vastness of the game, the atmosphere is surprisingly dull and uninspired.”
- “The environment doesn't evoke any real sense of tension or excitement, making exploration feel tedious.”
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.”