Genesis Alpha One

Genesis Alpha One is an extremely rare beast. A confident marriage of FPS, space sim, roguelike and strategy elements, it is quite simply the first essential indie title of 2019.

68%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

story, grinding

64% User Score Based on 1,429 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 20 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $3.27

Buy NowGet on Steam$19.99

Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store

Buy NowGet on Epic Games Store

About

Genesis Alpha One is a first-person shooter and base-building game set in space. Players must build and upgrade their spaceship, recruit crew members, and fight off alien threats while searching for a new home for humanity. The game also includes survival and roguelike elements, with procedurally generated levels and permadeath.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+10

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,449 reviews

gameplay100 positive mentions

story20 negative mentions

Unique blend of FPS, resource management, and ship building mechanics.
Engaging atmosphere reminiscent of classic sci-fi horror films.
Addictive gameplay loop with a focus on exploration and crew management.

AI crew members are often unhelpful and can lead to frustrating gameplay.
Repetitive tasks, particularly dealing with infestations, can become tedious.
Lack of multiplayer or co-op options limits the overall experience.

gameplay
386 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
60%
14%
The gameplay of "Genesis Alpha One" is characterized by a blend of resource management, shipbuilding, and survival mechanics, set in a sci-fi environment. While the core gameplay loop of gathering resources, building, and managing infestations can be engaging, many players find it repetitive and marred by poorly explained mechanics and frustrating elements, particularly the infestation system. Overall, the game shows potential with its unique concepts but suffers from a lack of depth and polish, leading to a mixed reception regarding its long-term enjoyment.
- “The idea is excellent and the gameplay loop is pretty fun.”
- “Genesis Alpha One combines space exploration, base-building, and survival mechanics in a unique sci-fi setting.”
- “The gameplay loop is grindy but rewarding as you see your ship flourish.”
- “While the concept is intriguing, repetitive gameplay and lack of depth hinder its long-term appeal.”
- “Repetitive and shallow are the two main features of the gameplay, which is a shame as the basis of the game loop, which is exploring, building your ship, managing the ship and crew, and killing bugs - all in one package - is very appealing.”
- “The game has glaring issues regarding the gameplay, being repetitive is the biggest one: grind resources, build a section of the ship, grind resources, build a section and get attacked by aliens, and that is like 60-70% of the game.”
story
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
82%
10%
The game's story is often described as minimal and lacking depth, with many players noting that it feels more like a sandbox experience than a narrative-driven adventure. While there are elements of a backstory and some atmospheric lore, the missions tend to be repetitive and the overall plot is considered flimsy, leaving players wanting more integration and development. Despite its potential for an engaging narrative, the execution falls short, leading to a sense of boredom and a lack of motivation to continue.
- “As the captain of a genesis starship, you journey into uncharted space on a mission.”
- “The story concept is good, though.”
- “You are the captain of a ship tasked with the mission to find a new home for mankind.”
- “There is no worthwhile story, and the aesthetic portrayed in the trailers is a complete fabrication.”
- “The game also contains no real story, and while there are different seeds for galaxy generation, the lack of variety in missions means that you are unlikely to want to play this game too many times through.”
- “Personally, I would say the lack of story and character is the main thing missing from the game; you don't care about your team, they are all clones and utterly characterless. Adding story/events etc. would give the game more direction and purpose.”
graphics
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the retro aesthetic and vibrant visuals that evoke 70s and 80s sci-fi themes. However, several users criticize the graphics for being outdated, poorly optimized, and inconsistent, with issues such as blinding lighting and lack of detail in certain areas. Overall, while some players appreciate the unique art style and atmosphere, others find the graphical quality lacking compared to modern standards.
- “I love the visuals and the theme.”
- “The aesthetics (aside from the overstressed bloom) are wonderful -- captures some aspects of retro sci-fi and takes nods from various sources to give the ship/technology a nice feel.”
- “The visuals are fantastic from the loading screens to the ship design and exploring the planets; it feels thick with science fiction sexiness from the 1960s and 70s.”
- “There is no worthwhile story, and the aesthetic portrayed in the trailers is a complete fabrication.”
- “Graphics are so bad you cannot tell your clones from the enemies, so you end up killing your own crew, or hesitate enough for the invaders to kill you.”
- “The graphics look so old and somehow bad, very slimy.”
grinding
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often describing the gameplay loop as a slog filled with monotonous tasks like resource collection and infestation management. While some players appreciate the challenge and find enjoyment in the grind, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making the game feel more like a chore than fun. Overall, the consensus suggests that those who dislike grinding may struggle to enjoy the game fully, while fans of the genre might find it rewarding despite its flaws.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “The game is just really tedious and a slog, and that's especially apparent without a co-op feature (moronic decision). It's just not worth the effort being put in.”
- “For many people, the negative reviews will be accurate, and you will probably find this a grindy, unfulfilling experience.”
- “The majority of the time spent in this game is grinding 'hold x to blank' tasks like scanning scrap/planets, clearing infestations, fixing nodes, speeding up tractor beam collection and resource refinement, etc. Combat is mediocre but sometimes intense because I don't want my clones to die.”
atmosphere
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, drawing strong comparisons to classic sci-fi films like "Alien" and "Warhammer 40k." Players appreciate the combination of detailed sound design, music, and visual aesthetics that create a tense and engaging environment, although some note a lack of variety in planetary atmospheres and repetitive gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to its appeal despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The devs absolutely nailed the game atmosphere and game design; I love this game, even though it can get a little grindy.”
- “The atmosphere is very immersive and reminiscent of the 1979 movie Alien.”
- “Everything from the soundtrack to the art style just oozes atmosphere inspired by retro sci-fi and the Aliens franchise.”
- “A lack of atmosphere & immersion led me to uninstalling it.”
- “The variety of planets we visit all pretty much look the same except for some basic changes such as different atmosphere colors or flora that inhabits the planet if there is any.”
- “A big cap and my biggest disappointment to all these negatives are the simply lacking variety in planet types and atmosphere, with most planets being the same palette swapped foggy messes.”
music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its retro 80s and 70s sci-fi vibes, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and replay value. While many players find the soundtrack enjoyable and immersive, some criticize it for being repetitive or poorly mixed. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience, with a mix of ambient sounds and thematic tracks that resonate with the game's aesthetic.
- “One of the best games I've ever played, the atmosphere, the music, the sound, the small details... the depths of this game is unbelievable + strong replay value.”
- “Everything from the soundtrack to the art style just oozes atmosphere inspired by retro sci-fi and the Aliens franchise.”
- “The music is futuristic with a mix of computerized sounds of a mechanized machine age while on the ship along with eerie planetary effects when on a planetary mission with plenty of space age music walking about or during combat.”
- “The music is also, unfortunately, 'meh'.”
- “Also, the game is pretty dark, the music is oppressing, looping and monotonous.”
- “The soundtrack is poorly mixed and not everyone's cup of tea.”
replayability
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
49%
8%
Overall, the game exhibits a mixed reception regarding replayability. Many players appreciate the variety offered by different factions and ship-building mechanics, which contribute to a satisfying gameplay loop and extensive replay value. However, some critics point out that the lack of narrative depth and repetitive elements can diminish the incentive for multiple playthroughs, suggesting that while there is potential for high replayability, it may not be fully realized for all players.
- “One of the best games I've ever played, the atmosphere, the music, the sound, the small details... the depth of this game is unbelievable + strong replay value.”
- “The challenge of the ever-rising difficulty combined with the roguelite elements that improve your next gameplay as you pick up new stuff exploring gives this game good replayability.”
- “There are tons of goals to achieve and equipment to obtain, only complemented with extensive replay value and impressive growth potential.”
- “The lack of a narrative gives this one a short shelf life for me personally, but the ship-building may give it some replay value for some.”
- “There's a lot of effort made to give the game some replay value, but the gameplay or systems simply aren't deep or varied enough to entice multiple playthroughs.”
- “I found it not good enough, short, unengaging with little replayability value.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players note that the issues are not game-breaking, many express frustration with the lack of polish and optimization, leading to a perception of the game as unfinished. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from significant stability problems, making it difficult to recommend in its current state.
- “The graphics are great; it runs smoothly without any issues.”
- “This game has been stable since its release on Epic, and I appreciate the lack of bugs.”
- “It's a buggy, skin-deep mess with poor in-game or out-of-game resources to figure out mechanics.”
- “There are several bugs and glitches early/mid game that are kind of annoying but nothing game breaking; however, once you get later into the game, some extremely obvious and painful bugs appear that make the game almost impossible to play.”
- “Unfortunately, it is actually just a buggy mess.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
30%
50%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including constant stuttering and erratic mouse input that render it nearly unplayable. Despite its intriguing concepts and potential, the poor optimization and graphical inconsistencies significantly detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration among users. Many feel that the game's performance problems overshadow its innovative gameplay elements.
- “Expect your drone-like crew to die, but you can clone new crew members, even splicing them with alien characteristics to possibly enhance their performance.”
- “Luckily your crew is not that incompetent even with their starting weapons, despite their performance cleaning up the ship, and you can bring turrets with you, thus becoming effectively blind is not necessarily a death sentence.”
- “Game is okay, but poorly optimized; it maxes out my GeForce RTX 2070 Super just looking at a wall.”
- “Great concept, seems great, but buggy and poorly optimized.”
- “As much as I would love to recommend this game due to its novel take on the ship-building and resource-gathering genres, the constant stuttering of the mouse input-handling makes it absolutely unplayable. This is a real shame because this game has so much potential, which is squandered by a lack of attention to such a basic feature.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting its potential and the disappointment of its stagnation since the last update in 2020. While the gameplay offers moments of joy and satisfaction, the lack of updates and improvements leaves many feeling heartbroken about what could have been, creating a mix of nostalgia and frustration. Overall, the emotional experience is characterized by a longing for enhancement and a bittersweet appreciation for the game's current state.
- “Of course this wouldn't be too big a problem if the game had any hope of some kind of update, but seeing as the last update was in September of 2020, I think it's safe to say this game is dead, which is extremely heartbreaking considering the potential this game has.”
- “I came out of that adventure ten wholesome hours later, oddly enjoying myself despite the storm of mixed emotions it came with.”
- “People want to cry just to cry.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a campy, pop culture-inspired style typical of Team17, providing initial laughs that may wear thin after repeated exposure. While the game features amusing elements and has potential, it struggles with clarity in gameplay mechanics and alien threats, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, players find the humor enjoyable enough to warrant continued play.
- “Then I realized the publisher is Team17, who are recognizable for painting their own campy, humorous takes on popular culture.”
- “It's funny that the actual title is 'Alpha One' because that's the development stage it feels like it's in.”
- “This game is worth buying, and after several hours, you will appreciate it even with all its funny details.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as predatory and reminiscent of cash grabs, particularly in light of Epic's legal battles over app store fees. Users feel that the company's public image as a champion of consumer rights is disingenuous, suggesting that their practices prioritize profit over player experience. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as exploitative, undermining the game's potential.
- “Don't hold any illusions in your head, dear reader. This is something that is relevant and has been empirically proven. Epic is or was in the midst of getting their second run of strong-arm tactics shot down by multiple courts when they tried to sue Apple and Google because they don't like that 30% of their predatory monetization practices gets taken by those respective storefronts, all while leading a campaign in public trying to act like they were 'breaking the mold and leading the way to free thought.' In other words, they were caught intentionally trying to manipulate the public into rooting for them as an underdog.”
- “Smells like a cash grab after they have finished rinsing the Epic Store player base.”
- “Great concept but seems like a cash grab...”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Character development adds an RPG element to the game, enhancing the overall experience; however, the character design has been criticized as subpar.
- “The depth of character development really makes you feel invested in their journey.”
- “I love how the characters evolve based on your choices, making each playthrough unique.”
- “The character development adds a touch of RPG.”
- “It has poor character design.”

72%Critics’ scoreBased on 20 critic reviews

Buy Genesis Alpha One

10h Median play time

18h Average play time

5-40h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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