Genesis Rising
- March 19, 2007
- Metamorf
Get on Steam"Genesis Rising" is a unique space real-time strategy game set in a universe where humans, viewing themselves as divine, seek to conquer the last independent galaxy. As Captain Iconah, command a living fleet and uncover the location and purpose of the "Universal Heart" in a non-linear single player campaign. The game features scalable RTS mechanics and a co-op mode for two players to control one fleet.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The concept of customizing ships through genetic upgrades is interesting and unique.
- The visual design of the bio-engineered ships and the overall art style are appealing.
- The game offers a unique blend of RTS mechanics with a space opera storyline.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and stability issues, making it difficult to play.
- Many players report that the game fails to launch or crashes frequently, especially on modern systems.
- There is a lack of essential features like saving during missions, which severely hampers gameplay.
- story60 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story features an intriguing space opera concept with living ships and well-produced cutscenes, but it suffers from a lack of depth and engaging content. Many players report significant technical issues, including crashes and mission failures, which detract from the overall experience and hinder progress through the campaign. While some appreciate the unique ideas and artistic style, the execution is marred by bugs and gameplay inconsistencies, leading to a generally negative reception of the story aspect.
“This game is worth a few bucks now just to see the nice art style and check out the living ships and the out-there space opera storyline.”
“There is a story, and there are a lot of very good cutscenes inside the game that follow the narrative; they are very well detailed and very well made.”
“All that said, the game itself is really good and has everything from voice acting to cutscenes and a story with some deep religious undertones if you care for that.”
“Shallow and not very interesting story.”
“It's a shame but this game doesn't work and shows no signs of ever being fixed, loads of errors when you run it and the first mission in the campaign won't load properly.”
“Even the missions as a whole are nothing to write home about.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful art style and organic ship designs, while others criticize the outdated visuals and technical issues, particularly on unsupported hardware. Many users report significant bugs and crashes when adjusting graphic settings, making the game unplayable for some. Overall, while the graphics can be appealing, they are hindered by compatibility problems and a lack of optimization for modern systems.
“This game is worth a few bucks now just to see the nice art style and check out living ships and the out there space opera storyline.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is good, you have the option to react in briefings when you talk with some characters.”
“The idea of organic ships is original and the graphics are quite nice while exploring and battling other factions.”
“The graphics are an eyesore to look at, even with it being made over a decade ago.”
“Sadly, the slightest adjustment in the graphic options will result in a flurry of error messages, and trying to launch a tutorial, campaign, or skirmish will promptly crash the game.”
“Game is unplayable on a laptop with Intel HD graphics - won't even start!”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 56 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being slow, boring, and plagued by poor controls, particularly with mouse handling. While some appreciate the challenging space battles and cool mechanics, the overall consensus points to a lack of polish and wasted potential, suggesting that significant improvements are needed for a more enjoyable experience.
“Cool mechanics; nice meaty ship models; pompous in-game goals.”
“Voice acting is kinda wooden and lame at times, but the gameplay is solid and challenging with some nice and hard space battles.”
“If the controls were completely revamped and some of the gameplay revamped, I would change to a recommend.”
“Gameplay is atrocious and slow, and not interesting in any way.”
“The gameplay is boring and the controls are slow to use.”
“This game screams wasted potential, and due to the terrible controls and awful gameplay, any and all potential is a violated mess shaking uncontrollably in the corner wishing for a bullet through the skull.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, including frequent freezes and issues that prevent players from completing missions or accessing the campaign. While some users note that the problems are not entirely unforgiving, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and frustratingly unreliable.
“Unstable mess freezes too often to finish missions.”
“But can't even play the campaign due to glitches for £1.12; I kinda want to ask for my money back.”
“It will not work, or even if it does, you will have major glitches and issues.”
- music8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as a mix of appealing and generic, with a good orchestral soundtrack that some find unmemorable. While the soundtrack complements the beautiful graphics, it ultimately lacks distinctiveness, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the music's role in enhancing the game's atmosphere, especially within the context of its unique concept.
“The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is good, you have the option to react in briefings when you talk with some characters.”
“Plus the music and visuals are quite appealing, so if you can get it to work then it is easily worth $5 or more.”
“I would love to recommend Genesis Rising because of the concept, the music, and being able to enjoy the dying genre of space RTS.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from unoptimized cutscenes, which can detract from the overall experience. Users recommend selecting the high-performance NVIDIA graphics processor to improve performance.
“Select the preferred graphics processor: choose the high-performance NVIDIA processor.”
“Unoptimized cutscenes.”
“Select the preferred graphics processor; choose the high-performance NVIDIA processor.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing frustration over a lack of ongoing support following its release.
“Another THQ cash grab: release, cash in, and abandon.”
