Genesis Rising

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

29%

Audience ScoreBased on 116 reviews

story8 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The concept of customizing ships through genetic upgrades is unique and interesting.
The visual design of the bio-engineered ships and the overall art style is appealing.
The game offers a nostalgic experience for those who enjoyed it in the past, with some fun mechanics if you can get it to work.

The game is riddled with bugs and stability issues, making it difficult to play on modern systems.
Many players report that the game fails to launch or crashes frequently, often requiring extensive troubleshooting.
The lack of a save feature and the presence of numerous error messages severely hampers the gameplay experience.

story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
76%
7%
The game's story is described as having intriguing concepts, particularly with its living ships and space opera themes, but suffers from poor execution and lack of depth. While there are well-made cutscenes and some interesting ideas, many players find the narrative shallow and unengaging, compounded by significant technical issues that hinder gameplay progression. Overall, the story is seen as a missed opportunity, overshadowed by bugs and crashes that prevent players from fully experiencing it.
- “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.”
- “The story has some great ideas, and the concept of living ships is really new.”
- “There is a story, and there are a lot of well-detailed and well-made cutscenes that follow the narrative.”
- “The story is meh.”
- “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.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
71%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the art style and visual appeal, particularly in ship design and exploration. However, significant issues arise with compatibility on modern graphics cards, especially Intel integrated graphics, leading to crashes and performance problems. Overall, while the graphics can be beautiful, they are often marred by technical difficulties and outdated optimization.
- “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.”
- “It's a graphically pleasing game and I enjoyed the genes configuring of the ships and stations to suit whatever mission purpose.”
- “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.”
- “However, since the release on Steam, the game has not been optimized nor set up correctly for modern graphics cards and systems.”
- “Game is unplayable on a laptop with Intel HD graphics - won't even start!”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
27%
45%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the solid mechanics and intuitive ship customization, while others criticize it for being slow, boring, and plagued by poor controls. Many players feel that the game has potential but is ultimately let down by its execution, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as mediocre, with some enjoyable elements overshadowed by significant flaws.
- “I've only played the first couple of missions, but the mechanics seem solid and the ship customization is very intuitive.”
- “Haven't played far enough to say how the story or mission variation is, but just based on the core gameplay elements, I recommend Genesis Rising.”
- “Voice acting is kind of wooden and lame at times, but the gameplay is solid and challenging with some nice and hard space battles.”
- “Gameplay is atrocious and slow, and not interesting in any way.”
- “The gameplay is boring and the controls are slow to use.”
- “The mouse controls are terrible; the vertical and horizontal speeds seem to fluctuate wildly, and the gameplay is absolutely frustrating.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay and make missions unplayable. Many players express frustration over the game's unfinished state, leading to a general consensus that it is an unstable experience. Overall, the game's performance issues significantly detract from its enjoyment.
- “I tried to like this game, but it's too buggy and unfinished.”
- “Unstable mess freezes too often to finish missions.”
- “It will not work, or even if it does, you will have major glitches and issues.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's optimization has been criticized, with users noting unoptimized cutscenes and a lack of support for modern graphics cards since its Steam release. While the organic ship designs are appreciated, players express a desire for improved performance and overall optimization to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The concept of organic ships and these ship designs were always so cool to me, and I wish this game received more optimization and love. As a child, I loved this game, and I play rarely now, but hopping in to do a random skirmish is still a little refreshing.”
- “Select the preferred graphics processor and choose the high-performance NVIDIA processor.”
- “However, since the release on Steam, the game has not been optimized nor set up correctly for modern graphic cards and systems.”
- “Unoptimized cutscenes.”
- “However, since the release on Steam, the game has not been optimized nor set up correctly for modern graphics cards and systems.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is described as a mix of appealing and generic, with some reviewers noting a good soundtrack that enhances the experience, while others find it unmemorable. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, but technical issues may detract from the enjoyment.
- “The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is good, and 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.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy is criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that the game is designed primarily to extract money from players rather than provide a quality experience, leading to a sense of abandonment post-release.
- “Another THQ cash grab; release the game, cash in, and abandon it.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profits over player experience.”
- “In-game purchases are overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often citing long loading times that contribute to a frustrating experience.
- “This game requires an excessive amount of grinding, making it feel more like a chore than fun.”
- “The grinding mechanics are so repetitive that it quickly becomes boring.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, and it felt like I was getting nowhere.”