Gratuitous Space Battles

About

Gratuitous Space Battles is a real-time strategy game that focuses on space combat. Players design their own fleets, choosing ship types and customizing weapons, and then watch as their fleets battle it out in epic space battles. The game features a variety of enemies, upgrades, and customization options to keep strategy enthusiasts engaged.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 903 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

story16 negative mentions

Gratuitous Space Battles offers a unique blend of ship customization and strategic planning, allowing players to design their fleets and watch battles unfold without direct control.
The game features a wide variety of modules and ship types, providing depth and replayability as players experiment with different strategies and configurations.
The visuals and sound effects are impressive, creating an engaging atmosphere for players who enjoy watching epic space battles.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, leading to issues such as a broken campaign mode and frequent crashes, making it unplayable for many users.
Many players feel that the game lacks depth and becomes repetitive, as battles can often be resolved with a few overpowered strategies rather than requiring intricate planning.
The DLC pricing model has been criticized, with some content locked behind paywalls, leading to frustration among players who feel they are being nickel-and-dimed.

story
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
68%
24%
The game lacks a substantial story or narrative, focusing instead on straightforward combat scenarios without any deeper context or character development. Players can expect minimal backstory and a series of missions that feel more like isolated battles than a cohesive campaign. While some appreciate the absence of a story for the sake of action, many find this lack of content leads to a quick sense of monotony and limited replay value.
- “Don't expect a deep story or background - this tiny gem of a game does just what it says on the tin - it simulates the titanic booms and zaps of your ship designs duking it out with their nefarious alien foes.”
- “Sometimes the story is just the experience of having explored the map and built your bases - you've invested time and effort into the game world.”
- “The game promises a straightforward brawl without the complications or delay presented by having any kind of story to get in the way.”
- “If you need 'story' or such, this is not the game for you, although there is a bit of witty snark in both the in-battle comments and the descriptions of the various races.”
- “You could spend hours painstakingly pouring over every little detail of what ships to use and where to place them in formation, and then it's just a few minutes of watching ships shoot at each other (that you don't control) with no larger context or purpose since there's no story or narrative elements.”
- “There is no story, plot, or anything like that.”
graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the textures and special effects as "gorgeous" and "glorious," particularly in battles. While some players find the visuals impressive for a 2D game, others describe them as "graphically unimpressive" and suggest that with more funding, the game could achieve even greater visual appeal. Overall, the art style is noted for its distinctiveness between factions, contributing to the game's charm despite its simplicity.
- “The graphics and special effects are glorious.”
- “The game also offers great visuals too, especially for a 2D game, and there is a lot of strategy involved when planning your attack.”
- “The visuals, sound effects, and background music are superb.”
- “Because the developer went on to produce a sequel that has pretty much exactly the same content, but with slightly improved graphics, again he regurgitated the entire content of the first game in the second game.”
- “For graphics, I would give the game a 6.5/10 as well.”
- “Graphics are okay considering the size of the game.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique ship design mechanic that offers extensive customization but suffers from repetitive and unintuitive core mechanics. While some players appreciate the strategic elements and the ability to speed up gameplay, many find the overall experience lacking, particularly due to limited control during battles and UI issues. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a mixed bag, with potential that is not fully realized.
- “The gameplay is something unusual, fresh, and new for me, and it actually looks promising (since I am a gamer type that likes to design starships).”
- “There is a set amount of great game mechanics, and a pretty extensive customization range.”
- “A delightfully entertaining indie strategy game with unique gameplay that makes it hard to pin down in any particular genre.”
- “The gameplay is not intuitive and intensely repetitive.”
- “However, there is not much gameplay outside of the designing aspect as you hardly have any control over the battles.”
- “With more varied gameplay or level design, things might have been different, but as it stands I really wouldn't recommend it to a friend.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches across various platforms, particularly on Mac. Common issues include black screens when switching windows, unexpected automatic wins in campaign mode, and frequent crashes requiring force closures. While some users noted that it runs well on Linux, the overall consensus is that the game is in a buggy state and lacks polish.
- “Runs great on Linux.”
- “I suppose the only positive thing I have to say is it is not buggy.”
- “Also, this game has been left in a buggy state; if you try checking on another window, then go back into the game, you'll be greeted with a black screen and have to force-close. If you invade a planet in campaign mode, that planet can invade the planet your fleet just left for an automatic win (and it won't necessarily even be the same race that then owns the planet, which makes no sense); and if your internet connection wavers while playing campaign mode, you'll need to do another force close.”
- “But the Mac version is buggy, and I've been unable to get it to work properly.”
- “Good game but buggy as hell on the three machines I have installed it on.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
56%
25%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it offers infinite fun through player-submitted challenges and extensive gameplay hours, others feel that replay value diminishes significantly after unlocking all upgrades or due to broken campaign modes. The simplicity of the game allows for a decent amount of replayability, but opinions vary widely on its long-term engagement.
- “I've had hours of fun with this game, and it has infinite replayability.”
- “For such a simple concept, GSB provides a vast amount of replayability.”
- “The number of hours I've logged in this game should give you an idea of how replayable this is if you like this kind of game, which I obviously do :3”
- “Replay value falls off the cliff.”
- “Not much replay value once all modules (upgrades) are unlocked.”
- “It's fun, if not very replayable to a player like me.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted as a standout feature, particularly in its manual, which adds a layer of charm and effort that resonates with players. While the humor includes some slightly racist jokes aimed at aliens, it generally offers a light-hearted and entertaining experience, making it a fun choice for those looking to enjoy some laughs while engaging in space battle simulations.
- “I liked this kind of humor so much that it made me believe that a developer who allocates that energy, love, and effort on the manual (knowing that many gamers will not even bother to read) has probably created a game that will keep me entertained for a worthy duration of time.”
- “This is a fun, funny game.”
- “A very funny simulation of space battles.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The music in the game is generally praised for its cool and bombastic orchestral soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience without being overwhelming. However, some players feel that the compositions could be improved and more varied, leading a few to prefer their own music instead. Overall, the combination of visuals, sound effects, and background music creates a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of a space-opera.
- “The music is also surprisingly good - and again manages to feel bombastic without becoming overbearing.”
- “The visuals, sound effects, and background music are superb.”
- “I quickly found myself switching to my music player instead.”
- “"gsb is essentially a space-opera fireworks display set to music."”
- “My game wouldn't run; it would play the menu music and show the background.”