Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars
- October 29, 2015
- Digital Eel
- 3h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars" is a starship roguelike game, where players explore the galaxy, encountering unique aliens, artifacts, and lifeforms. The game features thoughtful randomization, ensuring a different experience each playthrough. With pausable real-time combat, a range of difficulty options, and a quick-to-pick-up gameplay, it offers a fun and challenging adventure suitable for players of all ages. The full combat simulator mode also allows players to try out various ships and weapons right away.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging experience for short play sessions, making it ideal for quick gaming breaks.
- The 3D graphics and new ship upgrade mechanics add a fresh layer of depth to the gameplay, enhancing exploration and combat.
- The game retains the charm and humor of its predecessors, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the series.
- The user interface is clunky and non-intuitive, making navigation and menu management frustrating compared to previous entries.
- The transition to a 3D map has made exploration more cumbersome, with players often struggling to orient themselves and find destinations.
- Many players feel the game lacks new content and innovation, making it feel like a rehash of earlier titles rather than a true sequel.
- story32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a mix of mission-based gameplay and exploration within a galaxy filled with various quests and events. Players appreciate the increased variety and frequency of missions compared to previous installments, although some express a desire for longer, more meaningful missions and a clearer narrative structure. While the procedural generation adds unpredictability, it can detract from the overall sense of story and immersion, leading to mixed feelings about the depth of the narrative experience.
“The plot seems to be to explore the game's galaxy to find stuff!”
“For in a sea of epic games that have epic starlanes, great clashes of fleets, super high-end graphics and whatever bells and lights you fleshlings like, Sea of Stars is the title that keeps pulling me back, and grants me the greatest feeling of story and involvement.”
“Though there is also at least one other plot going on; one game I played ended when some mysterious, powerful alien race appeared and destroyed this 'human homeworld' whilst I was busy elsewhere!”
“The plot seems to be explore the game's galaxy to find stuff!”
“Everything is random, with no good point or story.”
“I've come to despise the label 'rogue-like', which more and more is the refuge of game designers who can't come up with anything better than a random map with no story.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is described as a mix of addictive elements and repetitive mechanics, with some players finding it lacking in depth and innovation compared to earlier entries in the series. While the transition to 3D graphics offers a fresh visual experience, many reviewers feel it does not enhance the core gameplay, which remains largely unchanged and at times feels outdated. The game may appeal to fans of science fiction and rogue-lite genres, but it is criticized for its grindy achievements and a lack of meaningful updates.
“Gameplay is also addicting.”
“Consider purchasing the game if you are a fan of science fiction, rogue-lite gameplay that can be quite challenging if you ratchet up the difficulty, and stories that can be quite humorous but surprisingly impactful if you give them a chance.”
“While this game does have some small gameplay innovations, it is mostly an update of the game series with new graphics, UI, and such.”
“No information on the many vague and grindy achievements, or even for just general gameplay.”
“Lack of updates, repetitive gameplay, and a really outdated genre.”
“It's pretty, but that's about all I can say for it; as the actual gameplay doesn't seem to differ in any way from what's provided by a 2D starmap, it seems like a change made for the sake of change.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting a shift from charming 2D visuals to low-detail, low-poly 3D models that detract from the overall aesthetic. While some appreciate the tactical navigation offered by the new 3D map, others find it cluttered and less intuitive. Technical issues, such as fixed resolution and poor UI scaling on high-resolution monitors, further contribute to the dissatisfaction with the graphical presentation.
“The charming 2D visuals from the previous installment are replaced with some fun cartoony 3D models, and I'm not convinced the 3D map really adds anything, but it is easy enough to navigate once you get used to it.”
“Everything - from the 3D map and graphics to the extra content (which makes up for what was removed) lifts it well above its illustrious predecessor, which is saying something considering I also loved Weird Worlds.”
“While this game does have some small gameplay innovations, it is mostly an update of the game series with new graphics, UI, and such.”
“This is the third in a series of FTL ripoffs, ditching FTL's awful retro pixel graphics for awful untextured low poly graphics.”
“On a technical basis, you've got fixed resolution here, pretty bad graphics, and if you have a 4K monitor, the game is unplayable because the developers don't know about UI scaling, so the menu renders offscreen and you can't even mouse to the 'start game' button, so that's a tremendous failure right there.”
“The graphics... well I am a game artist myself, and I look a lot at art in games, and they literally went from high detailed 2D ships to extremely low detail low polygon 3D ships.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, with a variety of engaging stories and experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players note that the maps and events can become repetitive over time, the roguelike elements and the thrill of risk-taking contribute to its enduring appeal. However, a few users mention that replay value may diminish after several rounds due to the game's limitations.
“Digital Eel has done a fine reproduction of the Infinite Space series and added much replay value.”
“There's a variety of nice little stories that occur that give the game some more replayability.”
“A fantastic and enjoyable roguelike with a lot of replayability.”
“Replay value is somewhat limited after a few rounds.”
“The game abruptly ends after about 8,000 days, giving you a score. There's a lot of replayability, but the maps are always the same and most of the events are too.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating its lighthearted and whimsical elements, such as amusing character fates and quirky events. The blend of humor with challenging gameplay and engaging storytelling adds a unique charm, making it an enjoyable experience for fans of science fiction and rogue-lite genres. Overall, the game offers a fun and entertaining escape, perfect for short play sessions.
“A game that focuses on basic exploring to find cool stuff, combat, random events, and humor is just my speed.”
“Consider purchasing the game if you are a fan of science fiction, rogue-lite gameplay that can be quite challenging if you ratchet up the difficulty, and stories that can be quite humorous but surprisingly impactful if you give them a chance.”
“You no longer return to hope in glory to retire as the fleet's new admiral, or get shaken down by thugs and left to rot as a funny-spore farmer; instead, you just get a short blurb that notes you retired/died in combat/got eaten by a space whale/whatever, and your score.”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the exploration experience with unique and immersive sounds. Reviewers highlight the exceptional tracks that accompany intense moments, such as fleet encounters, making it a standout feature for those who appreciate ambient and stellar soundscapes. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant draw for players seeking a rich auditory experience alongside engaging gameplay.
“Strongly consider buying this if you enjoy ambience and atmosphere, excellent stellar music, great space combat, and an even better sense of humor.”
“The bone-chilling music from the digital eel nightmare band grabs me in a way no other sci-fi soundtrack has; it is atmospheric when exploring, each sound delightfully plucked from the best of brainstuff.”
“And the songs that play as my fleet dares to broach the garthan red zone, or play with the laughing colors of the urluquai... fantastic.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, featuring bone-chilling music that enhances the exploration experience. Players appreciate the blend of stellar sound design and humor, making it an engaging environment for both casual and dedicated gamers. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout element that contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“The bone-chilling music from the digital eel nightmare band grabs me in a way no other sci-fi soundtrack has; it is atmospheric when exploring, each sound delightfully plucked from the best of brainstuff.”
“Strongly consider buying this if you enjoy ambience and atmosphere, excellent stellar music, great space combat, and an even better sense of humor.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to a lack of clear information on achievements and general gameplay, leading to a vague and tedious experience.
“There is no information on the many vague and grindy achievements, making the gameplay feel tedious.”
“The grinding aspect of the game is overwhelming and lacks clear direction.”
“I found the grinding to be excessively repetitive, with little reward for the time invested.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's emotional impact is somewhat diminished by its complex user interface and controls, which may frustrate players and detract from the overall experience. This shift from previous entries, which were more accessible and engaging, suggests that the emotional connection may be hindered by the learning curve required to enjoy the game fully.
