Into the Stars

41%
Game Brain Score Based on 491 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • story
Into the Stars Game Cover
A bland game from the get go, Into the Stars has high production values and a great soundtrack, but it's mired in mediocrity thanks to its gameplay.
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In "Into the Stars," you are the captain of a massive generation ship, fleeing from an alien race while trying to find a new home for humanity. Manage resources, build and upgrade your ship, and make critical decisions that affect the lives of your crew and the future of the human race. Navigate procedurally generated galaxies, encountering unique events and challenges in each playthrough. Can you lead your crew to safety and secure a new home for humanity?

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

41%
Audience ScoreBased on 491 reviews
graphics70 positive mentions
stability28 negative mentions
  • The game has beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack that create an immersive atmosphere.
  • The concept of managing a spaceship and its crew while exploring space is engaging and has potential for interesting gameplay.
  • The game offers a sense of tension and urgency as players must manage resources and deal with alien threats.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and often feel unbalanced, leading to a lack of enjoyment during battles.
  • There is a steep learning curve with little guidance, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.
  • graphics112 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and quality, often described as top-notch and immersive, particularly for an indie title. However, many users note that the visuals can be repetitive and are marred by technical issues, such as glitches and poor optimization for larger screens. Overall, while the graphics are a highlight, they are not enough to compensate for the game's other shortcomings.

    • “The visuals are top notch, which helps a lot.”
    • “The graphics are fantastic (I like the sperm-like things that fly around, have never seen that before but it's much better than space debris).”
    • “The graphics and sense of atmosphere are excellent.”
    • “The only things I dislike about the game are its lack of depth (the minigames really do feel like minigames and the away missions are just randomly generated die rolls with possible stat bonuses applied as far as I can tell) and its visual style (some may like it, but I find it a hideous mess that's aesthetically similar to the worst of bargain-bin sci-fi crap--lots of glowing neon, random hexes getting in the way of everything, plastic-looking textures, hideous ship design, etc).”
    • “This game does everything except graphics wrong.”
    • “You will very much enjoy looking out the window, but don't expect the same level of refinement with combat graphics.”
  • gameplay105 mentions

    The gameplay of "Into the Stars" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its potential for exploration in 3D space but criticizing its repetitive mechanics and lack of depth. While some find the controls intuitive and the pacing engaging, others highlight numerous glitches, a lack of action diversity, and tedious gameplay that can quickly become monotonous. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant improvements to its mechanics and stability to fully realize its potential.

    • “As far as gameplay itself, you get to explore in full 3-dimensional space, something even Rebel Galaxy couldn't do, much as I adore that game.”
    • “Control is easy to learn, gameplay mechanics are intuitive, and the UI is easily navigated.”
    • “Its still early, but it already grants a fair difficulty level, a thrilling atmosphere, challenging gameplay, and decisions with real consequences.”
    • “Also, the game has many glitches that vary even more than the gameplay itself (e.g. not starting, language button sticking on the screen sometimes, wrong crew pictures shown on message screens, not able to quit the game); for me, it is a waste of money.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game lacks any real depth with tedious mechanics that can quickly outstay their welcome after the first few runs.”
    • “The combination of complicated gameplay with a distinct lack of direction means that only the truly determined will likely get far with the title - but it just isn't interesting enough to warrant the investment from most.”
  • story98 mentions

    The story in the game is criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players feeling that it fails to provide a compelling narrative or motivation to continue playing. While the premise of being the last remnants of humanity offers potential, the execution is often described as shallow, with away missions feeling random and uninteresting, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience. Overall, players express a desire for a more developed storyline and meaningful choices that impact the game's outcome.

    • “Faster than light is packed with story and humor, has tons of events, several secret event chains, and has meaningful decisions as early as your first jump.”
    • “The remnants of mankind stuffed whatever they could carry onto your ship, and your mission is to take flight to the nearest habitable planet and not get blown up by trigger-happy bugs in the process.”
    • “+interesting storyline, I mean come on, you're the last of humanity.”
    • “There's no depth to the story which lacks the motivation to continue the game.”
    • “The story is almost non-existent, the plot absent other than a few sentences of introduction at the very beginning.”
    • “Endless 'cutscenes' when you are landing (can't skip them, but the 'cutscene' is always the same... bleh), you never have any idea on what your choice in a mission will do (or how your choice influences the result), the ship moves like a sloth, civilians are on riot constantly, your cargo is limited like... dunno, my kitchen cupboard (because I have none, see?)... horrible !!!!”
  • music32 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful soundtrack and immersive ambient music that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, some players find the music to be bland or over the top, and while it is noted to be of high production quality, it is often compared unfavorably to the composer's previous work, particularly from the Mass Effect series. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's experience, though opinions on its effectiveness vary.

    • “The sound effects are excellent, including the music which gives a grand feel without becoming annoying.”
    • “Loved the graphics, soundtrack, environment.”
    • “The visuals are nice and so is the soundtrack, especially for an indie game!”
    • “The music is a bit bland.”
    • “The soundtrack is a little over the top.”
    • “The soundtrack by Jack Wall is not even close to his famous Mass Effect music ('Uncharted Worlds', etc).”
  • stability28 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and a variety of glitches that disrupt gameplay. Many players express frustration over having to restart their computers and deal with game-breaking issues, making the experience feel incomplete and poorly optimized. While some find the concept enjoyable, the overwhelming technical problems lead to a consensus that the game is not worth its price at this time.

    • “Also, the game has many glitches that vary even more than the gameplay itself (e.g. not starting, language button sticking on the screen sometimes, wrong crew pictures shown on message screens, not able to quit the game). For me, it is a waste of money.”
    • “The concept and graphics are absolutely lovely, and the minutes I get to play it I really like it... until the game gets riddled with issues and freezes and crashes. Having to start over and over... saving doesn't help.”
    • “At present, the game is buggy, poorly optimized, and missing a lot of features (hey, you've got 4000 resources to divide, click in 1 item increments or hold the key down and overshoot by a few thousand).”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive and thematic presentation, combining excellent graphics and sound to create a captivating space environment. Players appreciate the gripping tension and the need for strategic decision-making, reminiscent of classic sci-fi titles like Mass Effect and Star Control. Overall, the atmosphere is described as thrilling and engaging, enhancing both exploration and gameplay challenges.

    • “But beyond that, the game has a fantastic atmosphere where you truly need to watch for many things to survive and you really have to consider what your next step should be.”
    • “Its still early, but it already grants a fair difficulty level, a thrilling atmosphere, challenging gameplay and decisions with real consequences.”
    • “The graphics and sense of atmosphere are excellent.”
    • “What I expected, what I believe I was promised, was a little bit of excitement and planning of FTL, a little bit of unexpectedness of a roguelike, a little bit of atmosphere of Mass Effect because of the style and of course Jack Wall, and a lot of space exploration, the wonder, the excitement, learning, danger, the new stuff that science fiction brings, what's best in Star Trek, Mass Effect, or Star Control, or the even older classics like Starflight.”
    • “It's still early, but it already grants a fair difficulty level, a thrilling atmosphere, challenging gameplay, and decisions with real consequences.”
    • “The bridge is a real throwback to Battlestar, Halo 4, and Mass Effect regarding aesthetics and atmosphere.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players praise its high potential for varied runs due to random elements and increased difficulty levels, others note that the relatively small map and limited randomization of celestial bodies diminish its overall replay value. Many agree that the game has improved since its alpha version, offering enough variety to warrant multiple playthroughs, though some feel it may not hold long-term appeal.

    • “300% replayability, because except for the map, every other thing is random!”
    • “Replayability has been improved a lot since alpha, so you will be looking at a lot of different runs.”
    • “- with a relatively small map, and no apparent randomization of stars and planets, the replay value is good, but not great.”
    • “Not a lot of replayability right now.”
    • “Whoever says this game is short... is right, but it can also be played in a plethora of ways, adding replayability.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game initially engaging, but it quickly becomes repetitive and tedious due to a lack of depth in mechanics. While battles are fun at first, the need for constant repetition and the presence of minor glitches contribute to a sense of monotony that can diminish the overall experience.

    • “Battles are entertaining at first, but do become a little tedious as you repeat them over and over.”
    • “Unfortunately the game lacks any real depth with tedious mechanics that can quickly outstay its welcome after the first few runs.”
    • “Glitches come into the game fairly often, but none of them are game-breaking; more of just a small nuisance that is easily fixable by the player, but they can certainly be tedious.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting severe performance and stability problems, even on high-end hardware like dual EVGA GTX 670s. Many players noted that it runs poorly at 1080p resolution, often resembling graphics from the mid-1990s, making it nearly unplayable even on the lowest settings.

    • “Not acceptable performance; it looked like a game from the mid-1990s on these settings and ran awful to boot.”
    • “First of all, I have 2 EVGA GTX 670s SLI'd, and the game was stuttering to the point of being unplayable at 1080 resolution, even on the lowest settings.”
    • “Worth a try as an FTL 3D clone, but it has performance and stability issues.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in "Faster Than Light" is highlighted as a strong point, with players appreciating its witty storytelling and engaging events. However, there are also criticisms regarding the developers' handling of the game, with some users feeling that the Kickstarter funding was mismanaged, leading to a sense of betrayal. Overall, the game balances humor with a narrative depth that enhances the player experience.

    • “Faster Than Light is packed with story and humor, has tons of events, several secret event chains, and has meaningful decisions as early as your first jump.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is notably lacking, with multiple users expressing disappointment in the absence of meaningful growth or depth in the characters.

    • “Character development is missing in action.”
    • “Character development is missing in action.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game has been criticized for its lack of engagement, with multiple users describing the story as boring and uninteresting. This has led to a diminished emotional impact, leaving players feeling disconnected from the narrative.

    • “The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
    • “I found the narrative to be dull and unengaging, lacking any emotional depth.”
    • “The plot was so uninteresting that it left me feeling emotionally disconnected.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

56% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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