Istrolid

"Istrolid" is a strategy game where players design their own unique spaceships and build a fleet to fit their strategy and playstyle, with no set units or factions. The game features multiplayer and single-player modes, including a campaign to collect parts and build bigger ships, as well as customizable AI opponents for combat. Players can engage in tense battles for territorial control, utilizing each ship's energy, ranges, firing arcs, turn rates, and firepower.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,930 reviews

gameplay69 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game offers a high level of creative freedom in designing and customizing ships, making it enjoyable for players who love strategy and engineering.
It's completely free to play with no pay-to-win elements, allowing players to experience the full game without any financial commitment.
The multiplayer mode is engaging, providing a competitive environment where players can test their ship designs against others.

The single-player campaign can be frustratingly difficult at times, with steep difficulty spikes that may discourage new players.
There is a $1000 limit on ship costs, which can feel restrictive and limit creativity in ship design.
The user interface can be clunky and confusing, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.

gameplay
154 mentions
45 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Istrolid is characterized by its ship-building mechanics and strategic battles, offering a blend of simplicity and depth that appeals to fans of RTS and sandbox genres. While many players appreciate the creativity involved in designing ships and the balance of gameplay, criticisms arise regarding the repetitive nature of the campaign, limited content variety, and a toxic player community. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable and engaging, particularly in multiplayer, but it could benefit from more diverse gameplay modes and improved tutorials.
- “The gameplay primarily consists of building ships and then using them to capture all of the points on a map.”
- “The gameplay is riveting, especially for those who enjoy strategy games.”
- “Fun gameplay, multiplayer is fun and exciting.”
- “There's very little content variety to guarantee more interesting builds, and the only 2 DLCs for this game only provide cosmetic content (which would be fine if the base game contained more actual gameplay elements).”
- “Lack of quality gameplay tutorials makes this game hard to pick up and play, normally taking around 20 hours of multiplayer before you fully grasp how to even play the game.”
- “Once the harder levels are reached, the gameplay quickly becomes frustrating, and Istrolid loses the small amount of fun it offered.”
graphics
56 mentions
52 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist and simplistic art style that many players find charming and appealing, despite not being highly detailed or elaborate. While some reviews express a desire for improved visuals, the overall consensus is that the graphics are well-suited for the game's strategic gameplay, running smoothly on various systems and providing a pleasant aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the cute and clean design, which enhances the enjoyment of the game without being distracting.
- “A well-executed and fun strategy game with a wonderful minimalist art style - for free!”
- “The graphics are great for the 2D strategy, and the AI is on point.”
- “This game has a nice art style that is simple enough not to be distracting but pleasing to the eye so you don't mind staring at it for hours.”
- “The graphics are not very elaborate, but this game is all about strategy.”
- “I only wish the graphics would look better, like Strikefleet Omega on Android.”
- “One of the most fun games I played this year... the graphics are not amazing and they shouldn't be for this type of game.”
story
53 mentions
8 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The story aspect of Istrolid is generally viewed as lacking depth, with many players noting that the campaign mode feels more like a series of challenging missions rather than a cohesive narrative. While the gameplay offers engaging ship-building mechanics and strategic battles, the absence of a substantial storyline leaves players wanting more, with several expressing a desire for an expanded campaign that includes a richer narrative experience. Overall, the game is appreciated for its mechanics, but the story component is considered its weakest link.
- “I had my fair share of fun playing this game; you can finish the game by building up 1 or 2 ships, slowly expanding them through the story mode and adding the unlocked parts.”
- “The campaign starts a bit slow, teaching you each block individually in each battle, but the promise of unlocking new blocks in every mission is an awesome incentive and a really satisfying reward, as each mission gets a bit harder.”
- “There is a whole campaign mode with dozens of different AI armies to fight against, where you unlock more and more blocks the more missions you win.”
- “Wish they would expand the campaign into a full story mode.”
- “For this reason, it is the weakest part of the game and I would advise against taking it seriously past the first few missions that do show the basic controls.”
- “The campaign is very short and lacks any element of story (but what do you expect from a completely free game).”
monetization
27 mentions
19 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its monetization model, being completely free-to-play with no microtransactions or pay-to-win elements, which many players appreciate as it reflects a focus on quality rather than profit. Additionally, the two available DLCs are reasonably priced and purely aesthetic, further enhancing the positive reception of its monetization strategy. Overall, players feel they have nothing to lose by trying the game, given its lack of in-game purchases and ads.
- “The game has no microtransactions or paid content at the moment, and I don't foresee them adding any.”
- “Did I mention it's currently 100% free, with no microtransactions or pay-to-win content?”
- “The fact that it's free and does not currently have in-game purchases makes me think the developers really care about the quality of the game and not how much money they will make off of it.”
- “I have to say this because there are certain games on Steam which have false/misleading advertising to con consumers into buying them.”
- “Is it another bad cash grab of a game that profits on the popularity of the game?”
- “There is currently no monetization that I can find.”
music
19 mentions
16 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players finding it fitting and unobtrusive, enhancing the gameplay experience, while others criticize it for being dull, repetitive, or even creepy in certain contexts. Many users express a desire for a more extensive soundtrack, noting that the current music is minimal and could benefit from additional tracks. Overall, while the ambient sounds are generally appreciated, the lack of variety and depth in the music is a common concern among players.
- “The ambient techno music plays softly in the background as I strategize.”
- “The music is unobtrusive but fitting, and the sounds, though royalty-free, work out.”
- “This game is an amazing little game, I love the soundtrack (I wish there were more songs). I love the gameplay; it has hours of fun. What are you waiting for?”
- “Sometimes creepy in my opinion because of the emptiness and the music.”
- “Only cons that there are little to no music in the game as it is now in beta.”
- “The only question is, why the hell is there such an unnecessarily creepy background music in the design menu?!”
replayability
9 mentions
56 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits a mixed reception regarding replayability. While some users praise its deep customization and engaging gameplay, likening it to Minecraft for RTS games, others note limited replay value in the campaign and some aspects of gameplay. However, the general consensus highlights that the game is enjoyable and offers a variety of playstyles, contributing to its replayability.
- “It's the Minecraft of RTS games as far as replayability, customization, and overall fun factor.”
- “An enjoyable, engaging, and replayable game which is also free.”
- “Deep, challenging, incredibly replayable, and completely free!”
- “The campaign is worth playing once or twice, but it's cheesy and has very little replay value.”
- “Limited replay value in single-player.”
- “No real replayability.”
optimization
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its performance and smooth gameplay, others report significant issues, particularly on higher resolutions and with controls. Many users enjoy the depth of optimization available for gameplay mechanics, but there are calls for improvements in GUI and control responsiveness.
- “You'll probably like this if you're into fussy min-maxing and optimization.”
- “This game is for people that like to micro-tweak everything to get the best optimization.”
- “I really loved the optimization of this game.”
- “Could be more optimized (GUI and controls-wise), but otherwise a fun game.”
- “It is an HTML5 game; I guess that's why the performance is so terrible. It is hardly playable on my 4K display on a gaming laptop, and even in Full HD, it sometimes drops a few frames or the controls work with a delay.”
- “Could use some optimization but still enjoyable.”
stability
9 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized for being buggy, with users reporting glitches and performance issues, particularly during intense gameplay scenarios. While some players find it playable and see potential for improvement, the overall experience is marred by rough edges and occasional freezing.
- “The building system is mediocre, hard to use, and a bit buggy.”
- “Once you have many ships firing, the game just freezes, and a minute later it catches up and executes all your actions in super speed.”
- “Usually, the game is buggy and pretty rough around the edges.”
humor
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as entertaining and often situational, particularly when played with friends or during long gaming sessions. While some players find it consistently funny, others note that it can become repetitive, with humor peaking during multiplayer interactions. Overall, the game offers a mix of lighthearted moments and amusing gameplay experiences.
- “After 1,000 hours sunk into this game, I can confidently say that this was a funny and exciting trip.”
- “Funny game where you create your own fleet of spaceships which can go from tiny superfast fighters to giant slow battlecruisers.”
- “It's funny to play this game after a few hours; interesting gameplay and a challenging campaign!”
grinding
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding highlight a mixed experience; while some players appreciate the absence of grinding, others find certain battles tedious and frustrating due to AI advantages. Overall, the game may appeal to those who prefer less grinding, but it can lead to a lack of challenge in specific scenarios.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This makes some battles annoying and tedious, or easy.”
- “The AI, on the other hand, often gets multiple large expensive ships. Of course, the missions can still be done; it just feels tedious instead of like a challenge because the AI gets an advantage.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users express a deep emotional impact from the game, highlighting moments of confusion and heartbreak, particularly regarding a frustrating $1000 limit that resonated strongly with them.
- “I cried in silence...”
- “There's a bunch of things that don't make sense, and what's really heartbreaking is the $1000 limit.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a repetitive sound design and music that contributes to a consistent, immersive experience, though some players find it monotonous over time.
- “The music and sound effects create a repetitive atmosphere that quickly becomes tiresome.”
- “The overall atmosphere feels flat, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected.”
- “The sound design is uninspired, contributing to a dull and lifeless environment.”