Jumpdrive

About

Jumpdrive is a sandbox space sim set in an alternative future heavily inspired by classic 80s sci-fi. Fight, trade and explore in a massive procedurally generated galaxy of millions of planets and stars. Amass money and power, upgrade and purchase new ships, and one day create your own small fleet with a base to call home.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 244 reviews

graphics14 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game has a killer soundtrack and a retro 80s vibe that many players enjoy.
Some players appreciate the concept and potential of the game, likening it to classic space sims.
The atmosphere and visuals are praised for their aesthetic appeal, creating an immersive experience.

The game is abandoned and considered unfinished, with many players reporting numerous bugs and crashes.
It has been described as a cash grab, with some players feeling misled by its marketing and release status.
Many features are broken or incomplete, leading to a frustrating experience for players trying to engage with the game.

story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
87%
8%
The game's story is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking an overarching plot, leaving players to create their own narratives amidst a backdrop of technical issues and uncompleted missions. Many players report frequent glitches that prevent mission completion, resulting in a frustrating experience that detracts from the potential of the game's expansive universe. While there is a suggestion of rich lore and potential for engaging gameplay, the current state of the game feels more like a "development hell" than a polished experience.
- “There's no overarching plot as such, but your imagination can build your own as you play.”
- “If you read up on the story and the direction that Meteoric Games wants to go with Paragon, it is just oozing with space sim potential.”
- “Its one thing to play an RPG or free-roaming games based in some distant land or with compulsory missions to weigh you down, but to have free reign to go about your business and make a name for yourself?”
- “The quests are extremely boring and there's very little feedback in the game when doing them or completing them.”
- “So far, however, this plot has yet to be implemented fully and more technical issues have to be solved around how such a massive procedurally generated galaxy can be kept stable and in working order.”
- “Once you get out of port, you have no guidance towards any possible goals, including any missions you take.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the aesthetic inspired by 80s sci-fi and improvements over its predecessor, Pioneer, while others criticize the presence of glitches and unfinished visuals. Although the art style is generally appreciated, many players find the game buggy and unplayable at times, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game runs well on modest systems and offers a visually pleasing atmosphere for exploration.
- “The graphics have been massively improved as has the soundtrack.”
- “Fantastic art style, very simple, but as Neil Armstrong said about the Luna, 'it has a stark beauty of its own.'”
- “Runs like a dream and you can max the graphics on a modest PC.”
- “Glitches, missions that cannot be completed, some visuals that seem unfinished - all that would be enough to give this game a thumbs down, even at a low price.”
- “There are some nice things about the direction they've taken this (I like the art style), but ultimately it's really buggy, with ships randomly crashing into stations and saving/loading the game causes crashes 99% of the time.”
- “I like being able to leave a planet and then go to another shooting, trading, and all that sort. This game has huge promise, but you'd have to get past the bland 64-bit graphics style; it doesn't look bad, I quite like it.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
36%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its retro-futuristic synthwave soundtrack, which enhances the sci-fi atmosphere and complements the gameplay beautifully. Reviewers appreciate the nostalgic 80s vibe and the quality of the soundtrack, describing it as a standout feature that elevates the overall experience. Despite some technical issues, the music remains a highlight, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The nice synth soundtrack acts as a neat background to the gameplay.”
- “Music is top notch as well, hinting at radiophonic and Kraftwerk, it goes to make a perfect background to this space sim.”
- “The synthwave soundtrack, the cockpits and ship models that look like they came out of a low-budget sci-fi movie (in a good way), the colorful backgrounds all look, sound, and feel great.”
- “I paid for nothing but a black screen and some music - game will not load, no help from any support page.”
- “[strike] I love this game's aesthetic themed like an 80's sci-fi movie with retro-futuristic synth music, but unfortunately this game has become unplayable.”
- “The game looks great for an independently made space sim, and the soundtrack still gets me pumped, but the large problem is just that; it's independently made.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Issues include long load times, mission failures, and frequent freezes, leading many to label it a "buggy mess." While there are hopes for future updates to improve stability, the current state is far from satisfactory, especially when compared to other actively developed alternatives.
- “For about the next four patches, the game became more buggy, not less.”
- “Glitches, missions that cannot be completed, some visuals that seem unfinished - all that would be enough to give this game a thumbs down, even at a low price.”
- “Issues ranging from consistent long load times (or the more likely failures requiring hard resets) at startup to freezes at the end of nearly every jump and worse.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
The gameplay is characterized as a sandbox space simulation with a nice synth soundtrack, but it suffers from glitchy collision mechanics and an unpolished feel, making it borderline unplayable at times. Players have noted a lack of content and gameplay information, with many mechanics feeling tedious and uninspired, particularly the faulty autopilot for docking. While there is potential for unlimited gameplay, the current state feels more like an alpha version with limited functionality.
- “What you have got is a space simulation where you can pretty much go and do whatever you want; it is a sandbox, and it is just that not all of the gameplay content and sandbox flavors are in there yet as the developers are adding to the game's content as it develops.”
- “This gives me a great bed for simple gameplay with the enormities of space.”
- “Being a huge Elite and Frontier fan, this really ticks every box in terms of feel and gameplay.”
- “The collision mechanics are glitchy, and you'll soon get used to that very annoying 'game over' screen which plays some cheesy CGI video reminiscent of something from the early 90s.”
- “This game was borderline unplayable; the autopilot you almost need to use for docking was faulty, constantly smashing me into things and blowing me up. The mechanics were tedious and uninspired, and the whole look and feel of the game was very unpolished.”
- “At the moment, it feels very much like an alpha with not much more than a working mechanics demo.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
19%
19%
The atmosphere of Jumpdrive is widely praised for its engaging retro 80s vibe, complemented by a captivating soundtrack that enhances the sci-fi experience. Players appreciate the game's aesthetic elements, which create an immersive environment for space exploration, trading, and combat. Overall, the combination of visuals and music contributes to a nostalgic yet enjoyable atmosphere that resonates with fans of the genre.
- “Overall, Jumpdrive is a lot of fun. I love the retro 80s vibe that runs through it, and the great atmosphere the game provides.”
- “This game is basically Elite at its core, but with some nice aesthetics and a soundtrack that creates a very nice sci-fi atmosphere to fly about in and land on planets.”
- “The atmosphere and feel of the game are great.”
- “Let's start with the only jumpdrive that gets it right: atmosphere.”
- “Or travel to Titan to see the dense atmosphere, all mixed with wicked music and an 80's vibe.”
- “Or travel to Titan to see the dense atmosphere, all mixed with wicked music and an 80's vibe.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the progress made towards upgrading ships, many criticize the repetitive and tedious nature of missions, as well as the confusing mechanics and unpolished gameplay. The travel system is often described as cumbersome, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, grinding feels more like a chore than a rewarding experience for many users.
- “This game was borderline unplayable; the autopilot you almost need to use for docking was faulty, constantly smashing me into things and blowing me up. The mechanics were tedious and uninspired, and the whole look and feel of the game was very unpolished.”
- “Although the game is very aesthetically pleasing, it's very confusing to start off with. There doesn't seem to be a lot to do, and I'd describe travel as being tedious.”
- “So instead of grinding these nickel-and-dime missions, why not play around a bit?”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's replayability is criticized due to significant functionality being removed in recent patches, leading players to recommend alternatives like No Man's Sky and Pioneer, which offer more engaging and less buggy experiences. Overall, the current state of the game does not encourage repeated play.
- “Jumpdrive (formerly known as Paragon) is essentially a 'reskinned' version of the game Pioneer, which is still being actively developed and far more playable and less buggy than this, not to mention free.”
- “Go buy No Man's Sky, it's more playable.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has faced significant criticism, particularly following a recent update that reportedly degraded performance to the point of being unplayable, even with debugging tools. While there is hope for future improvements and optimizations, the current state has left many players frustrated.
- “Unfortunately, this new update completely ruined the game; it severely affected its performance, making it unplayable even with the debug tools.”
- “Kudos for the team reaching out to its audience, but sadly this is a review for the game, not the team's performance.”
- “But I'm sure there will be additions to optimization and shortcuts.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized, with users labeling it as a "cash grab scam," indicating a strong negative sentiment towards its financial practices.
- “This game is a cash grab scam!!”
- “This game is a cash grab scam!!”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find humor in the game's ability to turn frustrating moments, like crashing, into a lighthearted experience that encourages them to keep playing. Despite the setbacks, the fun of restarting and the overall enjoyment of the game shine through, although some users express a desire for a save feature to mitigate the crashes.
- “What's funny is that even though I crash and get upset, I just start new and play again. It's fun, what can I say?”
- “The humor in this game really shines through, making even the frustrating moments enjoyable.”
- “I love how the game manages to keep a light-hearted tone, even when things don't go as planned.”