LONESTAR

About

LONESTAR is a single player tactical role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Math Tide and was released on April 3, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

"LONESTAR is a single-player Science Fiction Role Playing game with delightful gameplay and beautiful music. As a bounty hunter, join the Bounty Hunter Association for abundant rewards, a free spaceship, and the chance to compete fairly in spaceship battles using unique units. With guaranteed piloting skills, the Association ensures a thrilling and highly replayable experience."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 844 reviews

gameplay88 positive mentions

story8 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of mechanics, combining elements from FTL and Slay the Spire, resulting in engaging and strategic gameplay.
There is a vast variety of pilots, units, and treasures, allowing for numerous build combinations and replayability.
The ability to restart battles without penalty encourages experimentation and learning from mistakes, enhancing the overall experience.

Some mechanics and unit descriptions are poorly explained, leading to confusion and a steep learning curve for new players.
The game can feel unbalanced at times, with certain bosses or enemies being overly punishing, potentially ruining otherwise strong runs.
There is currently a limited number of ships available, which may restrict gameplay variety and long-term engagement.

gameplay
210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The gameplay of Lonestar is characterized by a blend of familiar roguelike mechanics, drawing inspiration from games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, while introducing unique elements such as ship customization and energy management. Players appreciate the depth and variety of strategies available through different pilots, units, and synergies, although some mechanics are poorly explained, leading to a learning curve. Overall, the game offers an engaging and addictive experience, though it can feel repetitive over time and relies heavily on RNG, which may not appeal to all players.
- “The pilots, talents, and enemy variety change up the gameplay enough to keep it engaging, and there are multiple viable build paths, all subject to RNG, of course.”
- “Fantastic gameplay loop, nearly endless possibilities for runs, and extremely satisfying strategy mechanics.”
- “The mechanics are solid, and I'm not joking, they are insanely filled with depth.”
- “The core gameplay loop is the same from round 1, and it never develops any depth.”
- “There's just about no gameplay to speak of and this is basically gambling for units to mix and match for math.”
- “However, it being so reliant on luck-based gameplay pushes me over the edge and not recommend this game (unless you specifically like the luck aspect of these types of games, failing dozens of times and just having random builds to see how far you get every single time).”
replayability
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
49%
5%
The game boasts significant replayability, with users highlighting its vast content, diverse strategies, and engaging mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many players appreciate the variety of characters, classes, and synergies available, which contribute to a fresh experience each time. However, some note that while the replay value is high, certain aspects can feel repetitive over time.
- “The point is: there is a ton of content and endless replayability if you enjoy the game.”
- “The combination of high replayability, customization, and satisfying combos, along with a great soundtrack, promises that I'll be playing this game for a long time!”
- “This is a game with enormous replay value.”
- “Some people say there's a lot of replayability, but basically it's just unlocking more operations.”
- “The game sells itself on replayability, but this is a grind and isn't fun.”
- “There is also very little content and replayability for this price.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
41%
13%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its relaxing and fitting "space western" vibe, while others criticize its lack of diversity and repetitiveness, noting a limited number of tracks. Many find the soundtrack enjoyable and immersive, enhancing the overall atmosphere, but some suggest it could benefit from additional variety to avoid feeling bland. Overall, while the music is generally considered good, it falls short of being exceptional, with a call for more diverse and engaging tracks.
- “Just queue up your favorite music, grab a drink, and settle in for a great time.”
- “The entire design feels immersive and the soundtrack actually made me feel like I was a bounty hunter embarking on a great new adventure.”
- “The combination of high replayability, customization, and satisfying combos, along with a great soundtrack, promises that I'll be playing this game for a long time!”
- “The music choice is odd; as soon as you start the game, you're hit with some slow country twang which seems out of place, strange, and sets the tone for boredom.”
- “Biggest complaint I have is the lack of music diversity, as there are I think 5 tracks total.”
- “The music is a bit lackluster, giving off a mellow 'space western' vibe.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
66%
23%
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal to non-existent, with many players noting that it lacks depth, meaningful lore, and character development. While some appreciate the focus on gameplay over narrative, others express a desire for more engaging story elements or world-building to enhance the experience. Overall, the consensus is that the story serves as mere window dressing, failing to provide a compelling backdrop for the gameplay.
- “These brief breaks from combat add a surprising layer of storytelling and character to a game that might otherwise be all tactics and numbers.”
- “The flavor/storyline is pretty light but fun, with a good soundtrack and brief but amusing narration of various events and enemies you encounter as a space bounty hunter.”
- “I think the game would be much more fun if the combats are part of some missions/exploration you do, so it feels a bit more like there's a story behind and the player can make choices.”
- “The music is serviceable and the story is non-existent.”
- “The plot is completely non-existent, if you care about that.”
- “This game seems to have a load of characters with each one being without depth or meaningful lore or story, and basically the same character with a different picture but with different starting buffs.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally described as cute and cartoon-inspired, with a solid aesthetic that complements its quirky tone and world-building. However, many reviewers note that the visuals can feel rough around the edges, lacking polish and variety, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the charming art style and effective use of particle effects, others find the graphics outdated and serviceable at best, suggesting that the gameplay is the main draw rather than the visuals.
- “The aesthetics are cute.”
- “Visually, Lonestar opts for a clean, cartoon-inspired aesthetic that emphasizes clarity over spectacle.”
- “The stunning graphics and intuitive user interface make exploration a real treat.”
- “It lacks an amount of prettying polish that leaves it a little rough around the edges, with boring visuals and a story so forgettable I couldn’t for the life of me tell you what it’s about other than 'spaceship fights'.”
- “The graphics don't do a whole lot to help either, and look very outdated.”
- “The graphics are overall pretty meh so if you're buying the game, buy it for the gameplay which is overall pretty fun.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its quirky, surreal, and blunt style, which enhances the overall experience and complements the art and worldbuilding. Players appreciate the clever writing, funny mechanics, and the ability to create hilarious combos, all contributing to a fun and engaging atmosphere. The humor stands out in the genre, avoiding clichés and instead offering a unique blend of wit and charm that resonates with players.
- “It's funny, quirky, and stays true to its colors.”
- “The writing in these segments is humorous and sometimes surreal, which complements the quirky tone of the game’s art style and worldbuilding.”
- “Special shout out to the writing/writers; I don't know why the developers are trying to improve the English localization because its direct/blunt and slightly awkward humor is funny and stands out in comparison to other games in the genre that try too hard to be cutesy funny.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, player feedback on grinding in the game is mixed. While some users appreciate that no grinding is required to enjoy the game and find the experience fun and creative, others express frustration with excessive grinding needed for achievements or progression, leading to a decline in enjoyment. The balance between fun and grind seems to vary significantly among players, with some feeling that the game becomes tedious after extended play.
- “Some FTL vibes, fun and creative builds possible, no grinding needed.”
- “Because it takes so long, I decided to stop playing instead of grinding for hours to get to the harder content.”
- “While the game requires a lot of grinding and trial and error, it's rather fun and doesn't actually require that much brain power.”
- “I don't mind if it gets grindy somewhere at 100 hours, but there is very little game in this RNG simulator at the moment.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charming vibe, engaging music, and immersive sound design, contributing to an enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the balance of tempo and ambiance, which enhances the tactical gameplay while avoiding overwhelming audio elements. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as captivating and conducive to high replayability.
- “Fantastic tactics roguelike with a great atmosphere and huge build variety.”
- “Tactical decision making, substantial power curves, extremely high replayability, huge variance of difficulties, charming atmosphere & music.”
- “The atmosphere, sounds, and music are great, creating chilly vibes.”
- “The vibe and atmosphere are very questionable; most players feel forced into the game even if it doesn't make sense.”
- “The atmosphere is charming, but it often feels disconnected from the gameplay experience.”
- “While the game has a lot of positive aspects, the atmosphere leaves much to be desired.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised, with players reporting excellent performance on platforms like the Steam Deck and no significant bugs. However, the Mac port has some optimization issues, and there are minor translation errors, which are expected to be addressed in future patches.
- “Edit: played several more hours and still, no complaints on the Steam Deck performance.”
- “Game gets an A+ for bugs and performance; haven't encountered a single bug yet, and 0 performance issues.”
- “It's quite good, puzzles are solvable but not so easy that they leave no room for refinement and optimization.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's design and soundtrack deeply immersive, enhancing their emotional connection to the experience. The music effectively draws them into the role of a bounty hunter, making the adventure feel more engaging and impactful.
- “The entire design feels immersive, and the soundtrack actually made me feel like I was a bounty hunter embarking on a great new adventure. Usually, I'm the first person to disable the music in small roguelite games to just get my eyes busy while watching videos on the second screen or such.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features no advertisements and does not solicit additional payments from players, providing a seamless and uninterrupted experience.