Lords of the Black Sun
- September 12, 2014
- Arkavi Studios
- 6h median play time
From diplomacy to war, there are far better games to occupy your time in this genre even if some are getting on in age. There are some fantastic ideas with some really great potential, but you can’t build a game on potential. Eventually, you need to go somewhere with those ideas… and Lords of the Black Sun doesn’t.
Get on Steam"Lords of the Black Sun" is a turn-based 4X strategy game set in space. Players must explore the galaxy, expand their empire, exploit resources, and exterminate enemies to become the dominant force. The game offers a rich political landscape, deep combat and diplomacy systems, and a variety of unique alien races to interact with.
Reviews
- The game has potential and interesting ideas, particularly in ship design and turn-based combat.
- Some players appreciate the straightforward UI and the ability to choose different races, which adds variety to gameplay.
- The game features multiplayer options, which can enhance the experience when playing with friends.
- The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
- Many players feel the game is unfinished and lacks depth, with a generic feel compared to other 4X games.
- There is a reputation for the developers abandoning the game, leading to concerns about long-term support and updates.
- gameplay34 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is widely criticized for being unpolished, boring, and plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it often unplayable. While some reviewers acknowledge potential and sound mechanics, they express disappointment in the lack of depth and engaging content, comparing it unfavorably to other games in the genre. Overall, the experience is marred by stability issues and a lack of clear guidance, leaving players frustrated and underwhelmed.
“Haven't seen some progress in the past few months as it is a small indie company, but looking forward to see patches and updates to enhance gameplay.”
“Mechanically, the game is sound - as stated above, it's the sort of thing strategy gamers claim to love and want.”
“I bought the game a while ago really for no reason except I love strategy games, I love the concept of the game but these early bugs have made gameplay hard (I understand it's an alpha) but with each new update this game gets more and more enjoyable. Glad I picked it up, can't wait for the complete game.”
“Even when you're lucky enough to not encounter a crash to desktop, the gameplay itself is not quite up to scratch.”
“Dull looking game (do not be fooled by the screenshots), boring gameplay, buggy as hell to the point of being unplayable: a total waste of money, even if it would be priced less than a buck.”
“Every aspect of gameplay feels like it was half finished and left in its most basic form.”
- stability27 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and freezes that render it nearly unplayable. Users describe it as a "buggy mess" with frequent glitches affecting gameplay, including issues with fleet commands and application stability, particularly when using multiple monitors. Overall, the consensus is that the game is unfinished and not worth the investment, with many players expressing disappointment in its current state.
“It's a buggy and incomplete mess.”
“The game frequently crashes, freezes, etc., and the combat/invasion system is horribly broken and bugged.”
“Interesting game, however crashes and freezes make it unplayable.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users criticizing them as outdated and unappealing, often comparing them unfavorably to games from the 1980s. While some early promotional artwork appeared promising, the actual in-game visuals are described as lacking depth and detail, featuring placeholder graphics and poor textures, particularly at higher zoom levels. A few users noted some decent space visuals, but overall, the graphics do not meet modern standards and leave players craving more depth and creativity in design.
“Early access artwork (not gameplay footage) looked promising.”
“The game leaves a pretty good first impression, with very nice and clean graphical information.”
“The game map, even though presented in a very simplistic fashion, works very well and offers a ton of graphical variety.”
“No depth, awful graphics.”
“The graphics are kind of horrible for a 2010+ game.”
“Additionally, the textures are ridiculously poor on higher zoom levels, even on max graphical settings.”
- story5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being virtually nonexistent beyond the introduction, with incoherent faction backstories and a lack of meaningful direction. Reviewers feel it fails to offer a unique narrative or engaging gameplay elements, making it feel like a generic copy of other space strategy games. Overall, the absence of a compelling storyline significantly detracts from the gaming experience.
“There is no storyline past the intro; controls are inadequate and unintuitive.”
“Oh, the story they put in for the factions makes no sense: the terrain race was once of Earth, then because of certain events, they left and went to a new universe where they built a thriving civilization. And then the game starts, and your very advanced human race that has been on the planet for years now doesn't even have a factory, police station, research lab, or medical lab; all you have is a shipyard! What?!”
“I have to say this game has no direction, and that is the problem. Everything in this game is just as normal as everything in every other space strategy game but lacks a strong point like an impressive political system, ship system, combat system, or some awesome AI. They didn't focus on a story or anything special; it is a copy-paste game in my opinion, and I would like my money back.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with some players finding it enjoyable, though others describe it as forgettable and insufficient to enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is appreciated, it does not compensate for other aspects of the game that are perceived as lacking.
“The music is really good and the game is interesting but a little clunky.”
“I like the in-game music.”
“The music is pretty nice.”
“The music is forgettable.”
“The music is not enough to keep you engaged, but it is pretty nice.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as potentially exploitative, with some users questioning the developer's intentions and suggesting it may be a cash grab. Additionally, the advertisements are described as misleading, presenting an appealing facade that does not accurately reflect the game's quality.
“I'm not sure if the developer ever actually intended to complete the game, or if this was a simple cash grab right from the start.”
“Also, the advertisements look beautiful, and are beautiful lies.”
“The advertising material and wallpaper images selling the game are grossly misleading.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's user interface is poorly optimized for player experience, with a cumbersome menu system that requires excessive actions, making it difficult for even novice developers to envision players enjoying it.
“The UI isn't optimized for a player's experience; it's hard to see even a neophyte developer looking at the UI and thinking, 'the players are going to love this.' Most of the menuing takes more actions than is really necessary.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it frustrating to play even on high-end hardware.”
“Loading times are excessively long, and the overall optimization feels rushed and incomplete.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While still in need of further refinement, "Star Lords" has shown notable emotional growth since its alpha version, indicating a deeper engagement with players' feelings and experiences.
