MoonBase Commander

About

MoonBase Commander is a turn-based strategy game set in a future where Earth's resources are depleted, causing nations to fight over lunar territory. As a commander, your goal is to exploit energy pools, build a powerful empire, and eliminate rival factions using weapons, surveillance, or shields. The game features multiple factions, customizable terrains, and both single-player and LAN multiplayer modes. It's known for its simplicity, engaging gameplay, and sci-fi theme.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

MoonBase Commander offers a unique blend of strategy and skill-based gameplay, making it easy to learn but challenging to master.
The game has nostalgic value for many players, providing a fun experience reminiscent of childhood gaming.
Despite its age, the game runs on modern systems and includes features like a map editor and skirmish mode, enhancing replayability.

The game suffers from significant technical issues, including crashes, lack of resolution options, and poor compatibility with modern operating systems.
Multiplayer functionality is limited to LAN play, with no online support, making it difficult to play with friends remotely.
The game lacks a tutorial or proper instructions, which can lead to confusion for new players trying to understand its mechanics.

gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
71%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique blend of strategic turn-based mechanics and precision aiming, reminiscent of golf games, which adds depth and skill to the experience. While some players noted issues like screen tearing and a lack of tutorials, the game is praised for its intuitive mechanics, creative design, and the ability to engage in both quick rounds and longer campaigns. Overall, it offers a compelling mix of simplicity and complexity, making it accessible yet challenging for players.
- “This gameplay is complemented by lush visuals and a lot of personality in each faction's design and narration.”
- “With its retro sci-fi vibe and simple (yet versatile) mechanics, this game is great for a quick round to blow off some steam or a longer campaign to test your strategic prowess.”
- “The way it blends strategic, turn-based mechanics with the action and precision of the aiming mechanics is really something very unique, and insanely addictive.”
- “During the game launch, there is already screen tearing in the intro, which continues in the main menu and during gameplay.”
- “Comes with too many issues for me to recommend; fixed (low) resolution, horrible interface, lack of any sort of instruction/tutorial, and gameplay is slow.”
- “Weird abstract sort of gameplay - can't even control where you build your base - you have to pick a direction and 'velocity' and launch new base modules and hope they land where you want - there is no feedback - so if you don't get the velocity right, you lost the cost of building and a 'turn' for nothing!”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, with many reviewers noting a lack of resolution options and minimal graphical tweaks. While the visuals may not meet modern standards, they are complemented by a unique art style and personality that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a secondary concern, with the game's fun mechanics and depth taking precedence.
- “This gameplay is complemented by lush visuals and a lot of personality in each faction's design and narration.”
- “It's got great music, it's graphically pleasing, and most importantly, it's fun to play.”
- “Don't let the crayola graphics fool you--this is a deep game and a blast to play with friends.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Its unique in regards of the genre and no other game in my recollection has tried something like this, although graphically it aged poorly and the resolution options for current monitors are not available in the game but it's still super fun.”
- “Yeah, the graphics are nothing special, they looked 10 years old when the game launched 10 years ago.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchiness and variety, featuring a 14-minute original soundtrack divided into 118 sections that adapt to gameplay. Reviewers highlight its nostalgic 80s-90s vibe, with some describing it as both enjoyable and humorously quirky, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere.
- “Even the game's 14-minute long OST is pretty catchy and won't get too annoying because it's divided into about 118 different sections that are played according to what's going on in the game.”
- “11/10 for me, the extra 1 is for the unique and amazing soundtrack!”
- “The music is catchy and fits the game, totally kickass and really enjoyable; the sound effects are great and the voices that speak to you help create character for the teams and fit really well together.”
- “The music is hilariously bad.”
- “Those who enjoy turn-based RPGs and strategy games are urged to investigate this, but with the caveat that a timer be kept on hand, as Moonbase Commander can alchemize a full day into a blur of confrontations, a chronically catchy soundtrack, and numerous instances of the word 'crawler' being employed as an expletive.”
- “Music: 80-90's game music, quite okay.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game's story is described as a tragic tale of development, with a basic premise involving a military team on a mission to save the galaxy. However, players note a lack of detailed narrative or context, as the game offers minimal briefing and a straightforward structure with limited mission variety. Overall, while the challenge mode provides engaging gameplay, the story itself feels underdeveloped and lacking depth.
- “Team Alpha: military guys, the good guys, on a quest to save the galaxy.”
- “The story behind this game is one of the most tragic game development stories you will ever hear.”
- “There are no more details of the story; you will not be briefed about the current situation on the field, nothing!”
- “So, what’s the story of this game?”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which affects its performance on contemporary gaming PCs. Users have found that adjusting settings through AMD drivers can mitigate some issues, but overall, the game feels outdated and requires significant manual tweaks to run smoothly.
- “I noticed the tearing stops when you open the AMD drivers, then set all optimization quality options to the highest and enable 'Radeon Chill' (min 30 fps, max 60 fps) and 'Radeon Enhanced Sync'.”
- “I noticed the screen tearing stops when I open the AMD drivers, set all optimization quality options to the highest, and enable 'Radeon Chill' with a minimum of 30 FPS, maximum of 60 FPS, and 'Radeon Enhanced Sync'.”
- “The game runs poorly on my system despite having decent specs; the optimization feels rushed and incomplete.”
- “I constantly experience frame drops and stuttering, which makes the gameplay frustrating and unenjoyable.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally poor music and a sassy, robotic voice that adds a comedic touch, creating a fun and groovy atmosphere.
- “The music is hilariously bad.”
- “A sassy, robotic voice is hilarious, and the funky music will always keep you grooving.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling it exploits nostalgia rather than offering genuine value, suggesting it capitalizes on abandoned titles for profit.
- “This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try to profit from abandonware.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
- “I can't believe how many microtransactions are crammed into this game; it feels like they are more focused on making money than delivering a quality experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported significant stability issues with the Steam version of the game, particularly noting that alt-tabbing causes glitches that render the game unplayable.
- “My only gripe with the Steam version is that each time I alt-tab out of the game and then alt-tab back in, it glitches, making the game unplayable.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly in mastering the launching mechanic; however, many appreciate that it introduces an additional layer of skill to the gameplay.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find the grinding mechanics to be a chore rather than a fun challenge.”
- “The amount of time required to grind for upgrades is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”