Once Upon A Galaxy

About

Once Upon A Galaxy is a single player and multiplayer casual strategy game. It was developed by Million Dreams Games and was released on July 29, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Fantasy Collectible Card Auto-battler

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 383 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game is fun and addictive, with quick matches that allow for easy pick-up and play.
The art and character designs are vibrant and engaging, enhancing the overall experience.
The monetization model is fair, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.

The early game is enjoyable, but the experience can become frustrating at higher ranks due to unbalanced matchmaking and reliance on RNG.
There is a lack of clarity in the game's mechanics and deck-building options, which can lead to confusion for new players.
Some players report that the asynchronous nature of the game can lead to unfulfilling matches where they face opponents with significantly stronger boards.

gameplay
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The gameplay is widely praised for its addictive mechanics, depth, and smooth execution, offering a rewarding experience with a variety of strategies and combos. While some users note that the deck-building aspect can create friction and the interface may feel unpolished, the overall gameplay loop remains engaging and enjoyable, especially for fans of auto-battlers. Despite minor bugs and a lack of clarity in some mechanics, players appreciate the game's fast-paced nature and the balance between accessibility and complexity.
- “Quick games, fun mechanics, very addictive, surprisingly deep, and the team adds new content/balances regularly.”
- “While simple, the mechanics intertwine very well together and allow for a variety of strategy that feels very rewarding when you finally get all the parts lined up.”
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and with very little 'wasted' time (especially after the hunt bug fix).”
- “The interface looks thrown together, game mechanics aren't well explained, and you have to do a lot of figuring out on your own.”
- “It's hard to understand the mechanics as it isn't overly clear.”
- “I feel like the game isn't very intuitive to explain its mechanics; most of the instructions just come from your captain randomly giving text box blurbs above their head telling you things like to click/hold on the card to see what the abilities do.”
story
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The reviews highlight that the game serves as a spiritual successor to "Storybook Brawl," capturing its addictive autobattler gameplay while offering a slightly streamlined experience. Many players express nostalgia for the original game, noting that while this new title is enjoyable, it often feels like a less rich version of its predecessor. Overall, it successfully fills the void left by "Storybook Brawl," though some players feel it lacks depth in storytelling and character development.
- “The story-driven gameplay and hand-drawn art make it a cozy, enjoyable ride through the stars.”
- “Way better than just a spiritual successor to Storybook Brawl, just a shocking amount of depth in a simple and easy-to-learn package.”
- “Not just the spiritual successor to Storybook Brawl, but essentially its actual successor.”
- “If Storybook Brawl was a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, Once Upon a Galaxy is just a bowl of noodles with no sauce.”
- “This is a pretty fun phone game, but overall it feels like a watered down Storybook Brawl with gacha elements.”
- “I want to like this as it is so similar to Storybook Brawl, but currently it really feels lacking.”
monetization
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
47%
12%
Overall, the monetization in the game is generally perceived as player-friendly and fair, allowing enjoyment without mandatory purchases. Many reviewers appreciate the absence of intrusive ads and the reasonable nature of microtransactions, although some express concerns about the clarity and necessity of certain purchases. While the monetization model is mostly seen as generous and non-pay-to-win, a few users note that it could be improved or expanded.
- “The monetization is relatively friendly and won't keep you from enjoying the game.”
- “Monetization is reasonable too - you can have fun without purchasing things.”
- “Plus, the monetization of this game is very generous and the furthest from pay to win.”
- “It is highly unclear what the microtransactions are for.”
- “There is nothing else in the game but monetization.”
- “Disgusting cash grab.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The game's graphics are characterized by vibrant and charming artwork, with many praising the character designs and animations as visually appealing. However, some users note that the overall visuals can feel barebones or bland, indicating a need for further development. Despite these criticisms, the game's aesthetic and art style contribute positively to the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable and engaging.
- “Great little autobattler with gorgeous visuals, fun mechanics, and surprisingly deep lore.”
- “I love the animations in this game because they go really well with the style and the artwork.”
- “The game has a charming aesthetic and boasts some of the best art in the business.”
- “Visuals are currently pretty barebones, but fingers crossed the team can pull through even without NFT funding.”
- “The aesthetic side of the game is also fairly bland.”
- “The graphics and interface are all fine, but not any more than that.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious, particularly in card collection, as it requires significant time investment to unlock a full set of cards for each hero. While progression can feel grindy, especially for completionists, the overall gameplay remains engaging and enjoyable, with quick runs that encourage players to keep playing. Additionally, some content is locked behind a paywall, adding to the grind for those unwilling to spend money.
- “In order to get these cards, you must unlock them by either grinding a lot (I have played for many hours now and yet I don't have a full set of cards for any of the heroes) or by spending money on theme decks or a premium battle pass.”
- “Grindy - if you are a completionist, it's a lot of cards to unlock since each deck has 80 cards to unlock independent of each other.”
- “Some captains are (temporarily) locked behind a paywall; cards are unlocked as you grind with no crafting or target farming.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
The game's stability is marred by significant bugs and client issues, particularly on Windows 11, leading to freezes and stuttering after rounds. While gameplay itself does not freeze, the overall user experience suffers from these design flaws, detracting from its potential enjoyment.
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, providing a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I haven't encountered any major bugs or glitches.”
- “The performance is consistent, allowing for uninterrupted gameplay throughout my sessions.”
- “However, the Steam client is pretty buggy, at least on my machine which is Windows 11.”
- “The client freezes or locks up.”
- “Nothing should be causing stuttering, yet every time you finish a round, the game essentially freezes.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game is generally considered decent, but many users note significant gaps, such as the absence of music during gameplay and various screens, leading to a lack of engagement. Additionally, players have pointed out missing sound effects and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the music could benefit from more variety and implementation to enhance the gameplay atmosphere.
- “The music is quite decent, however.”
- “On the Steam client, there's also no music, and it just feels very boring because of that.”
- “That being said, there are things that have yet to be implemented, such as music during the main game mode (and on many screens actually), as well as a number of sound effects that feel missing.”
- “There is no music during the play rounds.”
- “On the Steam client, there's also no music (sometimes? maybe not always?) and it just feels very boring because of that.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its cute and clever card art, featuring amusing concepts like a poker-obsessed dragon, which adds to the overall fun and addictive gameplay. Players find the experience entertaining, often laughing and cheering during high-stakes moments, despite some balance issues. Overall, the game successfully captures the lighthearted spirit of autobattlers, making it a delightful experience.
- “The card art is very well done with super cute and funny concepts (a poker-obsessed long-dragon called Blackjack? Sign me up!), and the game is overall just a blast to play!”
- “Overall, highly addictive, snappy and easy fun with very lightweight and respectful monetization and an excellent grasp of the core of what makes autobattlers fun and, at times, hilarious.”
- “We were laughing, teasing, and cheering.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers high replayability, as each playthrough feels unique even with the same deck, thanks to customizable options for each captain. Players enjoy a continuous flow of engaging strategic and tactical decisions, enhancing the overall fun and replay value.
- “Great replay value!”
- “The game gives you a constant stream of bite-sized strategically and tactically interesting decisions that make it pretty fun and replayable.”
- “Replayability - never the same game - even with the same deck.”
- “If you feel like it, you can even customize the decks for each captain, giving you even more replayability.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while it runs smoothly on PC/Linux without errors, players experience frustrating layout and design issues, along with freezing after rounds that disrupt gameplay. Despite these setbacks, users appreciate the impactful nature of their choices and the relatively short run times.
- “Runs aren't too long, and you feel your choices are impactful in terms of your performance.”
- “On PC/Linux, the game runs smoothly, and I haven't encountered any errors yet.”
- “Each time, I was left slightly frustrated with the layout, design, and performance.”
- “Nothing should be causing stuttering, yet every time you finish a round, the game essentially freezes.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express mixed emotions regarding the game's competitive aspect, feeling a sense of frustration at higher ranks due to the pressure of winning with less skilled captains. However, the overall experience is described as wholesome and uplifting, contributing positively to the emotional engagement with the game.
- “The whole thing is wholesome and wonderful.”
- “Wholesome IP.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the character designs and artwork are praised for their quality and appeal, reviewers feel that the overall character development requires significant improvement. The gameplay is enjoyable and strategic, allowing players to engage without feeling overwhelmed, but the depth of character progression is lacking.
- “Great character designs, fun gameplay, and it's free.”
- “Quick games, fun character designs, great art, enough strategy to feel meaningful but doesn't become insurmountable to just vibe with.”