Pixel Starships

About

Pixel Starships is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by SavySoda and was released on May 23, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

"Pixel Starships is a total spaceship management game in a massive online universe, where you construct and command your own starship in a single persistent world. Featuring 8-bit pixel graphics, players can build epic starships, encounter various races and factions, and engage in battles in a vast online universe."

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 9,123 reviews

story135 positive mentions

monetization279 negative mentions

Cute graphics and engaging gameplay that combines elements of strategy and RPG.
The ability to customize AI for crew and ship systems adds depth to combat.
The game offers a fair amount of free content and doesn't force ads on players.

Long upgrade times can make the game feel tedious and force players to wait or spend money.
Frequent bugs and crashes disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration.
PVP matchmaking can be unbalanced, often pitting lower-level players against those with significantly stronger ships.

story
498 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
6%
The game's story is described as engaging and fun, with a mix of humor and interesting character interactions, but many players feel it is limited and often locked behind a paywall. While some appreciate the variety of missions and the potential for deeper narrative exploration, others criticize the repetitive nature of the missions and the lack of substantial story progression without spending money. Overall, the storyline has potential but requires more content and accessibility to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The story is great!”
- “I love the storyline too.”
- “The quests are fun and have great storytelling.”
- “The gameplay is solid although the 'story' is a little dry.”
- “The storyline is finished after a few missions.”
- “Disappointing, no story mission progression unless you pay.”
gameplay
367 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
42%
6%
The gameplay of the game is generally described as fun and engaging, with many players appreciating its strategic elements and unique mechanics reminiscent of titles like FTL. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the game's reliance on grinding, monetization issues, and bugs that hinder the overall experience. While some players find the gameplay addictive and enjoyable, others express frustration with its repetitiveness and the impact of pay-to-win mechanics.
- “The gameplay is fun, it's like FTL.”
- “Excellent trek-ish tactical/management game with simple to grasp yet satisfying mechanics that grow more complex as you get stronger in unique and fun ways, such as letting you customize your crew and ship AI.”
- “Great game, good gameplay, addicting and a good time killer.”
- “I don't understand how they can justify releasing any new content when the core mechanics are so broken.”
- “The meaningful updates are minimal, while paywalled and non-balanced content is being created in pitiful amounts to further imbalance the already destroyed gameplay in the altar of real-life financial gain.”
- “The money grab gets in the way of gameplay more than anything I have ever played.”
monetization
340 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
9%
82%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the frequency and effectiveness of ads. While some appreciate the optional nature of ads for earning in-game currency and speeding up processes, others criticize the high reliance on ads and the slow progression without spending money. Overall, the game is seen as having a fair monetization model, but it can feel grindy and pay-to-win, especially at higher levels.
- “There are in-app purchases, but they're very optional; it is a free game after all.”
- “This game includes everything I love about modern mobile games: ads that aren't immersion-breaking, awesome style, and no necessary microtransactions to play.”
- “A fun game, monetization is good and not predatory.”
- “The rewards from the ads don't work about 90% of the time.”
- “The ads are predatory and morally crooked.”
- “It stalls gameplay unless you want to try and watch enough ads or purchase in-game currency.”
graphics
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
37%
1%
The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their charming retro and pixelated style, which many players find nostalgic and fitting for the gameplay. While some users note occasional glitches and performance issues, the overall aesthetic is described as cute, creative, and visually appealing, enhancing the game's enjoyment. Players appreciate the unique art style and character designs, although there are suggestions for optimization and improvements in graphical fidelity for a smoother experience.
- “The graphics are aesthetically pleasing and the gameplay is sweet.”
- “I love the retro art style and how easy the game is to pick up and play!”
- “The graphics are amazing for a pixelated game and the gameplay has a unique style that's enjoyable for all players!”
- “The graphics are decent, but the controls are kind of finicky.”
- “Its 4-bit graphics yet my phone freezes constantly and the game crashes every 5 minutes.”
- “Given how simple the graphics are, I can only put this down to poor coding.”
stability
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is widely reported to be plagued by numerous stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. While players appreciate the game's concept and potential, the persistent bugs—especially during battles and ad transitions—have led to frustration and a less enjoyable experience. Overall, many reviewers suggest that the game requires substantial improvements in stability before it can reach its full potential.
- “This was a very good experience with almost no glitches to speak of.”
- “Great game, I have an Android and it runs great, very fun.”
- “The game is extremely buggy to the point where I cannot get a proper tutorial and I have to restart the app often.”
- “Very buggy, barely passed gender selection screen (no input changed it, but after some waiting like a minute), then after selecting occupation for first mission (I chose mining), the loading screen never finished, so I have to delete the game now.”
- “This game looks fun... unfortunately every time I get into a battle it freezes up and closes me out.”
grinding
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
94%
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be a significant aspect, often becoming tedious and excessive, especially in the mid to late game. While some appreciate the challenge and see it as a way to extend gameplay, many express frustration with the time required for upgrades and the imbalance created by pay-to-win elements. Despite these criticisms, the game retains a fun factor for many, particularly in its early stages, but risks losing players due to the grind-heavy experience as they progress.
- “I like it so far, the game is letting us get creative on ship design and AI, and it's quite balanced, not too grindy, and not really pay to win.”
- “Surprisingly not grindy because the grind is actually fun.”
- “Great game, progression isn't too grindy and is rewarding, no microtransactions constantly in your face.. thanks devs!”
- “In short: grinding gets ridiculous fast.”
- “At this point it becomes super grindy to get upgrades, the PvE missions are near impossible at your level, and you start getting paired with much stronger people in PvP.”
- “If it continues at this rate, I'm gonna drop the game, because just upgrading your ship and grinding isn't fun.”
music
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
31%
20%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and relaxing qualities that complement the charming pixel art style, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Several users express frustration over the inability to turn off the music during the tutorial, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while some find the soundtrack enjoyable and memorable, others feel it needs significant improvement to match the game's creative potential.
- “The art style is really cool and the music is actually pretty catchy; they both go together to give the game that extra bit of charm.”
- “It's a great game with a fantastic pixel art style, great relaxing music as well as perfect combat music.”
- “Beautiful soundtrack and visuals; the pixel art is well made.”
- “For starters, you can't shut off the annoying music until the tutorial is completed.”
- “The only part in this game that I feel is lacking is the soundtrack.”
- “The music design feels rather safe and repetitive, and I wish it was as explorative as the rest of the game was.”
humor
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its clever and offbeat humor, featuring quirky characters, witty dialogue, and amusing quests that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the retro pixelated graphics and the entertaining writing, which contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter, making it a fun and engaging choice for players seeking humor in their gaming experience.
- “Absolutely brilliant game, addictive as anything, with a roster of random zany crew and missions that'll have you laughing your arse off before the end of day 1.”
- “The quests are interesting and funny, and the tutorial is even a little entertaining versus annoying.”
- “This game is hilarious, creative, and a great and unique experience.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
57%
18%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over poor performance, long load times, and battery drain, particularly on certain devices. While some users appreciate the gameplay and visuals, they consistently call for improvements in optimization settings to enhance performance and responsiveness. The need for better UI scaling and clearer instructions on gameplay mechanics also contributes to the sentiment that the game requires significant optimization efforts.
- “Came back after a while, I love this game but it heavily needs optimization settings; when too many effects are on screen, sometimes the game fails to pick up the targets on the weapons and just drags the screen.”
- “It is a great game, but the time it takes to load battles and missions is obscene... it is a game optimization problem, not my phone as it's a new one.”
- “Keep hammering away at those performance bugs and you'll get my 5th star.”
- “One of the best mobile spaceship command games out there, the only annoyance I have is that some UI elements are way too small, such as the sliders, and the game is so horribly optimized that it kills the battery as fast as a 3D game.”
- “Came back after a while, I love this game but it heavily needs optimization settings; when too many effects are on screen sometimes the game fails to pick up the targets on the weapons and just drags the screen.”
- “Frozen load screens, long delays on button presses, the game just isn't optimized.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unexpectedly wholesome community, which contributes to a positive emotional experience for players. Many users express that it has helped them feel better after the shutdown of their previous main game, highlighting its fun gameplay, cute characters, and overall uplifting atmosphere. Despite some minor technical issues, the emotional connection fostered by the community and the game's charm is a significant draw for players of all ages.
- “Great game with an awesome and unexpectedly wholesome community, definitely worth giving a go.”
- “My last main game was shut down and this really made me feel better; I hope this review brings more good reviews.”
- “It's also so wholesome, I loved it!”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, players find the game has decent replayability due to different storylines and repeatable scenarios, but many express a desire for more variety and fewer restrictions on gameplay to enhance the experience. While some enjoy the fun aspects, the limitations on progression and exploration can lead to boredom over time.
- “Different storylines so a high replay value.”
- “Fun and good replay value.”
- “Only reason it's not getting 5 stars is after playing for an hour, most stuff is locked until the next day instead of being replayable for lesser rewards.”
- “Repeatable replayability, but may need more variety in gameplay.”
- “Making the game better, I would say make it more playable when you are waiting. For instance, allow people to explore more. From what I've seen, you get 10 times to grind 8 different scenarios a day. It's cute but quite boring after a while. Add more things to explore or just put less limit on upgrading so PvP can flourish.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features impressive character development through its diverse designs and engaging narratives, enhanced by a cohesive lore that ties together its expansive galactic exploration and various missions. Players appreciate the witty scenarios and the depth of investment from the developers in the science fiction genre, contributing to a rich and entertaining experience.
- “It's a game with strategy, crafting elements, RPG, amazing character designs, witty scenarios, diverse missions, competitive and cooperative interactions with other players, creative aesthetics, and surprisingly unified lore. It has so much going on in its stories, yet it feels cohesive! The expansive galactic exploration is all made by amazing nerds with a deep investment in the science fiction genre.”
- “This is actually entertaining; I somewhat love the character designs.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly enjoyable, featuring a well-balanced mix of relaxing and immersive elements that enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- “Highly enjoyable; it has a great mix of gameplay atmospheres.”
- “Relaxing and atmospheric.”