Redshirt

Redshirt is an unconventional — and biting — view of life on earth

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"Redshirt" is a single-player comedy role-playing game set on a space station, where you must navigate the world of social networking and politics to gain promotions and achieve your dreams. With plenty of humor, the game pokes fun at science fiction clichés through status updates and messages, while the turn-based gameplay is surprisingly intense as you strive for likes and connections. Despite the lighthearted tone, the game requires a good amount of grinding to progress.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

47%

Audience ScoreBased on 408 reviews

humor77 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and humorous take on social media dynamics set in a sci-fi universe, appealing to fans of both genres.
It features clever writing and witty references, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate satire and pop culture.
The gameplay mechanics allow for strategic decision-making in managing relationships and career progression, providing a level of depth.

The game quickly becomes repetitive and tedious, with limited variety in gameplay and interactions.
Many players found the interface clunky and confusing, detracting from the overall experience.
The game is considered overpriced for the amount of content and replayability it offers, leading to disappointment among buyers.

humor
79 mentions
97 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mix of witty puns, absurd satire, and playful references to sci-fi and social media, which some players find hilarious and charming, especially in the early stages. However, many reviewers note that the humor can become repetitive and is often overshadowed by tedious gameplay mechanics, leading to a mixed reception overall. While die-hard fans of the genre may appreciate the humor, others feel it lacks depth and can be hit-or-miss, with some jokes falling flat.
- “This game is hilarious, it has a decent version of Facebook and so many puns to keep me happy!”
- “Its satirical, tongue-in-cheek attitude towards social media and popular sci-fi shows is absolutely hilarious.”
- “Three hours later I found myself hooked on this social networking game that fueled all the nerdy humor you'd expect to come with a game named after science fiction's most famous expendable extras.”
- “Not funny.”
- “Not funny.”
story
78 mentions
21 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as weak and repetitive, primarily unfolding through a simulated social network where players manage their character's life while facing random, often fatal away missions. While some players appreciate the humor and graphics, many criticize the lack of meaningful choices and character development, leading to a tedious experience that feels more like a social simulator than a narrative-driven game. Overall, the concept is intriguing, but the execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in a shallow and unengaging storyline.
- “The story plays out mainly via a fake Facebook/social network where you can interact with other people, join or organize events - all of which influence your skills and social connections required to advance in your job and ensure you a way off the space station before the situation escalates at the end.”
- “When the away mission we were on went a bit wrong and I had to choose who to save... Astra paid the ultimate price, allowing me and Pucog to continue our bromance in peace.”
- “I found myself looking forward to the away missions just to be something different.”
- “Honestly, I loved the concept for the game, but with no story to really follow and no apparent pros or cons to the decisions I made, I found this one becoming repetitive and boring.”
- “There is a very weak overall story, but the heart of this thing is a 'virtual social network' clicking through menu after menu, nothing outside of menus the whole time.”
- “While other slice-of-life simulation/RPG blends provide a decent story and actual rewards for game progression, *redshirt* laughs in the user's face as it generates more and more lifeless content to grind through.”
gameplay
70 mentions
21 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive after a few sessions. While the concept of a sci-fi dating sim with a social media interface is intriguing, the execution suffers from clunky mechanics, lack of depth, and limited variety, leading to a frustrating experience for some. Despite some intuitive elements and humorous aspects, the overall gameplay is often described as boring and lacking meaningful objectives.
- “Fantastic game mechanics that become very quick to navigate as you play.”
- “For the record, the gameplay is some of the most intuitive I've ever seen.”
- “Plus, the mechanics are interesting, and will give strategy gamers good reasons for replays.”
- “Unfortunately, playing it five times requires such mental fortitude it's practically impossible and only for the hardcore, as the mechanics and rehashed dialog get boring around play 2.”
- “Good idea of sci-fi parody is ruined by gameplay which has little humor but lots of annoying mechanics.”
- “But the game itself is shallow enough that you'll have it all figured out early on, and spend most of the actual gameplay performing boring, predictable actions to move counters and progress timers.”
grinding
38 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game's grinding mechanics are a significant drawback, with many players finding the gameplay tedious and repetitive, especially as they progress towards the endgame. While there are moments of humor and interesting elements, the overwhelming focus on grinding for experience points and the lack of meaningful objectives lead to a sense of boredom and frustration. Overall, the game may appeal to those who enjoy menu-driven RPGs, but many players feel it ultimately lacks depth and engagement.
- “Overall, I increasingly felt like the main gameplay loop was just tedious.”
- “However, it gets very tedious by the time you start hitting the 'endgame', and once you have secured yourself a way off the shuttle there really isn't a motivation to play anymore as the stories are limited and the jokes begin to wear thin, nor is there much new content.”
- “And though it's been, what, six years since Kudos 2 was released, nothing has been improved - the gameplay is meandering with no meaningful objectives, there's no feeling of real characters to connect to, and there is endless, endless grinding.”
graphics
24 mentions
17 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered mediocre and lackluster, with many reviewers noting a cheap art style and minimal animations. While some appreciate how the visuals complement the storyline, the overall consensus is that the graphics do not meet expectations, often appearing worse than promotional screenshots. The title sequence is highlighted as the only standout moment, but the repetitive and bland design detracts from the overall experience.
- “The graphics aren't the greatest, but they go wonderfully with the storyline.”
- “After a while, the scripts did start to repeat themselves a little too much, but I enjoyed the graphics, laughed at some of the storyline twists, and had a good couple of evenings wheeling and dealing to improve my rank.”
- “Graphics: somewhat modern 2D.”
- “No animations, no spectacular graphics.”
- “The graphics are mediocre, at best, and while by itself I'd overlook it, when you see the lack of change during the end sequence, you'll wonder why you spent all this time doing this.”
- “The disappointment first arrived when I realized that, yes, the artwork in-game is worse than the preview screenshots.”
replayability
19 mentions
16 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players enjoying their initial playthrough but expressing doubts about returning for additional runs. While some find it entertaining enough to recommend at a discounted price, the consensus suggests that long-term replay value is lacking, making it less appealing for repeated playthroughs.
- “I find it very replayable.”
- “[b][u]Replayable[/u]:[/b] absolutely!”
- “I will see what kind of replay value it has, but for now, I can say it has been a fun casual play, enjoyable, and creative.”
- “Despite having a certain degree of replay value, I do not intend on beating it again because of the handful of valid reasons other reviewers state.”
- “There doesn't seem to be a lot of replay value.”
- “At best it's a 'good' but the long-term replayability is non-existent.”
stability
12 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with multiple users reporting significant bugs that detract from the overall experience. Many feel that these issues prevent the game from being as enjoyable as it could be, indicating a need for improvements in stability.
- “A little buggy.”
- “Seems buggy.”
- “Not nearly as much fun as it could have been - and really buggy too.”
music
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highlighted as being reminiscent of iconic Star Trek themes, contributing to a sense of nostalgia and depth. However, some users express concern over the superficial use of music and lyrics, suggesting a lack of genuine context or emotional resonance. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, its integration into the experience may feel contrived to some players.
- “Music: wonderful Star Trek music.”
- “Do you effect an air of false depth by shamelessly cutting and pasting mopey song lyrics without any semblance of context?”
- “Do you watch the right shows, listen to the right music, misquote the right famous people?”
character development
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been criticized for its lack of engagement and refinement, with players finding the character designs underwhelming compared to the pictograms. The heavy and confusing interface, along with an overwhelming amount of information at the start, detracts from the experience, leading to a desire for more structured story progression and shorter gameplay intervals. Overall, the character development feels insufficient for a relationship simulation game.
- “The character design lacks refinement, the interface is poor.”
- “Cons: the pictograms look better than the actual character designs, the interface is heavy and confusing, too many things happening from the beginning, and for a relationship sim it's just not engaging enough.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its uniqueness, blending various genres to create a distinct flavor and personality that resonates with players. This combination contributes to an engaging and memorable experience.
- “This game is pretty unique, as it combines a lot of my favorite genres and has a distinct atmosphere and personality.”