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Space Colony

Space Colony HD: Steam Edition is a re-release of a re-release that’s added a few cute little features but kept every single flaw from the original intact. It was merely an okay game back in 2003 so it’s pretty mediocre now. The original does have its fans because there aren’t too many games like it, but at the same time Startopia Startopia good god Startopia. Managing the base is pretty fun and progression through the campaign is satisfying and well implemented, but the objectives can be dull, the colonists are all annoying brain-dead cretins, and the base defence side isn’t all that fun. Getting back to my original comment, it’s a re-release that adds new content and looks exactly as modern as it did in 2003 (i.e. not at all) but otherwise makes no tangible improvements and everyone will wonder why it took three years just to put the HD version on Steam. Space Colony is not without its charm or satisfaction, but you’ll want all the idiotic colonists to die long before you reach the credits.
Space Colony Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, optimization
80% User Score Based on 357 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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Space Colony Game Cover

About

Space Colony is a single player strategy game with comedy and science fiction themes. It was developed by Firefly Studios and was released on April 30, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Space Colony" is a real-time strategy simulation game where players build and manage a space colony, including constructing buildings, assigning tasks to colonists, and managing resources. The game offers a campaign mode with unique characters and challenges, as well as a sandbox mode for open-ended gameplay. The goal is to keep your colonists happy and productive, while defending against alien threats and expanding your colony.

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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 357 reviews
story18 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions

  • The game offers a nostalgic experience with charming characters and humor, making it enjoyable for both new and returning players.
  • Gameplay combines elements of resource management, character interaction, and strategy, providing a unique blend that keeps players engaged.
  • The remastered version features improved graphics and Steam Workshop support, allowing for user-generated content and custom scenarios.
  • The game suffers from outdated mechanics, such as a lack of zoom and clunky controls, which can hinder the overall experience.
  • Micromanagement can become overwhelming, as players must constantly tend to the needs of their colonists, leading to frustration.
  • Technical issues, such as crashes when alt-tabbing and bugs affecting gameplay, detract from the enjoyment of the game.
  • story
    98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story revolves around a diverse group of characters navigating missions for a greedy space corporation, blending humor with a realistic portrayal of capitalism in a sci-fi setting. While the missions are engaging and varied, some players find them forced or gimmicky, and the lack of a cohesive narrative can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the quirky characters and user-generated content add depth and replayability to the game's storyline.

    • “The story is great, a ragtag feisty (occasionally useless) band of people that you have to make work together and train them up on tasks in order to accomplish the mission.”
    • “It's not just nostalgia speaking, the characters are ridiculous, the story is very realistic (vicious capitalist space corporation) and the colony management aspect works well, especially considering it's one of the first of its kind.”
    • “The characters are just as fun and quirky as I remember, the missions and maps are complex and diverse.”
    • “Ultimately what kills the appeal is the failure to develop a cohesive storyline.”
    • “I played the first 'set' of the story campaign, and it ended briefly without any real conclusion - heck, the drive for the characters was about as vague as it gets.”
    • “There is no real backstory on the characters, but I kept hoping for something more.”
  • graphics
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its early 2000s origins, with a 2D isometric style that lacks modern polish and flexibility. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and clarity of the visuals, others find them substandard compared to contemporary titles, noting that they have not significantly improved over time. Overall, the graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia but may not appeal to those seeking modern aesthetics.

    • “Essentially stronghold in space, music is immersive, graphics stood the test of time and gameplay for sure is joyous.”
    • “It has hilarious conversations between very unique characters, graphics are really good considering its age, gameplay can be really fun and chill or extremely brutal depending on the level & planet you choose.”
    • “With simple graphics that are cartoony and clear enough to have aged very well even without the HDification for the two re-releases, even now this game compares well with newer indie titles of similar themes.”
    • “Don't go expecting graphics of today though, since this is a 2000s game.”
    • “The graphics are substandard, gameplay tiring and unengaging, unless micromanagement is your thing.”
    • “The selection of buildings and decorations is rather basic and graphics are, by today's standards, quite dated.”
  • gameplay
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, offering a blend of simulation, city-building, and resource management mechanics that can be both engaging and frustrating. While some players appreciate the charming aesthetics and immersive universe, others criticize the clunky controls, dated mechanics, and micromanagement aspects that can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game retains a nostalgic appeal and can provide enjoyable moments, especially for fans of the genre.

    • “Essentially stronghold in space, music is immersive, graphics stood the test of time and gameplay for sure is joyous.”
    • “With its engaging gameplay, immersive universe, and charming aesthetics, it's a game that will keep you coming back for more time and time again.”
    • “Great blend of sims, time management, city-building, strategy, and tower defense gameplay along with a distinct 90s space vibe.”
    • “There's no way I can list out the main crucial problems with this game, and how its ill-refined gameplay combines together to create something uniquely irritating.”
    • “The tutorial demonstrates how much of a snore-fest the game is - the tutorial text is more interesting than the gameplay it describes.”
    • “Gameplay feels clunky and horribly dated, and while it is running fine on modern hardware, I can't say it is nearly as entertaining as I remember it being before.”
  • humor
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its humorous characters and wacky dialogue, which often elicits laughter from players. While the humor is charming and adds to the game's appeal, some reviewers note that it can become repetitive as gameplay shifts focus from humor to task management. Overall, the quirky characters and their interactions contribute significantly to the game's entertaining atmosphere.

    • “It has humor, is challenging in parts and will make you glad you aren't trapped in space in real life.”
    • “The characters are freaking hilarious!”
    • “It has hilarious conversations between very unique characters, graphics are really good considering its age, gameplay can be really fun and chill or extremely brutal depending on the level & planet you choose.”
  • music
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the blend of background music, character sounds, and quirky themes that create a lively atmosphere, with upbeat techno tracks and a mix of retro styles contributing to the overall enjoyment. The soundtrack not only complements the game's setting but also evokes a sense of fun and engagement.

    • “And I seriously love the music in the game, background music as well as the character and alien sounds.”
    • “Music, sound, and artwork all blend well to create the feeling that you are managing the small space station in the infancy of colonizing a planet in the game story.”
    • “The menu music is very old school videogamey; the gameplay is a little micromanagey but still fun.”
    • “The tacky yet amusing banter between odd-couple characters, the combination of 70s disco and elevator music, and the space creatures straight out of your favorite B horror movies.”
    • “The soundtrack somehow still fills the nostalgia need.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game, with some finding it tedious and lacking in intuitiveness due to excessive micromanagement and repetitive tasks like farming and mining. While some appreciate the depth and strategic elements of managing resources and relationships, others criticize the clunky interface and lack of variety, leading to a monotonous experience. Overall, the grinding can feel laborious, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay.

    • “Thought the game was very tedious and not intuitive.”
    • “Build a base with no entertainment, no sanitation, and no comforts at all, just grinding boring dangerous work.”
    • “[lackluster visuals, clunky interface, tedious at times, can't zoom, not enough variety]”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that Firefly games suffer from significant optimization issues, leading to poor performance on modern systems and a lack of updates. However, some users note that performance can be satisfactory on 4K screens for older titles. Overall, the optimization of these games has led to player dissatisfaction and a decline in support.

    • “The performance is pretty good on a 4K screen for such an old game.”
    • “The reason I've stopped playing Firefly games is how poorly optimized their games are.”
    • “I have decided to no longer support Firefly games due to their poor performance on modern systems and their refusal to provide updates.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is considered moderate due to its static and linear challenges, which may lead to a sense of repetition over time. However, it retains some replay value through its challenging gameplay and the potential for user-generated content, particularly with modern enhancements like improved graphics and a vast universe to explore. Overall, while it may not offer extensive replayability, the combination of difficulty and community content keeps it engaging for players.

    • “12 years later, it retains its replayability by stepping into the modern age with improved graphics, higher resolutions, and endless potential workshop content; an entire universe of planets to colonize, available only through Steam.”
    • “[A lot of content, blends base and people management, challenging, replayable].”
    • “It has only moderate replay value, since the challenges (although some are quite challenging) are fairly static and linear.”
    • “I assume replayability will suffer because of this.”
    • “The difficulty and replayability is there because while you might learn the game, it will never be repetitive.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is criticized for being underwhelming, with poorly designed characters and simplistic storylines that fail to enhance the gameplay experience. Players feel that the focus on mission management overshadows any meaningful character engagement, resulting in a lack of depth and connection to the characters.

    • “What I thought looked like a 'SimCity' in space colony builder turned out to be an extremely slow mission manager. Instead of generic workers of industry, the creators seem to have decided to stuff some poor character design and barebones story scripts in between everything else done badly.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and uninspired, making it hard to connect with any of the characters or care about their stories.”
    • “There is a lack of meaningful choices in character development, which makes the entire experience feel linear and unengaging.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report significant stability issues, including unclear object placement and frequent crashes when tabbing out of the game, which can lead to system freezes without any error messages. These bugs detract from the overall experience and suggest a need for improvements in stability.

    • “Placing objects feels kind of buggy, where placement locations aren't clear and objects tend to snap along the boundaries of other objects to avoid collisions.”
    • “Every time you tab out of it for anything, it crashes and sometimes freezes your entire Steam client.”
    • “It freezes silently without recovery and no message in the system log or elsewhere.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express strong emotional connections to the game, often experiencing feelings of distress and urgency during critical moments, such as losing progress or facing in-game challenges. The emotional weight of isolation and the pressure of in-game events contribute to a deeply immersive experience that resonates with users.

    • “The day my disk finally stopped working for my OS, I cried and went on the hunt to find a digital copy.”
    • “I'm having an emotional meltdown because no one is talking to me and the base is under attack; that is the last thing I'm worried about.”
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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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16h Median play time
12h Average play time
3-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Space Colony is a strategy game with comedy and science fiction themes.

Space Colony is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 12 hours playing Space Colony.

Space Colony was released on April 30, 2015.

Space Colony was developed by Firefly Studios.

Space Colony has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Space Colony is a single player game.

Similar games include Stronghold, Stronghold 2, The Stronghold Collection, Startopia, Tropico 6 and others.