Space Crew
- October 14, 2020
- Runner Duck
- 12h median play time
+ Smooth, responsive gameplay + Beautiful graphics + Enjoyable chaos + Bountiful customization - Monotonous grinding - Slow start - Repetitive levels (Reviewed on PC, also available on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch)
"Space Crew: Legendary Edition" is a strategic survival simulation game where you are a captain in the United Defense Force, defending Earth against an alien threat. Customize your star ship, recruit and train your crew, and complete various missions to protect humanity. Expect challenges, loss of crew members, and the need for quick thinking and repair skills in the face of enemy attacks.
Reviews
- Engaging crew management and combat mechanics that keep players on their toes.
- Improved graphics and sound design enhance the overall experience.
- The game offers a good balance of challenge and fun, especially with the new difficulty options.
- Repetitive mission structure that can lead to boredom over time.
- Limited ship and crew customization options, making gameplay feel constrained.
- Initial difficulty spikes can be frustrating for new players, leading to a steep learning curve.
- story915 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Space Crew: Legendary Edition" is generally perceived as simple and somewhat underwhelming, with players noting that it lacks depth and engaging narrative elements. While the game introduces a variety of mission types, many reviewers feel that the repetitive nature of these missions detracts from the overall story experience, making it feel grindy and less immersive. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the charm and humor of the game, finding enjoyment in the gameplay mechanics and crew management, even if the story itself does not stand out.
“The game has a great story and lots of replayability.”
“I really enjoyed the story and the gameplay is very good.”
“Great game, great story.”
“The game quickly gets boring as the missions are highly repetitive and grindy.”
“The missions are just too repetitive.”
“The focus is very much more on the fighting rather than the mission objective.”
- gameplay372 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Space Crew" is a mix of familiar mechanics from its predecessor, "Bomber Crew," with some new features like boarding and stealth mechanics. While many players appreciate the strategic crew management and customization options, the gameplay loop can become repetitive and grindy, often leading to frustration with certain mechanics, particularly the boarding system. Overall, the game offers a fun core experience but lacks the depth and variety that some players hoped for, making it feel less engaging over extended play sessions.
“It's well balanced in gameplay mechanics, and in how intense or relaxing certain moments are.”
“The game is very simple to pick up and learn, the first few missions hold your hand and let you get to grips with the game's mechanics before the training wheels come off and you're allowed to take and run missions with your crew as you see fit.”
“At its core, space crew is good fun and its core gameplay is very engaging and deep, getting more interesting as the player unlocks new weapons, ship parts, and crew equipment.”
“I think the gameplay loop can get boring and the main interesting bits are big set pieces or discovering new mechanics.”
“You get about 2 hours of gameplay, then it's the same 2 hours over and over again (and the gameplay is not very compelling).”
“I had high hopes for this game, but the flat gameplay and lifeless crew makes the whole experience seem shallow and very boring.”
- graphics102 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its charming pixel art style and vibrant aesthetics, particularly in the context of space settings. However, some users criticize the lack of graphics options and find the ship layout unappealing, suggesting that while the visuals are enjoyable, they may not be the primary draw of the game. Overall, the graphics are described as cute and engaging, with improvements over the developer's previous title, but opinions vary on their depth and quality.
“The graphics are stunning and the sound design is top-notch.”
“The art style really makes everything pop and the background skyboxes are amazing, especially the black hole.”
“Fun crew style game with really great visuals, silly but engaging story, and a lot of fun.”
“Graphics: 2/10 (nobody is playing this for the graphics)”
“No graphics options whatsoever.”
“If you play the game in any graphics mode above 'low' the screen shakes really bad.”
- grinding99 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with players describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating. Many reviews highlight the monotonous nature of missions, which typically involve repetitive combat and minimal variation, leading to a sense of boredom and a lack of engagement. While some players find moments of satisfaction in progression, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but it adds to the overall experience.”
“Grinding can feel a bit excessive at times, yet it contributes to character development.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding, but the rewards make it worthwhile.”
“The game quickly gets boring as the missions are highly repetitive and grindy.”
“Each mission is just a tedious set of battles where the only way you might lose is if you spend too long looking at your phone while waiting minutes for the last few enemies to die.”
“However that has not been the case, the missions are grindy and boring, leading me to stop playing the game as I was not invested as I was with Bomber Crew.”
- music44 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's music is praised for its extensive and high-quality soundtrack, with unique themes for various situations, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players find the music can become repetitive over time, and while it fits the game's atmosphere, it may not significantly impact gameplay. Overall, the sound design is considered decent, with a mix of engaging tracks and some that feel less memorable.
“The soundtrack deserves special props for its size and quality - basically every situation you can end up in has its own theme, and they're all great.”
“The music was fitting and plentiful with a lot of tense tracks to keep you entertained amid battle.”
“All this accompanied by an excellent soundtrack to act as the backdrop for the many space battles and travels you embark on.”
“- music is nothing special, effects are somewhat lacking”
“- some decent music for combat phase”
“Fortunately, the music can be muted and ol' il pallino recommends the [i]cold warps[/i] song [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyvv_-heq7c]science fiction[/url].”
- humor24 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of silly mistakes and entertaining moments, providing a lighthearted experience that can elicit genuine laughter, particularly during chaotic gameplay scenarios. While some players found the humor enjoyable and a highlight of the game, others noted that it only constituted a small portion of the overall experience, suggesting that it may not be enough to recommend the game solely for its comedic elements. Overall, the humor is characterized as casual and fun, enhancing the gameplay without being the main focus.
“Good difficulty level, decent learning curve, combines a lot of my favorite spaceship mechanics plus some innovative mechanics into a fun and funny game.”
“I'm flying the 'this is fine' and now it's hilarious whenever my starship catches fire or returns all busted up.”
“This mission detail made me laugh so hard that I could even laugh at p1p1 jokes.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the changing campaign and find it enjoyable, others feel it suffers from repetitiveness and lacks engaging content after the initial playthrough. Suggestions for improvement include adding more diverse challenges and specialized ships to enhance replay value. Overall, the game offers potential for replayability, but it may not meet everyone's expectations.
“Plenty of replayability as well, thanks to the changing campaign each time.”
“The game has a great story and lots of replayability.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“This game has little replay value outside of challenge missions after the completion of the first playthrough.”
“I think adding more things that improve replayability would help the game a lot, since it can suffer from that 'repetitiveness' syndrome.”
“So far, while it's really fun...it's missing that something no one can put their finger on...that something that makes FTL so damn replayable.”
- stability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while many users note that it runs well with low system requirements and is close to being bug-free, others report significant bugs and glitches that can cause crashes and force restarts. Additionally, some players experience freezing issues and overheating, which detracts from the overall experience.
“It is close to being bug-free.”
“Technically, the game runs great and is pretty low on system requirements.”
“It's broken, it's buggy, it will overheat and lock your PC, and it's all scripted, as in you don't play the game; it plays itself.”
“My reason for the negative review, though, is there are a number of bugs and glitches that force me to quit the game and load it up again.”
“High, you're safer from attack, but the crew freezes, and only a top navigator can navigate there, and only at night.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization features a straightforward crew management system that requires quick decision-making, enhancing gameplay dynamics. However, once players establish an effective strategy and loadout, the experience can become repetitive, as the challenge diminishes despite the abundance of enemies.
“The real addition is the security officer role, who is sort of like the Mr. Worf of your ship - good at close combat (boarders) and can boost your shield performance and do a number of emergency tasks to bail you out of a jam.”
“Like tower defense games, there's a seemingly endless number of baddies to serve as cannon fodder for your cannons, but once you're set in your optimized strategy and loadout, things can start to feel 'samey' rather quickly.”
“The crew work optimization is simple, but it still demands some fast thinking.”
“Like TD games, there's a seemingly endless number of baddies to serve as cannon fodder for your cannons, but once you're set in your optimized strategy and loadout, things can start to feel 'samey' rather quickly.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is dynamic and interactive, allowing players to vent air to manage threats like boarding parties and fires, while also introducing various space conditions that add complexity to gameplay. New sidemissions, such as retrieving escape pods, enhance the immersive experience, keeping challenges engaging and fresh. Overall, the atmospheric mechanics contribute significantly to the game's tension and strategic depth.
“Apart from radioactive comets, there are also other random space atmospheric conditions that complicate situations, which keeps the challenges fresh.”
“You can vent the atmosphere to eject boarding parties or stop fires, and there are some new side missions like retrieving escape pods.”
“You can ignore them while their assault ship moves clear of your airlock because their first target will always be a completely inconsequential power conduit, then purge atmosphere to get them all at once.”
“You can vent the atmosphere to eject boarding parties or stop fires, but it feels more like a chore than an engaging mechanic.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless; the mechanics for dealing with threats are more tedious than thrilling.”
“The ability to vent atmosphere is interesting, but it lacks the depth to create a truly immersive experience.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be a soothing emotional experience, serving as a calming contrast to more intense, adrenaline-fueled games. It provides a gentle emotional release, allowing for reflection and relaxation.
“Emotionally, it's also been a nice cool down game from super-adrenaline games I also enjoy.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy relies heavily on ads that attract players, but many users find the gameplay itself underwhelming, leading to a disconnect between initial interest and overall satisfaction.
Critic Reviews
Space Crew Review
It’s not the most complex of games, but Space Crew serves its purpose as a decent enough sequel to Bomber Crew. It’s a 4X game with a couple of missing Xs if you will. Poor controls and a lack of variety stop it from being a classic however.
70%Space Crew review — Yellow alert
Space Crew is a reasonable introduction to the Crew series, but it tones down the entertaining chaos and difficulty a bit too much.
50%Space Crew Review
Ship-management sim Space Crew is the Star Trek you don’t see.
60%