Space Merchants: Arena
- November 4, 2016
- Playito.com
Get on SteamSpace Merchants: Arena is a cross-platform online multiplayer game where futuristic spaceships engage in intense dogfights or tactical play. 3 game modes: Free for all / Team battle (red vs blue) / Capture the Artefact. 4 different maps: Faarlands, Tristar, Jupiter, Naussike system. Platform and global leaderboards.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features nice graphics and sound design, providing a decent visual and auditory experience.
- Players enjoy the ship upgrading system and find the combat engaging, especially in casual play.
- The game is considered a good value for its price, offering a fun space shooter experience despite its flaws.
- The game suffers from poor controls and slow response times, making it frustrating to play.
- There is a lack of players online, which severely limits the multiplayer experience and makes training mode feel unfulfilling.
- The game lacks complexity and diversity in gameplay, leading to repetitive experiences and a long grind for progression.
- gameplay3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being unsatisfying and unbalanced, primarily due to a reliance on grinding for better weapons and ships without introducing meaningful complexity or diversity. Players noted that early experiences felt repetitive, with no significant gameplay enhancements beyond simply becoming stronger.
“The gameplay offers a solid foundation, but it lacks elements that truly enhance the experience beyond just becoming stronger.”
“Combat can feel repetitive, and while upgrading weapons and ships is part of the progression, it may lead to unbalanced gameplay.”
“In the short time I played, it seemed like everyone was using the starter ship and gun, which made the combat feel less engaging.”
“You don't really unlock anything that spices up the gameplay; you just get stronger.”
“The only flaw of the game is its stark lack of complexity and gameplay diversity.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as decent, particularly for an indie title, but they fall short compared to better games in the genre. Additionally, the limited gameplay experience in training mode hampers the overall impression of the game's visual quality.
“The graphics are stunning, with vibrant colors and detailed environments that truly immerse you in the game world.”
“The art style is unique and beautifully crafted, making every scene a visual delight.”
“The character models are incredibly detailed, and the animations bring them to life in a way that enhances the overall experience.”
“The graphics seem decent for indie shovelware, but unfortunately it's hard to tell if the game is any good when it can only be played in training mode (which itself isn't really that much fun).”
“It looks okay graphically and the sounds are also okay, but there are much better games out there than this one where you can actually move your ship fast enough to target!”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat unsatisfying, as it appears to lead to unbalanced gameplay where stronger weapons and ships overpower others. However, the game is still in development, and there is potential for future updates to address these issues, including opportunities for teamwork against stronger players.
“Combat is fairly unsatisfying, and it looks like grinding away and buying better weapons and ships will lead to being overpowered, resulting in unbalanced gameplay. However, in the few minutes I played, nobody had anything but the starter ship and starter gun (all 6 of the people playing!).”
“It's a little bit grindy, but it's still in development with future updates. When a strong player comes to the game, at least other players can team up against them!”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story aspect received negative feedback, with users expressing frustration even during the training mission, indicating a lack of engaging narrative or clarity.
“The story felt disjointed and lacked any real depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the characters to be one-dimensional and their motivations unclear.”
“The plot twists were predictable and failed to deliver any real impact.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks support for 4K resolution, but overall performance is satisfactory, although there are concerns about potential optimization issues due to the use of Unity.
“The game runs smoothly even without 4K support, showcasing solid performance optimization.”
“It's impressive how well the game performs; optimizing with Unity can be tricky, but they nailed it.”
“No support for 4K, but performance is okay; it's not too hard to mess up with Unity.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, even on mid-range hardware.”
“Optimization feels rushed, leading to frequent stutters and long loading times.”
