Space Prison
- July 18, 2024
- Wooden Alien
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Space Prison" is a survival RPG set in a space-based penal colony, where players must navigate the prison's social hierarchy, engage in tactical combat, and make use of various items and space rats to aid in their escape. Players can choose from three races and criminal skills, join one of two gangs, and build relationships with unique inmates. Death is not the end, as players will be reborn and given another chance to escape.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging setting with a well-crafted atmosphere and art style that enhances the overall experience.
- The crafting and resource management mechanics are enjoyable, providing a satisfying gameplay loop that encourages exploration and strategic planning.
- The humor and character-driven storylines add charm to the game, making it a fun experience with replayability through different faction quests.
- Combat is often described as simplistic and repetitive, lacking depth and strategic options, which can lead to a monotonous experience.
- The inventory management system is tedious and restrictive, causing frustration as players struggle to manage limited space while gathering resources.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues that detract from the overall experience, along with a lack of developer engagement on platforms like Steam.
- story38 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and well-written, featuring a simple overarching plot of escaping a space prison, enriched by humorous and unique character-specific quests that showcase dark humor. Players appreciate the freedom to explore and progress at their own pace, with the absence of a traditional leveling system allowing for a focus on story-driven gameplay. The interactions and missions are described as enjoyable and varied, contributing to a charming and immersive experience.
“Each inmate has a unique, often hilarious personal quest line, showcasing the game’s dark humor brilliantly.”
“It was pretty easy to avoid dying, but then I got a quest where I was forced to die and be reborn, and suddenly I wasn't playing the character I had made at the beginning of the game anymore, through no fault of my own, which was pretty disappointing.”
“The story here is more a context for the game to happen, but the semi-side-main quests used to progress the events are well written and engaging.”
“The main story is pretty simple 'escape the space prison', but it really shines when it comes to the character-specific quests each inmate has.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the engaging mechanics, art style, and atmosphere, while others criticize the repetitiveness and lack of depth in combat and strategic options. The game features a solid gameplay loop that encourages resource management and exploration, but some users find the mechanics rudimentary and the user interface lacking. Despite these issues, many still find the experience enjoyable, especially after the initial slow progression.
“Personally, everything about this game appeals to me: the setting, the gameplay, the art style, the writing/humor...”
“The scramble for resources to upgrade various things creates a fun gameplay loop.”
“Beautiful game, very well done atmosphere, easy mechanics to understand which makes the gameplay very enjoyable.”
“It's just that, in net, my experience playing the game, trying to navigate some UI issues, and the general gameplay itself tilts this game towards the 50-75% mark range of quality.”
“The combat has some push/pull mechanics and abilities, and several consumable inventory items that can be found or crafted, but with the small, obstacle-riddled movement field, it can get repetitive.”
“A big issue is that the game mechanics are pretty rudimentary and are not balanced well.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style and impressive aesthetics, which enhance the overall experience. Many players appreciate the vibrant color palette and the engaging character designs, contributing to a visually appealing environment. However, some critiques mention a lack of variety in combat animations, which detracts from the otherwise stunning visuals.
“The aesthetics are impressive, and the color palette is easy on the eyes.”
“Very glad I purchased it :) The art style for one is gorgeous, and I believe it's all hand-drawn as well.”
“Beautiful art style, enjoyable simplicity of dialogues and missions.”
“Boring aesthetic (stabbing people with shanks and using literal rats as party members, lame).”
“I love the graphics; my only gripe is that I wish you could see the weapon that's equipped instead of using the same combat animation.”
“The art style is nice, but the overall graphics feel outdated and lack detail.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever and humorous writing, featuring hilarious collectible posters and engaging quest lines for each inmate that showcase dark humor without undermining the serious setting. Players appreciate the blend of fun dialogue and amusing references, which contribute to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The collectible in-game posters were hilarious; I love the art style.”
“What this game does excellently is introducing the inmates in the gang of your choosing and the funny ways their quest lines end, either with a change somewhere in the prison or on the inmate himself.”
“Each inmate has a unique, often hilarious personal quest line, showcasing the game’s dark humor brilliantly.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game; while some find the resource management and item collection enjoyable and not overly tedious, others feel that the inventory restrictions and repetitive tasks can become boring and tedious, especially after several hours of gameplay. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly among players, with some embracing it and others finding it a chore.
“The resource management is not grindy, and it's easy to get the items and parameters you want.”
“They give you little cubbies all over the map to stash a few items, and a slightly larger one in your prison cell (home base), but honestly it's just really tedious being inventory restricted in a game that wants you to collect 1-2 at a time of a few different things on each map and somehow also have room for the things you're crafting.”
“In my opinion, it gets super grindy really fast and, unfortunately, boring. I'm 9 hours in and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to force myself to finish it.”
“The inventory management can be tedious at times, but once you get some followers, you can stack them with combat items and armor/weapons.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Space Prison" is highly praised, with reviewers noting its captivating setting that blends elements from titles like "Citizen Sleeper," "Griftlands," and "Gothic." The game's beautiful visuals and immersive atmospherics significantly enhance the overall experience, making it a standout feature alongside its accessible gameplay mechanics.
“Up front: Space Prison is a decent turn-based offering with an interesting setting and great atmospherics.”
“Hands down, the setting and atmospherics are what makes this title.”
“The atmosphere is as if Citizen Sleeper, Griftlands, and Gothic (2001) had a lovechild in space.”
“The atmosphere feels as if Citizen Sleeper, Griftlands, and Gothic (2001) had a lovechild in space.”
“Beautiful game, very well done atmosphere, easy mechanics to understand which makes the gameplay very enjoyable.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers notable replayability through features like the 'broken collar' mode and randomized elements that encourage multiple playthroughs, with at least four required to experience all content. Additionally, players can explore different faction quests, though some reviewers express a desire for an unlockable game mode after completing both storylines to enhance replay value further.
“There's also some replayability with the 'broken collar' mode, if you wish for more.”
“There's a decent replayability factor with the randomization each playthrough, and you'll need at least 4 playthroughs to see everything.”
“There is replayability at least two times due to the different faction quests, but I think it would be really neat if there was a game mode unlocked after completing both storylines.”
“There's also some replayability there with the 'broken collar' mode, if you wish for more.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the art style, including ambient design, character aesthetics, and animation, is visually appealing, the reviews do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development within the game.
- music1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The combat soundtrack is noted for its enjoyable beat, though it lacks innovation or uniqueness.
“The music perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.”
“Each track is well-composed and adds depth to the gameplay, making every moment feel more immersive.”
“The combat soundtrack isn't revolutionary, but it has a nice beat to it.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it easy to tune out.”
“The background music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the gaming experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, with users reporting smooth performance and no glitches or bugs encountered during gameplay.
