Spacebase DF-9

16%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,825 reviews
  • stability
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Spacebase DF-9 Game Cover
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Spacebase DF-9 is a spaceship colonization sim where players build and manage their own space station. Oversee crew members, manage resources, and defend against threats in this open-ended construction and management game. Your spacebase's survival and growth depend on your strategic decisions and ability to maintain order in the final frontier.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

16%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,825 reviews
gameplay46 positive mentions
stability249 negative mentions
  • The game has a fun and intuitive base-building mechanic that allows for creativity.
  • The art style and graphics are appealing, providing a unique aesthetic.
  • The game offers a quirky and humorous atmosphere that can be enjoyable for players.
  • The game is unfinished and has been abandoned by the developers, leaving many promised features unimplemented.
  • The AI is poorly designed, often leading to frustrating gameplay where characters do not follow commands or make poor decisions.
  • Frequent and overwhelming raider attacks can quickly lead to the destruction of your base, making it difficult to progress.
  • stability254 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting it as extremely buggy and unfinished. Many reviewers express frustration over persistent glitches, broken AI, and a lack of promised features, leading to an overall experience that feels incomplete and often unplayable. Despite some acknowledging moments of fun, the consensus is that the game is plagued by issues that detract significantly from its potential.

    • “It came out some years back, so it runs great on most any machine and it's a lot of fun.”
    • “Along that note, it's not buggy at all either, and Double Fine is still working hard to make it the best game it can be and unlock its full potential.”
    • “Turns out it's a mostly bug-free, extremely short demo.”
    • “It's a buggy, unfinished mess of a game.”
    • “The developers abandoned the game in a bug-ridden state stripped of features, stay away from this mess.”
    • “This game is buggy as hell and the AI is awful.”
  • gameplay208 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its interesting mechanics and potential but criticizing its repetitive elements, poor AI, and numerous bugs. While some find the core gameplay enjoyable and reminiscent of classic simulation games, others feel it lacks depth and content, leading to a frustrating experience that can become monotonous after a short playtime. Overall, the game is seen as unfinished, with many players recommending caution before purchasing due to its current state.

    • “The gameplay is very interesting and appealing to fans of simulation games, and the game has many strengths.”
    • “I find it extremely fun, with some very unique mechanics and concepts that I've never seen elsewhere.”
    • “The idea and gameplay of this game are awesome.”
    • “Boring gameplay elements: some gameplay elements can become repetitive and monotonous, which makes the game boring.”
    • “The game was released as a 'finished product' with incredibly limited content, extremely buggy gameplay, and a generally unfun experience.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly underdeveloped and clunky.”
  • graphics66 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique art style and decent animations, while others criticize the overall quality as subpar and plagued by bugs. Many note that while the aesthetic has potential, it feels unfinished and is marred by graphical glitches that detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as acceptable but not impressive, with a consensus that they do not elevate the gameplay significantly.

    • “The graphics, the music, the gameplay, it's all good.”
    • “The graphics and animation quality are quite nice as are most of the sound effects.”
    • “The graphics are neat, gameplay is potentially superb and endless, there even is some subtle, underlying humor which makes life in space more tolerable.”
    • “Graphics and gameplay have a very slapped together feel.”
    • “Good as a work in progress, terrible as a finished product, bugs and more bugs, repetitive gameplay that gets boring after 5 playthroughs or so and, of course, not very good graphics.”
    • “The graphics and animations looked a lot more 'expensive' than in similar games, but even the UI felt a bit overengineered.”
  • story45 mentions

    The reviews overwhelmingly indicate that the game lacks a coherent story or meaningful narrative, leaving players feeling unfulfilled and frustrated. Many users express disappointment with the absence of missions, goals, and character development, resulting in repetitive gameplay and a sense of abandonment by the developers. Overall, the game's early access status is criticized for failing to deliver a compelling storyline or engaging content, leading to a lack of replayability and player investment.

    • “The interface is well done, the story is funny, and the characters are entertaining themselves.”
    • “It's not quite everything it was targeted to be, but there is a hidden storyline in there, and it is fun.”
    • “Here's an interesting idea: at some point, why not give each base you build some kind of purpose or mission to accomplish and give members of the crew some kind of personality system or background stories and random events.”
    • “Extremely disappointing conclusion to an early access story, even though the developer released the game's source code.”
    • “No story, no drive to build aside from needing more air for the constant stream of new arrivals.”
    • “No direction/story/lore.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its quirky charm and comedic elements, such as absurd character interactions and unexpected mishaps. While some find the humor genuinely entertaining and reminiscent of the developer's signature style, others criticize it for being overshadowed by bugs and unfinished mechanics, leading to frustration rather than laughter. Overall, the game's comedic moments can be hit-or-miss, often eliciting both amusement and annoyance among players.

    • “This game is so hilariously bad that it's good again!”
    • “Accidentally commanding your crew to dismantle a machine, but instead telling them to vaporize the floor beneath it too, and having your crew get sucked out into space is hilarious.”
    • “It has a great, fun art style, and a cheeky sense of humor.”
    • “It is not funny and will lead inexperienced players straight to a loss.”
    • “The humor falls flat and feels forced, making the game less enjoyable.”
    • “Jokes are stale and often miss the mark, leaving players unamused.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game suffers from a significant lack of replayability, with many users noting that there is little to do differently upon replaying. Despite some fun elements for genre fans, the limited content and numerous bugs contribute to a frustrating experience that fails to encourage repeated play. Many reviewers suggest that without substantial updates and additional content, the game's replay value remains minimal.

    • “It's cheap and it's replayable.”
    • “Very decent game, is a lot of fun and quite a bit of replay value.”
    • “While definitely a playable alpha build, you can probably do just about everything in eight hours; more content would make replay value more substantial.”
    • “In terms of replay value, I struggle to find any.”
    • “There's nothing to really do differently, so there's virtually no replay value.”
    • “Lack of content makes the replay value minimal.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the short but nice ambient trance soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and lacking in variety. Overall, the soundtrack is described as catchy and enchanting, contributing positively to the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms regarding its limited duration.

    • “The graphics, the music, the gameplay—it's all good.”
    • “The premise is fun, and the soundtrack is fantastic.”
    • “The soundtrack is enchanting, just like the space scenes.”
    • “Less than five minutes of music audio.”
    • “What little music and sounds that there are are annoying as they are repetitive.”
    • “I fell asleep listening to the music while playing, which is the only reason it looks like I have some hours of play time.”
  • monetization14 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized by users, who describe it as a blatant cash grab, with many feeling that the developers rushed the game to full release without adequate content or polish. Players express frustration over the perceived exploitation of early access funding and the lack of commitment to delivering a finished product, leading to disappointment and a sense of betrayal among supporters. Overall, the sentiment reflects a growing discontent with monetization practices that prioritize profit over quality and player experience.

    • “A true cash grab, plain and simple, and a real slap in the face to those of us that supported it.”
    • “This is a blatant cash grab that was rushed out of early access into 'full' release.”
    • “I'm getting sick of games being released half-finished with little or no depth, in what seems like a cash grab.”
  • optimization13 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, particularly in AI and pathfinding mechanics. Many feel that the game appears unfinished, suffering from bugs and a lack of balance, which detracts from the overall experience. The overloaded HUD menus further exacerbate framerate drops, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.

    • “Have lots of good tech guys and your base will run smoothly - put lots of gun turrets all around the outside walls and you'll be safe enough to survive a large attack that eventually happens.”
    • “The game's artwork is quite simplistic and usually runs smoothly, but the HUD menus are overloaded with special effects and animations that will make your framerate drop significantly any time they open.”
    • “There was never a beta, so the already content-sparse game was never very well optimized or balanced, which becomes extremely clear after a playthrough or two.”
    • “This inflames the already dismal performance of crew AI and pathfinding.”
    • “This game suffers from terrible performance and is not finished.”
    • “Double Fine has decided (in their infinite wisdom) that it is acceptable to simply take a 0.6 alpha build, and jump straight to a 1.0 release build, stating that they are ceasing all development on a game that is by no means feature complete, has major bugs and performance issues, as you would expect from an alpha.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, especially due to the lack of endgame content and the cumbersome mechanics of managing spaceships and base rooms. While some appreciate the art and occasional updates that introduce new content, many feel that the gameplay becomes a chore over time, with little incentive to continue once initial goals are achieved. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable in short bursts, but it suffers from a lack of depth and replay value.

    • “Get real tedious after a short while with no endgame at all.”
    • “But it's easy to see it's incomplete whether it's some missing tooltips, room zones where there isn't much to do, etc. There's no reason to keep playing after you've built anything in your base and enjoyed the inhabitants for a while unless you really enjoy aiming for the 'goals' which just seems like grinding numbers.”
    • “Sure you can keep playing to see how big you can get your base but it simply becomes repetitive and tedious.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its engaging soundtracks and charming visuals, creating a sense of freedom in building and managing. However, players note that the experience can be marred by technical issues, such as bugs and performance slowdowns, particularly with larger crews. While some find the atmosphere intriguing and complex, others feel the game is unfinished and recommend alternatives for a more polished experience.

    • “The atmosphere of the ship makes you anticipate losing a few citizens, even if you have no idea what's coming.”
    • “A great atmosphere, a lot of complexity and challenge, and some interesting concepts are present here.”
    • “Cute, excellent atmosphere and flavor, but the game is very unfinished and not worth more than a couple dollars.”
    • “Sure, it looks okay, sure, it has its atmosphere, but the game doesn't understand what a 'low chance of being raided' means.”
    • “Even if you have no idea what's coming, the atmosphere of the ship makes you anticipate losing a few citizens.”
    • “If not, stay away and check out either Cosmonautica for a similar 'silly space' atmosphere, or Startopia for a better spaceport management simulation.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    Reviews highlight the emotional depth of the game, praising its ability to create heartfelt narratives and character connections that resonate with players. However, there is also criticism regarding the developers' handling of the game's release, leading to feelings of disappointment and emotional investment that feels unreciprocated. Overall, while the game offers a rich emotional experience, the development issues have left some players feeling let down.

    • “You may also enjoy this if you like making up stories for your characters, as there is a sort of social network generated for each character that you can kind of use to judge their emotional state.”
    • “There is a sense of accomplishment when you get all of your crew members to an emotional state above just 'happy' and reading their logs to see what is going on in their lives.”
    • “Doing so would be disastrous for our reputation and it would kill us emotionally.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers note that the character development in the game feels incomplete, with certain aspects lacking depth and polish, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “These problems are, to me, the biggest ones with the game. Other issues include parts of the game, like research, that have an unfinished feel to them, and they never fully completed character development.”
    • “The character development feels rushed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I was disappointed with how the characters evolved throughout the game; their arcs felt predictable and uninspired.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
3-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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