Spacebase Startopia

Spacebase Startopia is a complex management-sim, but once everything clicks there's plenty of fun to be had. It'll take time to learn everything, and the camera can be annoying, but it's still enjoyable.

Starting at $1.56Buy now

Get on Steam

Get on Xbox Games Store

Get on Epic Games Store

In Spacebase Startopia, manage a space station and its diverse alien inhabitants, maintaining operational efficiency and peace among them. Experience a blend of base-building, real-time strategy, and simulation, as you oversee various facilities, including living quarters, recreational areas, and production rooms. Engage in entertaining missions, face adversaries, and make crucial decisions that will determine the fate of your thriving intergalactic community.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 232 reviews

gameplay13 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game features colorful graphics and charming alien designs that create an engaging atmosphere.
It retains some core mechanics from the original Startopia, providing a nostalgic experience for fans.
The game includes a variety of buildings and customization options, allowing players to create unique space stations.

The AI assistant is overly sarcastic and annoying, detracting from the overall experience.
Gameplay can feel cluttered and overwhelming, with too much micromanagement required to keep the station running smoothly.
Numerous bugs and performance issues hinder the gameplay, making it frustrating for players.

story
65 mentions
6 % positive mentions
88 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that the campaign consists of repetitive missions that closely mirror those from the original game, lacking innovation and depth. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and humor, others find the narrative uninspired and the AI assistant's constant insults grating. Overall, the missions are seen as too short and simplistic, leading to a lack of engagement and motivation to continue playing.
- “Things were coming to life before my eyes mission by mission, and slowly the core of the game came out and before I knew it I was well and truly hooked. There really is something satisfying about playing this game.”
- “In the original, there were missions for every alien race, so you understood what they wanted and how they acted.”
- “The campaign of Startopia consists of chained narrative missions where you get introduced to the different aspects of the game, starting with recycling garbage, then setting up medical bays, and so on.”
- “The campaign is, mission for mission, just a copy/paste of the original game's missions; in the first mission you recycle, in the second you build a hospital, in the third you establish prisons, etc. In addition, you can clearly tell which aliens are supposed to be their counterparts from the original.”
- “The campaign missions are short and fairly repetitive, and the combat feels really basic.”
- “Too bad that the 'campaign story' sucks and there is no motivation left in me to continue playing.”
gameplay
58 mentions
22 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the improved mechanics and graphics compared to the original, while others criticize it for being buggy, repetitive, and poorly designed. Many users noted that the micromanagement can be overwhelming, especially without a pause feature, and that the humor and writing fall flat. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements and a solid concept, significant issues with gameplay mechanics and design choices detract from the experience.
- “Good: nice concept and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is fine, and it's kind of cute.”
- “Other than this lore issue, though, the gameplay itself is much improved over the original.”
- “Overall, as a game this isn't fun to play; the difficulty spike and micromanagement are dreadful (especially since there's no pause to enable making the micromanagement less overwhelming when things get complex). It's riddled with bugs and a whole bunch of shockingly bad game design choices, mechanics, UX, and UI abominations.”
- “What a letdown; confusing, not funny, and totally mediocre gameplay. I would not recommend it.”
- “An interesting experiment gone horribly wrong, Spacebase Startopia is plagued with dull RTS mechanics, a grind-heavy campaign, and bad writing.”
graphics
52 mentions
31 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the bright, colorful aesthetic and improved detail, while others feel the new art style lacks the charm of the original. Many users suggest that despite the graphical upgrades, the overall design choices can be overwhelming or distracting, leading to a perception of a downgrade in gameplay experience. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered appealing, they are often compared unfavorably to the original game's simpler and more recognizable designs.
- “Great comedy, great graphics, and great fun all around!!”
- “The graphics are absolutely stunning as are the animations of the creatures and buildings alike.”
- “A fun management game with beautiful graphics in which we manage a space base set up to satisfy our alien friends.”
- “We would have been better off with the original with updated graphics; sometimes it's better not to try and improve... this felt like a rip-off. I didn't enjoy it at all, kinda sad honestly.”
- “The graphics have been bumped up, but simultaneously lost all their charm.”
- “The graphics are decent, but due to design choices, it actually feels like a downgrade.”
humor
51 mentions
90 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The humor in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it flat and unoriginal, often relying on repetitive insults from a robotic character that fail to entertain. While some appreciated the nostalgic elements and occasional funny moments, the overall consensus is that the humor lacks the wit and charm of its predecessor, leaving players feeling disappointed and unamused. The attempts at humor are often described as annoying rather than funny, with a significant number of reviewers expressing a longing for the more clever and engaging humor of earlier titles.
- “The campaign is short and shallow, although funny enough to be entertaining.”
- “It had a lot of heart, goofy British humor, and really fun scenarios.”
- “Val is so goddamn funny, I'm constantly chuckling and on occasion, full-on laughing out loud because of an insult-compliment she's thrown my way.”
- “Val is breathtakingly unfunny and basically only has 1 joke, namely that you are bad at your job and slow and stupid.”
- “What a let down, confusing, not funny and totally meh gameplay, would not recommend.”
- “Not fun, not funny, not interesting; it's nothing like Startopia was.”
music
28 mentions
25 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the catchy tunes and techno style, while others prefer the original soundtrack from the previous game. Many appreciate the variety of tracks, though issues like sound stuttering and music cutting out have been noted. Overall, while the music is generally considered good, it still has room for improvement and consistency.
- “And I can't deny that I've been humming the music while outside; the fun deck beats have burrowed deep into my ears at this point.”
- “I truly appreciate the amount of varied decorations available, and I love the songs that hint at melodies from the first game.”
- “I am adding to this that the music soundtrack is unique with over 10 different tracks.”
- “The music, writing, and voice acting are terrible in this version.”
- “The music fades in and out at random, as well as Val's voice.”
- “The music and sound effects often cut out for no apparent reason.”
optimization
21 mentions
14 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly during late-game scenarios with numerous aliens, leading to stutters and performance drops. Despite its potential, many players express frustration over the lack of updates to address memory leaks, UI freezes, and overall performance, which detracts from the experience and prevents recommendations. Overall, the game's current state is marred by these technical shortcomings, overshadowing its positive aspects.
- “The real problem, though, is the optimization when you have too many aliens onboard.”
- “Need performance improvements when playing against multiple AI.”
- “Research improves the performance of facilities rather than just simply making them cheaper to produce.”
- “It's been more than half a year and it's still very poorly optimized.”
- “The real problem though is the optimization when you have too many aliens onboard.”
- “This game has terrible optimization issues where the whole game chugs trying to access your employee menu.”
stability
17 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, laggy interfaces, sound glitches, and crashes that disrupt gameplay. Many players noted that the game feels unresponsive and requires constant command cancellations, leading to frustration. While some acknowledge the developers' efforts given the game's developmental challenges, the overall consensus is that it remains significantly unstable and prone to issues.
- “It's just not that stable, quite buggy and will crash a bit; tired of being kicked to desktop.”
- “Makes me feel bad playing it with the amount of constant mini-freezes and audio bugs that come up.”
- “It's also still buggy, got a bunch of my travelers stuck in an arbitrary path after a few hours of gameplay.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the visuals are appealing, the grinding aspect of managing a station can be tedious, with employees and guests often failing to meet their needs. The game retains many mechanics from its predecessor, leading to repetitive tasks across various functions, though some simplifications have been made to alleviate previous frustrations. Players can still engage in manual design, but the overall experience may feel like a grind due to the familiar and labor-intensive processes.
- “Now it's the same - but now with mechs killing as many mechs as possible in the first attack - then grinding to the core, before they build more of them.”
- “The good part is the visuals are good, but managing a station is much more tedious; employees and guests don't seem to want to satisfy their needs properly.”
- “The game has many of the same mechanics, processes, buildings, and alien functions as the original: a race for medicine, one for recycling, one for communication, another for security, as well as entertainment, farming, religion, etc. It has terrorist bombs like the original and space station sections; even the layout of the station is identical to the original with three layers: biodeck, entertainment deck, and subdeck for industry, cargo, and basic alien needs.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the original Startopia is praised for its colorful and engaging design, complemented by strong sound effects and narration. While the game's vibrant graphics contribute to its charm, some players feel that the excessive interactivity can be overwhelming, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The original Startopia was not a perfect game but was still a masterpiece in terms of sound effects, narration, animation, and atmosphere.”
- “There is a colorful atmosphere.”
- “It has a different atmosphere and gameplay.”
- “The graphics are cute, but I find some parts are just too interactive - don't get me wrong, I don't mind the atmosphere cleanser to move and wiggle and blow clouds, but not everything in that station has to move and wiggle and blink... even the doors of the lift keep wiggling... a bit much?!”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling it was released prematurely and riddled with bugs, leading to a perception of low quality and high prices. Additionally, the presence of intrusive ads through the company's launcher has further soured the experience for many fans.
- “The graphics are nice and the game runs fairly smoothly, but this is what it is, another Kalypso cash grab released too early, full of bugs and pacing issues and horrendously overpriced.”
- “The game feels like a quick cash grab and a slap in the face of the fans from the original game.”
- “This game is a low quality cash grab.”
replayability
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, users have mixed opinions on replayability; while some highlight the game's extensive detail and potential for hundreds of hours of play, others feel that single-player replayability is limited due to repetitive building mechanics. However, many still find the game charming and engaging enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
- “It's charming, and extremely replayable.”
- “Replayability (in single player at least) is minimal in my opinion since you only make one of each building and... voila.”
- “Incredibly detailed with thousands of hours of replay value!”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users express a sense of emotional frustration due to design choices that create barriers, both physically and metaphorically, within the game. The nostalgia for the original Startopia is palpable, as players feel a disconnect between their expectations and the current experience, leading to a mix of disappointment and longing.
- “Many of the design choices that were made hurt me both emotionally and physically; it still feels and plays like the old Startopia.”