SpaceBourne

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SpaceBourne is a single-player Role Playing game with an intriguing story and fabulous gameplay, set in a vast universe with over 100 Solar Systems, 400 planets, and 37 space stations. Players have the freedom to mine, salvage, hunt, explore, trade, and engage in various activities with the goal of acquiring and customizing ships and weapons. Despite some bugs, the game offers an immersive experience with its impressive visuals and amazing soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 995 reviews

story118 positive mentions

stability72 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging space combat experience reminiscent of classic titles like Freelancer.
The developer is responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates and improvements.
The game features a variety of gameplay elements, including mining, trading, and character progression, providing players with multiple ways to engage with the game.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
The English translation is often poor, with many spelling and grammatical errors that detract from immersion.
The user interface and controls can be clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and gameplay less enjoyable.

story
652 mentions
18 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story in Spacebourne is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and well-paced, while others criticize it for being generic, poorly written, and filled with bugs. Many missions follow a repetitive pattern of combat and fetch quests, and the overall narrative lacks depth and coherence, often leaving players feeling disconnected from the plot. Despite these issues, the game offers a variety of side missions and activities that can enhance the experience, though the execution of the main storyline leaves much to be desired.
- “Spacebourne is an open world RPG space sim, designed to give players the freedom to explore, make their own decisions, and decide how they want to play through the story.”
- “The story drives you forward, and there are plenty of side missions you can discover.”
- “The story is engaging, the combat is fun, and the entire game has this incredible dark brooding atmosphere to it - this can be plainly seen in the design of the stations, which are the best out of any space sim I've played.”
- “Now I got to the 'end' and saw that in the course of the main missions suddenly it seems like you can actually get started and then 1 mission later it's like game over. Now do this other task to fill out the so-called story and wrap it up... you never build, never actually do anything you thought you would.”
- “Story is full of plot-holes and would probably be better left out (there is a sandbox mode included which does exactly this).”
- “The story is not really worth talking about, because it's neither good nor fleshed out a lot.”
gameplay
182 mentions
25 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the ship combat and character building, while others find the overall mechanics repetitive and clunky. While the combat is often highlighted as a strong point, the game suffers from issues like poor UI, unbalanced mechanics, and a lack of engaging activities beyond the initial hours. Overall, it offers a solid experience for fans of space games, but it may require further development to fully realize its potential.
- “However, overall I had a good time playing, and the gameplay where you are flying around and through an anomaly asteroid with 4-5 other ships trying to take you down is the most fun flying mechanic I have ever enjoyed.”
- “Game has some minor annoying flaws expected from a solo indie dev product, but overall gameplay is solid and fun.”
- “A very pleasant and rewarding gameplay.”
- “The graphics were great, but the mechanics were very boring.”
- “However, the mechanics of the game fall very short of being worth my money.”
- “Pretty chill game but not much to do after around 30 hours; the gameplay loops pretty much and the trailer is not up to date at all. The game needs more activities because mining, collecting debris, clearing wormholes, and searching for anomalies gets boring pretty fast.”
graphics
162 mentions
36 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are not cutting-edge and can feel dated, they are generally serviceable and enjoyable for an indie title. Some users appreciate the visuals for their charm and immersion, while others criticize graphical glitches and a lack of polish, suggesting that improvements are needed. Overall, the consensus is that gameplay takes precedence over graphics, and many players find the visuals adequate for their gaming experience.
- “The graphics are great and no issues on epic settings, whereas Star Citizen struggles even on a RTX 4090 with around 30fps. This has no such problems, although the graphics aren't as complex as Star Citizen's.”
- “I'm stunned by Spacebourne's amazing graphics both in stations and in space.”
- “From the moment I started up the game in the tutorial mode and was greeted with a very nice cutscene and crisp visuals, I knew that I was in for a treat.”
- “The impression is, however, severely marred by low-res textures and blurry graphics that would look dated about a decade ago, much less in 2018.”
- “Graphics - 4/10”
- “It literally freezes in the exact same spot in all graphics settings (low-cinematic).”
stability
72 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many players experience game freezes, quest-breaking glitches, and graphical problems, leading to frustration and a sense that the game is unfinished. While some acknowledge the charm of its retro style and express enjoyment despite the bugs, the overall consensus is that the game is currently too unstable for a full recommendation, especially given its early access status.
- “A quest glitches out and becomes impossible to complete.”
- “These glitches are known to the developer for years who then chooses to sit on their hands and do nothing instead profiting from a fraudulent product which is near guaranteed to break under normal use.”
- “Numerous bugs from game freezes to options not appearing to out of focus graphics which you have to constantly reload or completely shut down the game makes progress very very slow.”
music
62 mentions
45 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's music has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ability to choose from various genres, including rock and classical, enhancing their combat experience. While combat music is generally praised for its excitement and immersion, some players find the station music repetitive and lacking variety. Overall, the soundtrack is considered enjoyable, though there are calls for more diverse sound effects and better audio balancing.
- “Lots of eye and ear candy - the soundtrack is unusually good!”
- “I've never been into music, so I usually just turn it off, but I love the fact that this game comes with several different music genres, and you can select your preference; I choose classical, and for the first time in years, I actually left my music on, and truly enjoy it during combat.”
- “The game's graphics are outstanding and there is a nice selection of music to choose from; nothing beats listening to rock music while you tear your enemies apart.”
- “Music in the stations is quite boring; one looped track.”
- “In space there is no music except in combat where there are several different tracks but the sound levels are inconsistent; sometimes they are too loud.”
- “On PC, I hate the fight music; controlling on keyboard is a joke!”
grinding
38 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious, with players expressing frustration over repetitive tasks such as mining, salvaging, and trading. Many reviewers would have preferred a more engaging combat system with fewer but stronger enemies, rather than facing numerous weak foes. Overall, the grinding mechanics detract from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel like a chore rather than a rewarding experience.
- “Most of your time will be spent grinding levels that really don't do much.”
- “Trading is incredibly tedious and while it is based on a sophisticated supply and demand model, you are extremely limited in the amount of trade goods per transaction.”
- “I did not add to a fleet or create my own headquarters etc., as it seemed a long ways away in the game and that meant grinding out the same 3 things over and over in this endless hall of mirrors called a universe to level and get the money.”
optimization
22 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, such as frame rate drops and stuttering, particularly during complex encounters. However, others report smooth performance on high settings, indicating that optimization may vary based on hardware configurations. Overall, while there are notable bugs and performance inconsistencies, many players find the game to be well-optimized for its price point.
- “Even better, Spacebourne is very well optimized and I did not take any notable performance hits.”
- “I tested this on an Intel quad CPU overclocked to 4.3 GHz, dual GTX 980 Ti's, on a 3440 x 1400 32-inch widescreen monitor on the highest settings and was getting FPS of between 68 and 72, so I believe the game has been well optimized.”
- “Performance is great--I'm playing it at what appears to be its max resolution with everything but effects on ultra and getting 60 FPS.”
- “Throughout the entire encounter, the enemy ships are bouncing and stuttering around; your target lead even reflects this, they're skipping in and out of position like a broken record.”
- “In fact, I do not think the game is optimized as there is a lot going on that causes the frame rates to just randomly drop to 20-30fps for a few seconds and slowly go back to 60.”
- “Very bad optimization.”
atmosphere
16 mentions
50 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as a mix of impressive visuals and a dark, brooding tone, particularly in the design of space stations, which stand out in the genre. However, some players feel that the lack of ambient sounds and engaging sound design detracts from the overall experience, making certain areas feel lifeless. While the game attempts to create a compelling atmosphere reminiscent of titles like Stalker, it struggles to fully deliver on that promise, especially in its randomly generated battlefields.
- “The story is engaging, the combat is fun, and the entire game has this incredible dark brooding atmosphere to it - this can be plainly seen in the design of the stations, which are the best out of any space sim I've played.”
- “Really - the game looks pretty nice and offers great atmosphere.”
- “It plays and has the atmosphere of Stalker in space, and feels a bit deeper than Fallout 4.”
- “That, combined with the lack of ambient sounds, really sucks the atmosphere out of a station.”
- “All other planets are randomly generated space battlefields; you are not fighting in the atmosphere of the planet.”
- “This game doesn't have the cool sound design, effects, and music that EVE does for atmosphere, but you can tell it's trying to... and failing.”
monetization
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users feeling that it lacks the quality and polish expected from a fully launched title. Reviewers describe it as an "asset flip" that appears unfinished, suggesting that initial updates may be temporary and primarily aimed at maximizing profit rather than enhancing gameplay.
- “Obviously just a cash grab.”
- “This game is a painfully obvious asset flip, despite frequent initial updates that are sure to dry up when the cash grab is over.”
- “I really wanted this game to be good, and I wanted to give it a fair review, but it just feels like an alpha test, which isn't acceptable when a game's developer has launched it, advertising it to be in a ready state.”
character development
6 mentions
17 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted as an ambitious attempt to incorporate RPG elements, allowing players to upgrade their characters and interact with NPCs. However, the execution is criticized, with reviewers feeling that the overall design lacks depth and coherence, ultimately falling short of the standards set by similar titles like Freelancer.
- “It comes with several features I always wanted to have in the perfect space game - like exploration on foot, flying different ships, upgrading ships and weapons, RPG-style character development, interaction with NPCs, trading, mining, raiding, visiting many solar systems and some planets, getting out of the ship and being able to walk inside your ship, making decisions and choosing your own path, exploring stations and planets on foot, and also being able to fight on foot.”
- “The whole game seems to be developed by one guy, talented in using Unreal Engine, but sadly without any clue in terms of game design, level design, story arc, or character development.”
- “It's not quite up there with Freelancer based on memory, but I see the game is trying to go there with the character development.”
- “The character development feels underwhelming and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game currently has limited replayability, though the new sandbox mode offers a significant boost in this area. Many players express optimism that future updates and features, driven by developer engagement, will enhance replayability further in the full release.
- “The game lacks replayability, but I am confident this will change with the full release version since the dev is super engaged and has announced some pretty cool potential release features to vote from.”
humor
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its janky mechanics and amusing translations, which contribute to a quirky experience. However, the frequent location warping may detract from the overall enjoyment, leading some players to suggest waiting for a sequel instead.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, especially the janky translations that add a unique charm to the experience.”
- “The game is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, making the jankiness part of its quirky appeal.”
- “I found myself chuckling at the absurdity of the situations and the witty dialogue throughout the game.”