Sphere: Flying Cities

47%
Game Brain Score Based on 81 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Sphere: Flying Cities Game Cover
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"Sphere: Flying Cities" is a city-building strategy game where you construct and manage advanced flying cities in a post-apocalyptic world. Harvest resources, research new technologies, and adapt to changing weather conditions while fending off threats from the ground and sky. Your goal is to ensure your city's survival and expansion while seeking out a new home for humanity.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

47%
Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews
emotional1 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game has an interesting concept of managing a floating city in a post-apocalyptic world, which offers a unique gameplay experience.
  • Some players found the game enjoyable and fun, especially after mastering the basics and engaging with the resource management mechanics.
  • The graphics and atmosphere of the game are appealing, creating an immersive environment for players.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive controls, making it frustrating to play.
  • The tutorial is poorly designed, providing insufficient guidance for new players, which can lead to confusion and a steep learning curve.
  • Many players reported that the game feels unfinished and lacks depth, with limited content and repetitive gameplay that diminishes long-term enjoyment.
  • story23 mentions

    The story in the game is generally viewed as mediocre, with some players finding it interesting enough for a light city-building experience, while others feel it lacks depth and replayability. Many appreciate the introductory narrative and backstory, but express a desire for more engaging missions and a polished storyline to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the story serves its purpose but leaves room for improvement and expansion.

    • “I like the story; it wasn't long and tedious and was interesting enough.”
    • “It's good for what it is - a light city builder sim with uncomplicated management and small production chain, played in a small area, and bundled with a serviceable campaign/story.”
    • “What I liked was the great intro story sequence leading, giving background and an overall premise of where we are heading.”
    • “The story is mediocre.”
    • “This game has a great base but does need a lot of work; as of right now, there is not much of a story feel to the game that makes me want to keep playing.”
    • “You won't miss them, though, because once you've heard the story, there isn't any reason to play the game again.”
  • gameplay13 mentions

    Gameplay is characterized by a mechanical approach that lacks immersion and depth, leading to limited replayability due to narrow content and clunky production chains. While the tech tree offers potential for exploration, many mechanics feel underutilized or pointless, and the tutorial fails to adequately explain the game's systems. Despite these shortcomings, players acknowledge the developers' efforts to improve the game and see potential for enjoyment as it evolves.

    • “I also really liked how much work went into this game; the developers were making major changes to things that simply were not working throughout early access, and I hope they continue to fix the little bugs and smooth out gameplay.”
    • “The tech tree is already quite large to motivate extended plays and works well with the exploration mechanic.”
    • “The game mechanics, besides research, are straightforward to understand and utilize.”
    • “Finished the campaign and started playing some sandbox on harder settings, but replayability is limited as content is narrow and the game is more mechanical (unlock this, do this, do that...) than immersive, where one would actually care about the city.”
    • “On top of that, the entire survival mechanic and keeping the population alive is okay, but the way the materials and production chains were set up are very clunky, as are the area of effect for buildings - not enough.”
    • “Most of the loyalty-boosting buildings are unlocked by default, so it presents no engaging hook to the long-term gameplay.”
  • graphics9 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the visuals of the city and surrounding elements, while others criticize the poor optimization and instability, particularly during high-speed gameplay. Many users report issues with frame rates and graphical strain during movement, leading to a frustrating experience despite some attractive design elements. Overall, while the graphics have potential, they are hampered by performance issues and lack of customization options.

    • “First of all, I really liked the graphics of the city and surrounding clouds.”
    • “The graphics overall look great and the flying platform looks fantastic.”
    • “Acceptable graphics for current day.”
    • “But the biggest issue is that the majority of the game is spent moving the city around the planet on fetch quests, but it moves so damn slow. On top of that, the optimization is very badly done, so you are forced to keep the game on speed 3, which is not enough, and the graphical simulation of the effects (asteroid belts, ice storms, etc.) continues even at high speed, placing severe strain on the computer.”
    • “You will waste hours going from point to point, with FPS limitations, no means to disable all the graphical candy that serves no purpose, and not being able to speed things up even more as all your storage is full and you can't do anything until you arrive at each of the destinations, 10 minutes away each time.”
    • “It's buggy, it freezes, the graphics are slow (I can play much heavier games without needing to set the settings to low), the sensitivity is abominable, and it looks overall bleak and poor.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization is severely lacking, with numerous bugs and performance issues reported by users. Many players experience significant slowdowns, particularly during weather effects, and even high-end hardware struggles to maintain acceptable framerates, often requiring the game to be played at maximum speed to alleviate the sluggishness. Overall, the optimization problems detract significantly from the gaming experience.

    • “Somehow is so horridly optimized that it uses 100% of a 2080 Super.”
    • “Framerate on ultra settings is low (40-60) (I have a 3080 Ti and Intel i9-11900K), so it's just optimization problems.”
    • “But the biggest issue is that the majority of the game is spent moving the city around the planet on fetch quests, but it moves so damn slow. On top of that, the optimization is very badly done, so you are forced to keep the game on speed 3, which is not enough. The graphical simulation of the effects (asteroid belts, ice storms, etc.) continues even at high speed, placing severe strain on the computer.”
    • “- Huge performance issues while weather effects are on.”
    • “- Framerate on ultra settings is low (40-60) (I have a 3080 Ti and Intel i9-11900K), so it's just optimization problems.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game has been criticized for being flat and poorly composed, often likened to elevator music, which can become repetitive and unremarkable over time. Some players find it annoying, indicating a lack of variety and engagement in the soundtrack.

    • “The music is flat, poorly composed, and sometimes straight-up annoying (I guess this last part is very subjective).”
    • “The music is nothing noteworthy.”
    • “Kind of like elevator music, honestly.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, freezing, and poor graphics performance, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players acknowledge that it is in early access and have encountered fewer bugs, the sensitivity and lack of guidance further contribute to a frustrating gameplay experience.

    • “It's buggy, it freezes, the graphics are slow (I can play much heavier games without needing to set the settings to low), the sensitivity is abominable, and it looks overall bleak and poor.”
    • “It's got a bunch of glitches, it doesn't give any explanation to how to play.”
    • “Keep in mind the game is in early access and there are still some bugs and glitches [only found one so far as my game froze for a few seconds].”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly difficult, with much of the gameplay revolving around repetitive tasks like using the repair tool. While some appreciate the story's brevity and engagement, the overall experience is marred by a sense of abandonment from the developers, leading to frustration with the grinding mechanics.

    • “It seems like the devs have made a cash grab and abandoned it; this game is too difficult and tedious.”
    • “This causes the game to get very tedious as most of your time is spent clicking and dragging the repair tool.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is polarizing; while some players appreciate the engaging environment and diverse tasks, others find the absurdity of its premise—such as asteroids and moon chunks floating like clouds—detracts from their enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere can enhance the experience for some, but it may also hinder immersion for others.

    • “I just started my own map and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the varied tasks.”
    • “The game has an interesting concept, but the absurdity of the premise and having asteroids and moon chunks floating in the air like clouds in the Earth's atmosphere is so ridiculous that it makes enjoyment of the game difficult.”
    • “In this game, you do not travel beyond the Earth's atmosphere.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    While the game features voice acting, it fails to create a strong emotional connection with the characters, leaving players feeling detached from the narrative.

  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally perceived as light-hearted and not a significant concern, with players finding certain elements amusing.

    • “Not really an issue, but kind of funny.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that players feel the game prioritizes monetization over quality, describing it as a cash grab that has been abandoned by developers. Additionally, the game's difficulty and tediousness contribute to a negative perception of its monetization strategy.

    • “It seems like the developers have made a cash grab and abandoned the game. It's too difficult and tedious to enjoy.”
    • “The monetization system feels exploitative, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
    • “I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money just to have a fair chance at enjoying the game.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users indicate that the game's replayability is low, primarily due to advanced buildings being less effective than earlier options, which diminishes the incentive to replay.

    • “Advanced buildings are worse than the early ones, resulting in low replayability.”
    • “The game lacks meaningful choices, making it feel repetitive on subsequent playthroughs.”
    • “Once you've experienced the main storyline, there's little incentive to replay the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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