Stable Orbit
- September 27, 2017
- Jim Offerman
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Stable Orbit" is a space management simulation game set in 2034, where you design, build, and control your own space station. As Station Commander, you must manage scarce resources, survive disasters, and complete research projects to fund growth. The game is highly realistic, with the station subject to real astro-physics, and failure is not an option for the safety of your crew.
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Reviews
- Relaxing gameplay with beautiful visuals.
- Offers a unique space station building experience with potential for creativity.
- Fun for a short period, especially for space enthusiasts.
- Game feels unfinished and lacks depth, with limited content and replayability.
- Many bugs and issues, including a problematic save system and unresponsive UI.
- Developer appears to have abandoned the game, leading to frustration among players.
- gameplay84 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is currently seen as simplistic and lacking depth, with many players reporting only a few hours of engaging content before reaching a point of monotony. While the core mechanics are intuitive and the graphics show potential, there is a strong demand for additional gameplay features, such as scenarios, challenges, and more complex mechanics to enhance the overall experience. As it stands, the game feels more like a lightweight sandbox with limited interaction, leaving players wanting more substance and variety.
“Gameplay is fun, especially for those with creative minds and visions.”
“Overall, I like this sim; it's an early release, so it does need a little work, but the gameplay is very smooth and the graphics, while a little on the 'basic' side, have potential.”
“Basic gameplay is solid; content is still rather limited but has a lot of potential.”
“Unfinished gameplay.”
“There's literally 1-2 hours max of gameplay before you've pretty much done everything there is to do in the game.”
“At present it is a lightweight sandbox with very few functional pieces and little in the way of interaction mechanics.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, with many users noting the stunning visuals and smooth performance at 1080p. However, some critiques mention that certain animations are lacking and that the overall graphical options could be more extensive. Despite these shortcomings, the game is seen as having significant potential for improvement as it continues to develop.
“The graphics are beautiful, and the UI is clear and useful.”
“Oh yeah, and the graphics are some of the most beautiful in any space game I've played (and apparently they are somehow going to be made even better).”
“Graphics: beautiful - galaxies/stars over the horizon.. thumbs up.”
“It's missing some pretty obvious graphical items.”
“Overall, I like this sim; it's an early release, so it does need a little work, but the gameplay is very smooth and the graphics, while a little on the 'basic' side, have potential.”
“Sharp graphics for the most part, but after you get a basic support structure going, there's no challenge at all.”
- replayability26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players noting that it feels unfinished and offers limited content and depth. While some mention the potential for replay value through building new stations, the consensus is that without additional updates or varied gameplay elements, the experience becomes repetitive and lacks sufficient incentive to revisit.
“+ replay value is there (building new stations)”
“Just know that you're buying into a game with a bit less replayability, but hopefully we'll get more content as time goes on.”
“Story missions would help the replay value.”
“It has no replay value.”
“But 3 years with no update and it still seems unfinished; it lacks any depth and replayability.”
“I like the idea of a space station tycoon-style game, but it falls very short with no replayability appeal.”
- music18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and relaxing atmosphere, perfectly complementing the space theme and enhancing the overall experience. Many players find the soundtrack stunning, contributing to a calming ambiance, although some note a jarring moment when vocals are introduced. Overall, the music is considered a strong point, with ratings around 8 out of 10, despite some minor criticisms.
“This is a really beautiful game with a very fitting soundtrack...”
“A beautiful game in its complexity, I see a lot of potential in it, and I find myself losing stations simply because the music is stunningly beautiful to listen to while you hurdle through space!”
“Wonderful ambient music, nice visuals, and the ability to craft an awesome looking station.”
“The game has a relaxing atmosphere and you can calmly listen to the music while your station slowly decays to useless tin cans.”
“Music: 8 out of 10 (till the singer kicks in) it is not awful but it throws you back when you hear the song.”
“But I'm not going to give a bad review due to bugs; it does suffer a little from a lack of content and a few bugs, but overall it's a nice game and very relaxing to play. I also liked the soundtrack which fits in very well with the space theme.”
- story16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is noted to be lacking, with players expressing a desire for more depth and structured missions to enhance replay value. Suggestions include the introduction of a mission/request list and specific building objectives to create a more engaging narrative experience. Overall, while the game has potential, it currently falls short in providing a compelling storyline or clear goals.
“An additional feature I would like to see is building missions that provide a target to build a certain amount of a certain module (e.g. 'the European Space Travel Agency demands the presence of at least two middle-sized laboratories on the station').”
“Story missions would help the replay value.”
“After the game starts getting closer to the more realistic side of things through updates, there just needs to be more module additions, and maybe some kind of storyline with goals to achieve.”
“Stable Orbit is a different but similar game with a lot of potential, and while it's doing itself good and I don't see any crashes, there is a lack of missions or goals to complete.”
“An additional feature I would like to see are building missions that provide a target to build a certain amount of a certain module (e.g. 'the European Space Travel Agency demands the presence of at least two middle-sized laboratories on the station').”
- stability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant issue, with multiple users reporting frequent freezes, particularly when attempting to build. Many describe the experience as buggy and incomplete, leading to frustration and a lack of engaging content. Overall, players advise caution, as the game currently struggles to provide a stable and enjoyable experience.
“The game is visually stunning and runs bug-free, making for a smooth experience.”
“Despite being in early access, the game is quite playable and offers a stable environment for building your space station.”
“I appreciate how stable the game feels; it allows me to focus on creativity without worrying about crashes or glitches.”
“The game freezes as soon as I build something—enough said.”
“I wouldn't waste money on this; it freezes after a couple of minutes.”
“However, the game itself is still a little buggy, and there is not much to do for more than 2-4 hours.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its captivating atmosphere, featuring soothing music and stunning views of Earth from orbit, which create a relaxing experience. Players appreciate the beauty of the environment, although some express a desire for more dynamic elements in future updates. Overall, the atmosphere significantly enhances the gameplay, making it a worthwhile purchase.
“The game has a relaxing atmosphere and you can calmly listen to the music while your station slowly decays to useless tin cans.”
“As of now, I feel it's a bit on the easy side to get it all right, but considering its beauty and good atmosphere, I'd buy this again any day, even if it's not on sale.”
“No clouds covered the earth; I hope that the flowing atmosphere could be included in the updates later.”
“The game has a relaxing atmosphere, and you can calmly listen to the music while your station slowly decays to useless tin cans.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews on optimization are mixed; while some users report maintaining a steady 60fps in 1080p HD, others experience awful performance issues. Overall, the game's engine appears to have potential for good optimization, but inconsistent performance detracts from the experience.
“The engine seems to be optimized well at this stage; I maintained a steady 60fps in 1080p HD over my 20 hours.”
“Awful performance.”
“Awful performance.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing concerns about its early access model and the potential for exploitative practices.
“Another good start, but it's just an early access cash grab game.”
“Another good start, but it's just an early access cash grab game.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as it often involves excessive micromanagement without meaningful rewards or unlocks, leading to frustration and a lack of motivation to continue.
“I crossed the latter at my third try; I kept growing (which becomes tedious micromanagement very fast) to see if anything would unlock (refueling hub for interplanetary ships?), but there's just nothing else.”
“I crossed the latter at my third try; I kept growing (which becomes tedious micromanagement very fast) to see if anything would unlock (refueling hub for interplanetary ships?), but there's just nothing else.”
