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 and a calming soundtrack.
- Offers a fun and creative experience for building and managing a space station.
- Has potential for future updates and expansions to enhance gameplay.
- Game lacks depth and replayability, with limited content leading to a short playtime of around 4 hours.
- Has been abandoned by the developer, resulting in no updates or improvements for several years.
- Numerous bugs and issues, including a problematic save system and unresponsive gameplay.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is currently limited and lacks depth, with many players reporting only a few hours of engaging content before reaching a point of redundancy. While the core mechanics are intuitive and the concept shows potential, there is a strong demand for additional gameplay features, challenges, and complexity to enhance the overall experience. As it stands, the game feels more like a lightweight sandbox with minimal interaction mechanics, 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.”
“Clearly still in the early stages of development with limited gameplay at the moment.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, with many users highlighting 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 minor issues, the game is noted for its potential, especially 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.”
- replayability13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many users noting that it feels unfinished and lacks depth. While some players appreciate the initial experience, they express disappointment over the limited content and absence of random events, which diminishes the incentive to replay. Without significant updates or additional content, the replay value is seen as minimal, making it more of a one-time playthrough rather than a game to return to.
“Nice to play through once, but not much in the way of replayability, or an end-game.”
“+ replay value is there (building new stations)”
“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.”
- music9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for creating a relaxing atmosphere that complements the stunning visuals and space theme. Reviewers highlight the beautiful soundtrack and ambient soundscapes, which enhance the overall experience, despite some mixed feelings about vocal elements. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersive quality.
“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 (until 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.”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for a more engaging and structured story within the game, highlighting that story missions could enhance replay value and provide depth to mission mechanics. There is a call for additional features, such as specific building missions and clear goals, to create a more immersive experience. Overall, while the game has potential, the current narrative elements are seen as lacking.
“The story missions would help enhance 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.”
“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').”
“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 well and I don't see any crashes, there is a lack of missions or goals to complete.”
“Story missions would help the replay value.”
- stability7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with multiple users reporting frequent freezes and bugs that hinder gameplay, particularly during building activities. Many players express frustration over the game's incomplete features and overall lack of polish, leading to a disappointing experience despite its potential. Overall, the game appears to be in a rough state, making it difficult for players to enjoy it fully.
“The game is visually stunning and remarkably bug-free, making it a solid experience even in early access.”
“Despite being in early access, the stability of the game allows for a somewhat playable experience, especially for a space station building simulator.”
“The external view only feature enhances the game's stability, providing a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience.”
“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.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing qualities, enhanced by beautiful music and stunning views of Earth from orbit. Players appreciate the serene environment, although some express a desire for more dynamic elements in future updates. Overall, the aesthetic appeal and calming ambiance contribute significantly to the game's enjoyment.
“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. ;)”
“Great atmosphere with beautiful music and a stunning view of Earth from orbit.”
“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.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews on optimization are mixed; while some users report awful performance, others have experienced a well-optimized engine, maintaining a steady 60fps at 1080p HD over extended play sessions.
“The engine seems to be well optimized at this stage; I maintained a steady 60 FPS in 1080p HD over my 20 hours of gameplay.”
“The game's performance is impressive, with smooth frame rates and minimal lag, making for an enjoyable experience.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the graphics settings, allowing for a seamless experience even on lower-end hardware.”
“Awful performance.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end hardware.”
“Frequent frame drops make it nearly unplayable.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is perceived as a cash grab, particularly in its early access phase, leading to negative sentiments among users.
“Another good start, but it's just an early access cash grab.”
“The monetization is aggressive and feels exploitative.”
“It's frustrating to see so many paywalls in a game that could be great.”
- grinding1 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 repetitive micromanagement without significant rewards or unlocks, leading to frustration and a lack of motivation to continue.
“I crossed the ladder on 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.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“After hours of grinding, I still haven't unlocked anything meaningful, which makes the effort feel pointless.”
