Star Conflict

About

Star Conflict is a multiplayer role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Star Gem Inc. and was released on February 27, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Star Conflict is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer space simulation game where players engage in combat as elite pilots in a war between factions. The game features intense PVP and PVE battles, a sandbox mode, and a wide range of customizable spaceships. With a variety of tactical roles, modules, and the ability to manufacture ships and modules, Star Conflict offers a rich and immersive experience for space combat enthusiasts."

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,144 reviews

gameplay353 positive mentions

grinding471 negative mentions

Fun and engaging space combat with a variety of ships and customization options.
Visually impressive graphics and smooth gameplay mechanics.
Offers both PvP and PvE modes, allowing for diverse gameplay experiences.

Heavily pay-to-win mechanics, making it difficult for free players to compete.
Poor matchmaking and balance issues, often pairing new players with high-level opponents.
Long grind required to progress, with many essential items locked behind paywalls.

gameplay
692 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its solid mechanics, engaging dogfighting, and diverse ship options, providing a fun experience for both new and returning players. However, many reviews highlight significant issues with pay-to-win mechanics, excessive grinding, and unbalanced matchmaking, which detract from the overall enjoyment and accessibility of the game. While the core gameplay remains enjoyable, the repetitive nature and monetization strategies have led to a decline in player satisfaction and community engagement.
- “The gameplay is great, offering multiple PvP modes and the 'open space,' a mode that allows players to explore a gigantic map freely, with or without other players.”
- “The mechanics are solid, the weapons feel impactful, progression happens often, but takes enough work to feel rewarding, flight controls feel like I was born with the knowledge of how to pilot a star craft, I love everything that I see here so far.”
- “The gameplay is smooth, fast-paced and leaves a lot of room for tactical play.”
- “Gameplay is repetitive, and while the visuals are decent, the lack of meaningful updates or innovation makes it feel stale.”
- “95% of the game is focused around pay-to-win mechanics, and unless you are willing to drop several thousands into buying insignias and other stuff to boost your stats, you're likely never going to have a good experience.”
- “The gameplay is very different than most others.”
story
689 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
84%
4%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that it feels more like a series of repetitive missions rather than a cohesive narrative. While there are some background elements involving factions and conflicts, the missions often lack engaging storylines, leading to a grindy experience that feels disconnected from any meaningful plot. Overall, players express a desire for a more developed storyline and varied mission content to enhance their gaming experience.
- “The game is deep enough for those who really want to get into the faction wars and other content, yet easy enough to be a great time killer if you just want to run a mission or two.”
- “With an interesting backstory, and the ability to control territorial claims from the three factions, this game comes highly recommended from me as I find to be very entertaining.”
- “Star conflict is like multiplayer descent in relatively short 3-15 min missions.”
- “Very little in the way of story/lore to the game.”
- “Do not walk into this expecting a deep story to sink into; this is not Star Trek Online.”
- “The game has neither a story nor real content.”
graphics
594 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
21%
2%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their quality and detail, often described as stunning and well-optimized, making it accessible even on lower-end systems. Many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and ship designs, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. However, some reviews note that while the graphics are impressive, they feel the game lacks depth and innovation, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience despite the appealing aesthetics.
- “The graphics are stunningly good, and the PvP matchmaking system shows that they're really hoping to take this to the MMO level.”
- “Star Conflict is surprising in many ways, graphically it’s stunning, rivaling some AAA titles on the market today.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the combat is fluid and heart-pumping, and the player-player interaction is quite hilarious at times.”
- “Graphics suck, game sucks, pay to win, servers dead.”
- “The graphics level and most of the maps are the same ones that I played 10 years ago in version 0.1, which is quite sad, quite sad, because had devs just cared enough for this game, it could have become on the level of CS:GO and Dota 2 in terms of player base.”
- “Its horrible graphics are too bad to play, its 'trailer' is rendered in another program, don't waste your time downloading this mess.”
grinding
474 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of "Star Conflict" is widely criticized, with many players noting that it is excessively time-consuming and often feels tedious. While some find enjoyment in the grind as part of the game's progression, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind is exacerbated by aggressive monetization strategies, making it feel like a pay-to-win scenario. Overall, players suggest that significant grinding is necessary to progress, especially for free-to-play users, leading to frustration and a sense of being trapped in a repetitive cycle.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Every update introduces more entertaining and definitely not tedious ways to engage with the grind.”
- “However, its grinding progression system and pay-to-win elements mar the otherwise impressive experience.”
- “The grinding is insane.”
- “Game ended up as a grinding piece of something you don't want to play anymore.”
monetization
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
52%
43%
The monetization model of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as a predatory cash grab that heavily relies on microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics. While some acknowledge that the game can be enjoyable if players ignore the aggressive monetization, the overall sentiment is that the grind is excessively long and progression is heavily gated, making it difficult to compete without spending real money. Despite its potential, the game's monetization practices have led to a negative perception, with many recommending against playing it due to its exploitative nature.
- “Relatively straightforward monetization, considering that this is a free-to-play game published by Gaijin.”
- “I can come down pretty hard on games with microtransactions or hidden costs, but everything here is pretty openly on display and none of it's really pay-to-win; it's mostly pay for options and a lot of it's cosmetic and easily ignored.”
- “This game can be a bit of a grind and has microtransactions, but you can still get the full experience without paying a penny.”
- “With the constant bombardment of paid content being pushed, it really does seem like it's become a giant cash grab for the devs.”
- “The progression is heavily gated by microtransactions, making it nearly impossible to compete without spending money.”
- “Predatory monetization practices and lack of care in development make what could have been a serviceable alternative into a pile of rubbish.”
optimization
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
55%
8%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players reporting smooth performance and impressive graphics even on lower-end systems. However, some users have noted issues such as lag, stuttering, and unbalanced matchmaking, which can detract from the experience. While the game offers various upgrades for ship performance, the reliance on premium currency for significant boosts has raised concerns about a pay-to-win dynamic.
- “The game has amazing graphics, and being well optimized, it's not heavy on your PC!”
- “The graphics are great and optimized really well.”
- “It's a dogfighting space sim that runs smoothly and has simple controls.”
- “To make matters worse, these upgrades don’t always give you a huge performance edge, just small boosts or exclusive features that feel like they should be part of normal progression.”
- “The performance of a ship can be upgraded by one-use items (you can have 5 equipped at a time) that you can buy for premium currency (which you can obviously buy for real money).”
- “Well, the matchmaking is not 'bad', it's just unoptimized... you may experience long waiting times to find a game and the way the teams are balanced is kind of poor.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
52%
7%
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its epic and immersive quality that enhances the overall ambiance and gameplay experience. The soundtrack is described as grand and film-like, effectively contributing to the game's themes, while sound effects are noted for their polish and depth. However, some users have criticized the music as repetitive or uninspiring at times, indicating a mixed reception in certain aspects.
- “Outstanding visuals, intense combat, and a riveting soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack does a solid job of contributing to the game's overall theme; it's grand, film-like, and engaging.”
- “Great gameplay, very immersive, brilliant soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is below average: it's uninspiring and the sound effects can get a bit repetitive.”
- “Overall a great game, but sometimes when I started this game up on my other PC, it would start, and I could hear the music, but I could not see or do anything.”
- “I just wish we had the ability to have something like a Spotify or our own playlist for music.”
stability
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
2%
83%
The stability of the game is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players have had smooth gameplay on certain hardware configurations, the majority express frustration over bugs, particularly during missions and login, leading to a lack of reliable troubleshooting resources. Overall, the game is perceived as being in a buggy state, making it difficult for players to fully enjoy its content.
- “Runs great on my GTX 1060 at 143-145 FPS.”
- “It feels polished and bug-free, which is great.”
- “It is in the later stage of beta and seems to be relatively bug-free.”
- “Game used to be good years back, but these days it's all grind, paid ships, and buggy gameplay.”
- “My machine is not very weak or bad at handling the game and many other players have the same problems as far as I see on forums since last year, but they haven't yet fixed all the glitches and game crashing bugs.”
- “The only problem is that it is pretty buggy and will crash for seemingly no reason, very often.”
humor
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game is often derived from its absurdities, such as the grind for powerful ships and the ironic contradictions in its chat rules. Players find amusement in the chaotic gameplay, the quirky design choices, and the interactions with other players, which can lead to both funny moments and frustrations. Overall, while some aspects of the game may frustrate players, many cope with these issues through humor, making the experience entertaining despite its flaws.
- “The grind to get destroyers without paying is hilarious, and most of the game is balanced around you having whichever is the best one at the time, such that if you choose not to fly one you'll be missing out on most of the content.”
- “It's really funny what's going on in brawls (beacon capture).”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the combat is fluid and heart-pumping, and the player-player interaction is quite hilarious at times.”
- “This is not funny.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxed and immersive sci-fi environment, enhanced by impressive visuals and sound design. Players appreciate the atmospheric effects, such as engine sounds and light trails, although some express a desire for more interactive elements beyond ship-based gameplay. However, concerns about the game's physics and a perceived "pay-to-win" atmosphere have been noted, impacting the overall experience.
- “Very relaxed and atmospheric sci-fi shooter.”
- “Great feel of atmospherics.”
- “The atmosphere is impressive, both on the scale of the playing areas and the soundtrack.”
- “The game does offer 'premium' ammunitions and other forms as well - you can also exchange galactic seals for credits, allowing the whole of the game atmosphere to be seen in a very pay-to-win atmosphere.”
- “Throttle decay I understand, but if I turn on any axis while drifting, I should continue on a straight 2D line, not move in the new direction my nose is pointing like I am in an atmosphere.”
- “Imagine flying in atmosphere without gravity.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players expressing frustration over its steep learning curve, lack of clear guidance, and unintuitive mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. Many feel that the game has become a time-wasting endeavor, particularly due to recent changes in gameplay and economy that have made it more punishing and less enjoyable. Overall, the sentiment suggests a sense of disappointment and a desire for a more user-friendly and engaging experience.
- “In the end, sweeping around an asteroid, barely touching it, jumping into an enemy fleet, killing the weak interceptors, and running off again is how I love to play :)”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game boasts a high replayability score of 8/10, largely due to recent patches that have enhanced its playability. Players appreciate the increasing difficulty of PvE maps as they upgrade their ships, which, combined with strong multiplayer options, contributes to its overall replay value despite a limited number of maps.
- “Super high replay value these days.”
- “As you upgrade ships, the PvE maps become harder, which enhances replay value.”
- “Awesome game, great multiplayer, and tons of replay value.”
- “As you upgrade ships, the PvE maps become harder, which helps the replay value, but there aren't many maps available.”
- “Recent patches have made the game much more playable, but it still lacks long-term replayability.”
- “The developers made some adjustments to the game, making it more playable, but it still feels repetitive.”