Star Nomad 2
- December 14, 2015
- Huy Phan
- 40h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Star Nomad 2," a sandbox space game, players can engage in various professions such as trading, bounty hunting, piracy, and mining. Your actions have consequences that affect the game's living universe and its factions. The game features real-time combat, skill-based progression, and a deep trade system with dynamic supply and demand. Customize your ship with upgrades, modules, and resources found during gameplay. Decide the fate of humanity in this immersive and evolving universe.
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Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging experience with a dynamic economy and faction interactions that make player choices impactful.
- The combat system is enjoyable, with a variety of ships and weapons that allow for different playstyles, and the developer is responsive to community feedback.
- The graphics and music create an immersive atmosphere, reminiscent of classic space games, while the gameplay encourages exploration and strategic decision-making.
- The game suffers from a steep learning curve, with early gameplay being frustrating due to unbalanced combat and the need for kill-stealing to progress.
- The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and trading cumbersome, which detracts from the overall experience.
- There are complaints about the lack of depth in certain systems, such as trading and ship variety, leading to a repetitive gameplay loop over time.
- gameplay43 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a satisfying loop of flying, combat, and trading, with simple controls that allow for tactical depth. While it features unique mechanics like kill-stealing and a dynamic economy, some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in content, with certain mechanics feeling tacked on or non-intuitive. Overall, the game offers a challenging experience with RPG elements, but it may require a learning curve to fully appreciate its depth.
“The dynamic economy that directly influences the factions' forces, the character progression, and the gameplay is what kept me playing it.”
“The gameplay itself is very fluid, especially in how the ships handle.”
“This is a game that grows on you; under the surface - which you will experience in the first few hours of gameplay - lies something really deep and meaningful.”
“In my gameplay experience, half the time I left a planet, it was being attacked by hostiles that appeared to spawn right around it every time I left a planet.”
“The random ship events feel very much tacked on and don't have any large meaningful effect on gameplay.”
“The game feels very incomplete and lacks a fulfilling gameplay progression.”
- story38 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as relatively shallow, lacking a cohesive main narrative or significant faction storylines, which may disappoint players seeking a deeper plot. However, it offers emergent storytelling through NPC quests and player-driven experiences, allowing for personal narratives to unfold in a vast galaxy. While some players appreciate the freedom and moral choices available, others criticize the lack of engaging late-game content and the ineffectiveness of many missions.
“The game would be even better if there were more late-game story content, but as is it's a masterpiece, especially for a solo developer.”
“There's just enough story to let players make a moral decision on who to support and why three factions are constantly at each other's throats.”
“But what it does have, story related, is companions which you can help with their own stories, which is kind of cool.”
“Unfortunately, factions do not have storylines and the minor quests do not really chain together to form something larger.”
“The story in SN2 is relatively shallow overall.”
“The skills of the pilot you play and the team you recruit are well done, but there's not a lot of 'story' to the game, so if you're looking for that, this game isn't it.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and overly repetitive, often feeling locked out of content due to a grind-heavy reputation system. Many reviewers express frustration with the lack of meaningful progression, leading to a sense of monotony rather than enjoyment. While some find initial fun in combat, the overall experience is marred by the excessive time required to advance, making it feel more like a chore than a game.
“Endless grinding followed by an end game scenario that's impossible to win.”
“Very repetitive, grindy, and lacks content.”
“After playing through and getting a feel for the game, I decided that I do not want to waste hours and hours of my life grinding special ore and faction standing just to progress and earn the right to buy a better ship.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its variety and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, seamlessly transitioning from relaxing tracks to intense battle themes that energize players. It features a unique blend of styles, including epic scores, techno, and space-rock influences, all of which complement the game's atmosphere and art. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, effectively capturing the game's themes and engaging players throughout their journey.
“The music is varied, with tasteful tracks that mix things up so you don't fall asleep, going from epic scores to techno-noir 'let's kick some arse!' vibes.”
“The music is appropriately spacey in sound, with guitar riffs that evoke an old space-rock band.”
“There is plenty of variety, and it suits the world really well. What I absolutely love is when you engage in a battle with an enemy, and the music switches up to really hype you up!”
“The music is very relaxing, and when the shit hits the fan, it's quick and crazy.”
“The music is appropriately spacey in sound, with guitar riffs that sound like an old space-rock band.”
“There is plenty of variety and it suits the world really well, but what I absolutely love is when you engage in a battle with an enemy and then the music switches up to really hype you up!”
- graphics11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a charming 2D aesthetic that some players find reminiscent of cyberpunk art styles, featuring beautiful hand-painted visuals and simple yet pleasant effects. While the graphics may not compete with high-end 3D titles, they effectively complement the gameplay and thematic elements, making them enjoyable for fans of space games. Overall, the visuals are appreciated for their unique artwork and coherence with the game's atmosphere, despite some critiques regarding their simplicity.
“Beautiful hand-painted graphics remind me of cyberpunk.”
“I find the game's cyberpunk-esque art style rather quaint, and the visual effects are simple but pleasant.”
“Other things I like about this game are the visuals.”
“It has very simple graphics.”
“Graphics: it's 2D, so don't expect Call of Duty graphics.”
“The poor graphics and lack of spoon-fed story couldn't take away from the core game.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers enjoyable replayability despite its repetitive gameplay, with a classic arcade feel and a wide variety of ships, systems, and weapons enhancing the experience. Users believe it has solid replay value in its current state, and upcoming features are expected to further increase its appeal. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a game with good replay potential, especially at its price point.
“This is a game that in its current state has replay value, but with the future planned features, it will definitely bring me back for sure.”
“All in all, I definitely recommend you give this game a go, and I do think there is plenty of replay value, especially for the price you pay for it.”
“Not great, but enjoyable, replayable, and madly entertaining for how, for lack of a better word, repetitive the gameplay is (which I normally abhor, but the whole fight, loot, sell, and fight some more works).”
“It's got a classic arcade feel to it; add to that a ton of variety in ships, systems, wares, and guns, and it's also seriously replayable.”
“This is a game that in its current state has replay value, but with the future planned features will definitely bring me back for sure.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players generally report that the game is well-optimized, with smooth performance and no noticeable bugs.
“The game feels very optimized; I haven't noticed any bugs yet.”
“The performance is smooth, and the loading times are impressively short.”
“I appreciate how well the game runs on lower-end hardware without sacrificing quality.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game to be situational and often derived from the consequences of player actions, with moments of comedic irony when characters react to repeated behaviors. Overall, the humor is appreciated for its ability to create amusing scenarios through gameplay interactions.
“Do it one time too much and they will attack you, which is hilarious!”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud.”
“The humor is so cleverly woven into the gameplay that I found myself chuckling at every turn.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers a straightforward entry point for players, yet provides sufficient depth in character development, enemy knowledge, and ship design to maintain engagement and prevent monotony.
“The game is designed to be simple, so it isn’t overwhelming to get started, but there is enough depth in character development, knowledge of enemies, and ship design to keep it from getting stale.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to stay invested in the characters.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of choices that impact character growth; it feels like a missed opportunity for deeper storytelling.”
“The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game, which detracts from the overall experience.”
