Star Realms

About

Star Realms is a single player and multiplayer casual turn-based strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Wise Wizard Games, LLC and was released on March 8, 2016. It received positive reviews from players.

"Star Realms" is a multiple award-winning space combat deckbuilding game, combining addictive gameplay and thrilling trading card game-style combat. Designed by Magic the Gathering Hall of Famers, Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty, the game boasts rave reviews, with players praising its fun, beautiful artwork, and consistently engaging experience. Perfect for both casual and experienced gamers.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,550 reviews

gameplay68 positive mentions

monetization5 negative mentions

Great adaptation of an incredible tabletop card game with smooth gameplay and nice graphics.
Highly addictive and fun, with a good balance of strategy and luck.
Cross-platform play allows for seamless transitions between mobile and PC, and purchases sync across devices.

Many features and expansions are locked behind a paywall, making it feel like a demo rather than a full game.
The AI can feel unfairly difficult, often relying on luck rather than skill, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The UI is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate and read card details during gameplay.

gameplay
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The gameplay of this card battler is widely praised for its engaging mechanics, combining simplicity with strategic depth, making it accessible yet challenging. Players appreciate the fast-paced nature and the variety introduced by expansions, although some express concerns about AI difficulty and the digital version's interface. Overall, the game is considered highly replayable and enjoyable, particularly for those new to deck-building games.
- “Easily one of the most fun card battlers due to its mechanics design, and I didn't even like deckbuilders until I tried the physical version of this.”
- “The gameplay is simple and quick but very deep.”
- “The game manages to find a really good balance between ease of learning and depth of mechanics.”
- “In this free version, it's pretty much lacking diversity in gameplay.”
- “With the way the game is designed now, a complete and total overhaul, all of the original gameplay is gone.”
- “The unforgiving nature of the AI opponent and the lack of sample strategy and synergy elements make for a frustrating gameplay experience.”
story
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
86%
3%
The game's story aspect is generally viewed as lacking depth, with many players finding the campaign missions to be overly reliant on luck rather than skill. While the missions offer varied challenges and some narrative elements, they often feel unbalanced and frustrating, requiring numerous retries to succeed. Overall, the campaign serves more as a framework for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
- “The game excels in the campaign mode: the challenges are varied and interesting, and they are linked in a loose story that is pretty much impossible to achieve in the physical game.”
- “Each comes with campaign missions that give interesting challenges, making this a great solo game on top of everything else.”
- “It's totally worth the $5 to play the full version, which grants access to the more meaty medium and hard AI and online play, and also includes single-player 'missions', which are pretty fun and tell a story.”
- “All that with a campaign story written by someone who gave up before they sat down.”
- “Most campaign missions seem to rely mainly overwhelmingly on luck and are legit impossible to win otherwise.”
- “The other problems are that the campaign is mostly luck-based (prepare to restart a campaign mission thirty plus times to try for the 'perfect start' and even then you probably only have a 10% chance of winning against some missions).”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
37%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork and thematic design that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some users note that the overall presentation can feel shallow or generic, and there are concerns about the clarity of card visuals and interface usability. While the graphics are generally considered good enough for a card game, there is room for improvement in terms of detail and coherence.
- “Drawing comparisons to similar deck-building games, Star Realms shines with its sleek graphics and quick gameplay mechanics.”
- “It's a fun game to play and the artwork is beautiful and inspired.”
- “The artwork is magnificent and displays the theme perfectly.”
- “The game visuals and the game itself are incredibly shallow... think of them as the too-bright, colorful, thin plastic cabinet dress theme on a poker machine at the casino.”
- “On top of that, you made the cards visually unreadable, forced multiple clicks to make one move, and timed graphics so you can't make quick moves.”
- “The graphics and the UX is a mishmash of differently styled buttons, subtle non-intuitive glowing borders around cards, and non-intuitive controls (long press vs double tap vs tap) that makes the experience plummet.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
25%
11%
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, with many users noting its addictive nature and engaging mechanics that keep gameplay fresh. While the core deck offers a balanced experience, expansions can enhance replay value, though some feel they don't significantly refresh the game. Overall, players appreciate the combination of simple rules, strategic depth, and the ability to play both online and in person, contributing to its enduring appeal.
- “This game does use the river mechanic, so luck can either bless you or screw you over, but that is part of what makes these kinds of fast-paced games interesting and highly replayable.”
- “Incredible replayability and I love how they have continued releasing engaging expansions.”
- “Fast-paced, quick to learn but deep strategy, loads of replayability, good value.”
- “I am afraid that buying expansions doesn't really gain that much refreshing replayability.”
- “This definitely improves the replay value.”
- “It's very replayable, and though it's expensive if you get everything, it's fantastic value and a great time killer.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
52%
12%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, despite some noting it can be repetitive and somewhat generic. While the soundtrack adds a nice backdrop to gameplay, some users desire more variety and thematic changes based on in-game scenarios. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though options for customization and volume control are limited.
- “Great game with atmospheric music and just enough animation!”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, there's a campaign that will give good players a run for their trade pods, the layout is clean, and the online works spectacularly.”
- “The soundtrack is pretty bomb, and adds a nice soundscape to your battles.”
- “The music is ok....and can be repetitive...however it does change a bit as you play and I felt it was not too annoying.”
- “On or off are your only options for music and sounds.”
- “The music and sounds are repetitive and are something you will likely turn off after a while or at least turn down.”
monetization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
53%
29%
The monetization model of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the prevalence of microtransactions and in-app purchases required for online play and access to engaging content. While some appreciate the absence of ads during gameplay, others feel that the monetization scheme detracts from the overall experience, labeling it as a cash grab typical of mobile gaming. However, a few users noted that the game can be enjoyed without mandatory purchases, particularly for single-player modes.
- “There are no ads (that I have seen), which was very nice of the developers.”
- “Good CCG with no required microtransactions other than DLC.”
- “Lots of in-game purchases available though.”
- “Good port, fast and fluid gameplay, ridiculous monetization scheme ruins it.”
- “This is a top tier card game with a highly annoying monetization model.”
- “It's a very typical in-app purchase scam, only ported from a tabletop card game.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting a smooth experience and minimal glitches, while others have encountered significant bugs, particularly in online multiplayer modes. Issues such as being kicked from lobbies, problems with card selection, and inconsistent gameplay have been highlighted, leading to frustration among users. Overall, the game's stability appears to be inconsistent, with recent updates exacerbating the problems for many players.
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
- “I haven't experienced any stability issues; it feels very reliable.”
- “The performance is consistent, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “Buggy p.o.s.”
- “However, recently the game has become buggy both on mobile and PC, often kicking the player out of the lobby during the opponent's turn.”
- “Double tap to spend combat is buggy, doesn't work half the time; likewise, selecting cards to discard is hit and miss.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The optimization of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise its smooth performance and user-friendly interface, others report severe issues, including poor optimization that can lead to overheating laptops. Overall, the game is seen as well-optimized for mobile devices, but many users express frustration with its performance on PC, particularly in competitive scenarios.
- “It really runs smoothly, finding opponents is easy and you get to learn the game even better than in real life.”
- “Good interface and performance, with helpful features for this classic deck build.”
- “Extremely bad optimization (I guess I can cook eggs on my laptop).”
- “This is possibly the worst optimized online CCG I've ever played, and that's really saying something.”
- “This is a card game brought to life on the PC/phone, and even though the physical card game is better in my mind, this game is so optimized it is unreal.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Reviews indicate that grinding is minimal in terms of acquiring better cards for competitive play, which is a positive aspect for players. However, some users express frustration with the tediousness of keeping track of opponents' actions during turns, suggesting that while the learning experience is enjoyable, the overall gameplay can become cumbersome.
- “This means that there is no grinding required to get better gear, which is essential for winning in PvP.”
- “Tired of Konami and Wizards of the Coast slowly grinding their card games down into unplayability?”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You can join the lobby again no problem, but not getting to see your opponent's turn makes the game a tedious memory game, constantly trying to keep track of what cards they bought and what actions they took on their turn.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised as hilariously entertaining and addictive, evoking a sense of nostalgia and joy reminiscent of childhood play. Players appreciate the funny campaign and the seamless experience across devices, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
- “Hilariously entertaining!”
- “It’s like that short little slide you had growing up, the plastic one in the backyard: you kept on giggling and laughing, tumbling down its decline before rushing around and taking the few steps to enjoy it again - and then again.”
- “It is a good game, it's funny and addictive.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a mix of opinions; while some players appreciate the atmospheric music and animations, others find the online casino-style vibe off-putting. Overall, the game's ambiance is described as mellow, with a focus on card play rather than deep thematic elements.
- “Great game with atmospheric music and just enough animation!”
- “Although I liked a few things about that game, I really disliked its online casino-style vibe. Ultimately, I prefer Star Realm's sci-fi theme, which, although pretty shallow, has a more engaging atmosphere focused on card play with some mellow background elements.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is minimal, eliciting only a slight acknowledgment of approval rather than a strong emotional response.