Star Ruler

About

Star Ruler is a single player and multiplayer real-time strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Blind Mind Studios and was released on September 20, 2010. It received positive reviews from players.

"Star Ruler" is a real-time 4X space strategy game that lets you explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate across vast sectors of space. Design your own ships and fleets, research new technologies, and engage in diplomacy or warfare with alien races. With a randomly generated galaxy and a focus on emergent gameplay, each playthrough offers a unique experience.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 462 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Star Ruler offers an incredibly deep and customizable ship design system, allowing players to create ships of various sizes and capabilities, even larger than stars.
The game features a unique and expansive tech tree that encourages experimentation and strategic planning, providing a rewarding experience for players who invest time in learning its mechanics.
With potentially infinite replay value due to randomly generated galaxies and the ability to adjust game settings, Star Ruler keeps gameplay fresh and engaging.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to manage fleets and navigate the game's many systems effectively.
The AI can be overly aggressive and unbalanced, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences where players feel overwhelmed by enemy forces.
Frequent crashes and technical issues can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game, making it feel unfinished despite its ambitious scope.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
83%
7%
Gameplay in Star Ruler is characterized by a steep learning curve and a lack of clarity in mechanics, which can frustrate players despite the game's potential for deep strategic play. While the custom ship-building system and real-time resource management offer engaging experiences, the user interface is often criticized for being messy and awkward, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel unpolished. Overall, the game provides a unique space setting and ambitious mechanics, but players may find themselves grappling with convoluted systems and a lack of defined playstyles.
- “Best of all though (for an engineer who's taken an orbital mechanics class and read plenty of science fiction) is that it gets the space feel right.”
- “The core real-time 4x gameplay gives you a ton of freedom and ship design is fun and open, while the game progresses to eventually become really hectic.”
- “Star Ruler has a really good custom ship building mechanic, with tons of unlockable sub-systems, weapons, and hulls.”
- “There is a lack of information on a lot of game mechanics and a lack of details on how some things work.”
- “Me learning the game: oh wow, these game mechanics are so esoteric and the UI is so awkward and messy.”
- “A bigger issue is that the gameplay tends to degenerate into walling off a section of the map well enough that the AI can't bust through easily, and then beelining a ship of such a large scale none of the AIs can deal with it as it blows up planet and sun after planet and sun.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
65%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated and lacking in variety, with many reviewers noting that it shows its age and is visually simplistic, typical of budget indie titles. However, some appreciate the minimalistic design and improved user interface, which enhances functionality. Despite the graphical shortcomings, the game's ambitious mechanics and scale are praised, making it a solid choice for players with lower-end systems.
- “They kept the same concept, but graphics are loads better, the GUI too is a lot more friendly with nice icons that do what they look like, spying and improved diplomacy to do dirty tricks and the design of ships seems much more interesting and fun.”
- “I believe this game is better than Distant Worlds Universe, much better value, better graphics and more fun.”
- “Great graphics, and very customizable.”
- “The mechanics in this game is wonderfully executed, but the visuals are where it is lacking.”
- “However, the game is pretty graphically poor, with only two visually distinct sets of ship designs and everything being sort of par for the course budget indie space game graphics.”
- “Brilliant, if graphically lacking, game.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its excellent soundtrack, which complements the gameplay with a range of soothing to fast-paced tracks. While some users noted an overwhelming bass presence, the overall consensus highlights the music as one of the standout features in the genre, enhancing the gaming experience significantly.
- “Fantastically addictive 4x / RTS hybrid with an excellent soundtrack and some great features that make it stand out.”
- “Excellent soundtrack.”
- “There is far too much bass in the background music!”
- “The music is very fitting to the game, from soothing to fast-paced.”
- “I would listen to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack while playing this.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's story is largely perceived as minimal and lacking depth, with players often reflecting on their own mistakes rather than engaging with a compelling narrative. The diplomacy system is criticized for being confusing and poorly integrated, leaving players unaware of important missions until it's too late. Overall, the absence of a substantial storyline detracts from the gaming experience.
- “And then it's not 'this quest was unfair' or 'this race is unbalanced' or 'this random event messed me over' or 'this part of the game makes no sense', but simply 'I made mistakes, my plans were bad, and now I must learn and do better'.”
- “Let me tell you a story.”
- “No real storyline.”
- “Just like the story of the game, not much to tell (if there's any at all).”
- “The diplomacy system makes no sense and 9 times out of 10 you won't even be aware people are trying to give you 'diplomatic missions' until you get the alert that your time is up.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users report no crashes or freezes and a smooth performance, some experience significant issues, such as frequent lock-ups after a short playtime. The game is generally not considered buggy, but its lack of intuitiveness may add to the frustration for some players.
- “Because despite trying all sorts of troubleshooting, I can't play it longer than about 5 minutes before it locks up and Windows greys it out and asks me if I want to wait or close it.”
- “Star Ruler 2 is coming and I hope that it will be a non-buggy version of the original, but I'm not exactly holding my breath.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing interactions between imbalanced mechanics, such as jump drives and the spatial manipulator gun, which create hilarious gameplay moments. Players also find the contrast between the game's 3D appearance and its 2D movement amusing, alongside the limitless potential for technology research that leads to comical endgame scenarios.
- “There are some imbalanced things in this game such as jump drives and the spatial manipulator gun, but to be honest, those two things are actually what made me love this game; when used in tandem, they're hilarious.”
- “And the funny part is that the game may look like 3D, but you actually move only in 2D.”
- “The end game stuff is hilarious and there is basically no limit to technology research-- if you can fund it, you can build it.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that the grinding aspect of the game involves managing governors on planets to optimize building construction based on specific production types. While the AI generally performs well in planet development, it has a tendency to overproduce advanced parts while underproducing electronics, which can affect overall efficiency.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers potentially infinite replayability due to its dynamic galaxy generation, allowing players to customize various parameters such as star distances, AI difficulty, and enemy strength. This flexibility ensures that each playthrough can be uniquely tailored, enhancing the overall experience. Additionally, the game's age may contribute positively to performance in larger scenarios.
- “Like all games of this type, it has potentially infinite replay value since every galaxy will be different. You can change the distances between stars and the shape of the galaxy, assign different difficulty levels to the AI, allow the AI to cheat, ramp up the pirates or remnants' strength, etc. The age of the game may be a benefit for performance in larger games.”
- “Like all games of this type, it has potentially infinite replay value since every galaxy will be different. You can change the distances between stars and the shape of the galaxy, assign different difficulty levels to the AI, allow the AI to cheat, and ramp up the pirates or remnants' strength. The age of the game may be a benefit for performance in larger games.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is positively influenced by its age, allowing for better performance in larger games. Players appreciate the extensive customization options that enhance replayability, including adjustable galaxy parameters and AI difficulty settings. Overall, the optimization supports a smooth experience even with complex gameplay scenarios.
- “Like all games of this type, it has potentially infinite replay value since every galaxy will be different. You can change the distances between stars and the shape of the galaxy, assign different difficulty levels to the AI, allow the AI to cheat, and ramp up the strength of pirates or remnants. The age of the game may be a benefit for performance in larger games.”