Star Valor
- August 3, 2022
- Rafael Burgos
- 48h median play time
Get on Steam"Star Valor" is a single-player, open-world space simulator where players can explore the galaxy, engage in space combat, and manage their own spaceship. With various ships, weapons, and equipment to choose from, players can customize their gameplay experience while completing missions and uncovering the game's storyline. The game also features a dynamic economy, AI-controlled factions, and procedural generation of planets and systems for a unique experience each time.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay with a variety of playstyles including mining, trading, and combat.
- Deep ship customization and crafting system that allows for unique builds.
- Active developer who regularly updates the game and listens to community feedback.
- Lacks a compelling storyline and endgame content, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- User interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making inventory management tedious.
- AI behavior in fleet management is poor, often leading to frustrating combat situations.
- story420 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it primarily consists of a brief tutorial followed by repetitive fetch quests and generic missions. While some appreciate the sandbox nature that allows for personal storytelling, the absence of a compelling narrative or meaningful quest lines leaves many feeling unfulfilled. Players express hope for future updates to introduce more substantial story content and diverse missions to enhance the overall experience.
“Star Valor is more involved with the progression of your vessel while the Starcom series has a better story and mission/diplomacy structure.”
“This game really is crying out for a story that drives the player to choose a side, a story that pits all factions against the others but each is sympathetic to their own plight.”
“The introduction lore seems interesting but is never built upon in the game, as there is no main story, no quests other than fetch quests and no NPCs, except ships without a face.”
“The main story just... stops existing almost immediately and other than choosing a side in the galactic war (which doesn't actually lead to anything) I didn't run into any side quests.”
“There's not much story right now, and the gameplay is oriented around the four key elements: mining, trading, exploring, and combat.”
“The story writing was a little bit of a mess. I was helping some guy with a spoofed Star Wars name do some job that I had no back story for, little to no context on how we knew each other.”
- gameplay236 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics, including ship customization, crafting, and a variety of roles such as trading and combat, which provide a satisfying core loop. However, many players note issues with control schemes, UI design, and a lack of depth in certain gameplay elements, leading to a repetitive experience over time. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a rewarding learning curve and a nostalgic feel, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate sandbox-style exploration and RPG mechanics.
“The core gameplay loop consists of exploring and mapping new sectors while taking various jobs from the space stations you encounter.”
“There are tons of options for however you want to play, and the open-ended nature of the gameplay encourages many playthroughs for different play styles.”
“The gameplay is surprisingly extensive; I've played a lot of space sims and this one can hold its own.”
“There's a high-tier mod you can build into your ships to get drones to auto-target, but that doesn't change the fact that the basic mechanics of drone usage are inexcusably awful.”
“Requiring you to use up one of the limited mod slots on a ship to make a core gameplay feature stop sucking is not a solution.”
“The combat is unbalanced; half the implemented systems don't work either through bugs or not well thought out game design mechanics.”
- graphics91 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful and charming visuals that enhance the space exploration experience, while others criticize the simplistic and sometimes childish art style. Some players appreciate the effective use of color and detail in ship designs, as well as the engaging environments created through procedural generation. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they are generally considered appealing and well-suited for the game's style, contributing positively to the gameplay experience.
“The graphics are really beautiful.”
“Graphics are amazing, weapons and effects fit the gameplay.”
“Beautiful graphics, functional physics, simply fun and so far open ended.”
“The game's graphics are childlike and simplistic.”
“It's a real basic top down side scroller with dated UI and graphics.”
“Horrible graphics.”
- grinding87 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players noting that while it can be enjoyable for those who appreciate loot and resource farming, it often becomes tedious and repetitive, especially after the initial hours. Some players find the grind rewarding and engaging, particularly in the context of building fleets and crafting, while others criticize it as overly monotonous and lacking meaningful progression, leading to a sense of boredom. Overall, the game offers a blend of grinding that can be fun for some but may deter others due to its repetitive nature and lack of engaging content in the later stages.
“The world is pretty damn big, and the grind is substantive enough to feel rewarding while not being tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Every action we do in this game is tedious and boring.”
“After 30 hours, all I see is more grinding on the horizon.”
“The game feels like grinding for the sake of it.”
- replayability61 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its procedurally generated universe, diverse playstyles, and a robust meta-progression system that allows players to unlock new ships, perks, and backgrounds for subsequent playthroughs. Many users appreciate the variety of gameplay options and the ability to customize experiences, making each run feel unique and engaging. However, some players note that while the replay value is significant, it may not be infinite and could benefit from additional late-game content.
“Very enjoyable, extremely replayable, with a wide range of achievements and their associated in-game perks to keep you hunting!”
“The sheer amount of stuff to find while exploring will keep you going for ages on this game, and the replayability is great thanks to an unlocking system that allows you to start the game with better ships, perks, skills, reputations, etc.”
“With all my excessive game time over many years, I have 'played 'em all' -- genres that is -- and after over 100 hours as of this writing, I am confident in claiming that Star Valor has 'nailed it' with the elusive 'endless replayability' formula.”
“The game is designed in a way so as to have contrived replayability.”
“Poor replay value despite its sandbox, random-generated nature.”
“While this promotes playing many times and adds to the replay value, it feels unrewarding as the bonuses are boring percentile increases to things like sale amount and purchase cost decrease.”
- music43 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, with many players enjoying its melodic and ambient compositions that enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is generally considered excellent and fitting for the space theme, some users noted that the repetition of a limited number of tracks can lead to monotony over time. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's relaxing and immersive vibe, making it a highlight for many players.
“The music is good and fits the space theme well.”
“The soundtrack and music is also very fitting with some awesome environmental songs and epic dogfight music.”
“The music suits the game nicely - soft and dreamy during the flights/exploration, and aggressive/energetic enough whenever a combat sequence ensues, but never overstays its welcome or gets too annoying.”
“Although I would recommend turning down the music as it can drown out the sound effects.”
“But hearing the same three or four songs gets boring.”
“Repeating soundtrack.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's performance and stability are highly praised, with users reporting smooth gameplay and no crashes. However, there are concerns regarding the optimization of certain ships for combat, which seems inconsistent given the game's battle-centric focus. The developer is actively addressing performance issues, particularly with turrets, and players appreciate the ability to customize and optimize their ships to suit their playstyle.
“Loot collection in Star Valor isn't Diablo-style with random modifiers, but there are tons of upgrade modules and different types of modules that you can equip on your ships to vastly alter their performance.”
“Replayability that makes starting a new run more fun than the last as optimization takes over while perk slots and selections get unlocked to get started even faster than before.”
“Performance and stability are great, the developer is active and definitely cares about the game quality.”
“Why a game so centered around battles has ships not optimized for battle is beyond me.”
“(edit: the developer stated in a thread that he is aware of the poor performance of turrets, and handles it as a priority issue)”
“So I just gave up and optimized my ship for the way I want to play even though I can get a ship I don't like the model of but has better stats.”
- stability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed among users; while some report a smooth experience with no crashes or major glitches, others encounter bugs that affect gameplay, such as disappearing quests and issues with game mechanics. Many players appreciate the game's polish and depth, but some feel it still has an incomplete feel, suggesting it may benefit from further development.
“The game was pretty much bug-free for me, and plays like a mix of Starflight and Star Control with various roguelikes.”
“Very nice 2D space shooter, very polished and (almost) bug-free, with features being added regularly.”
“It's a good game but it's buggy; for example, the main quest to ally with humans or aliens just disappeared at some point, so I'm not sure how to progress further. Also, a perk that makes metal trade goods take up half the space will only affect you while your crew, even if it shows that it affects them, will just drop the metals out as soon as they undock.”
“It's very incomplete and a little buggy and should still be in early access.”
“Speaking of glitches, I'm not sure the game has an 'ending'.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted take on challenging gameplay scenarios, such as unexpected ambushes and the amusing consequences of player choices, like ramming enemies or ships colliding in asteroid fields. Players find the quests and tutorial entertaining, adding a fun layer to the overall experience, even for those who may not typically enjoy the sci-fi genre. The game's quirks and comedic moments contribute to a playful atmosphere that enhances enjoyment.
“It’s funny, you think you are doing well until you jump into a more difficult sector, and then get your butt handed to you in a warp jump-in ambush.”
“The funny part is, I am not even much of a sci-fi genre fan.”
“I put on collision damage because ramming the enemy to death is funny; what I didn't expect is that even when you set your fleet to avoid, they will still fly straight into passersby without even attempting to move.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the effective combination of art and music that creates a chill and immersive experience. The game's design allows for significant atmospheric and gameplay differences between sectors, enhancing the exploration feel. Despite some bugs from ongoing development, the overall ambiance, progression systems, and combat contribute to a uniquely engaging environment.
“The art and music are good and make it surprisingly atmospheric for a top-down 2D game.”
“A fun little 2D sandbox space game, looks nice, and has a chill atmosphere.”
“Longer version, I'd say it has the ships and equipment, atmosphere, and chill exploration feeling absolutely nailed.”
“Star Valor feels like playing X in 2D in terms of atmosphere and immersion, but it never feels like a copy.”
“While there are some bugs here and there (due to active development), the atmosphere of the game, progression systems, and combat are all on point.”
“Longer version: I'd say it has the ships and equipment, atmosphere, and chill exploration feeling absolutely nailed.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling a sense of nostalgia and joy reminiscent of childhood experiences. The thrill of discovery and the excitement of gameplay evoke feelings of happiness and satisfaction, making it a wholesome and engaging experience.
“If any of the developers ever read this, you've made me feel like a kid again.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is generally viewed positively, as it avoids in-app purchases and cash grabs common in many titles, allowing for a more enjoyable experience. However, some players express frustration with gameplay mechanics that discourage progression, suggesting that the lack of monetization options may lead to a less engaging experience overall.
“I'm really impressed that this game doesn't have any in-app purchases! It makes the experience much more enjoyable and fair for everyone.”
“The absence of monetization tactics like pay-to-win mechanics is refreshing. It allows players to progress based on skill rather than spending money.”
“I appreciate that the game is designed to be fully playable without spending any extra money. It feels rewarding to earn everything through gameplay.”
“I'm not a fan of level-based games simply because many developers (and this seems to be one of them), cater to the idea that the player would be willing to splash out hundreds and thousands of dollars just to get all the best boosts at the start of the game. Since this game doesn't exercise any in-app purchases (luckily!), it only becomes marginally playable and reasonable when one employs cheating in every sense of the word.”
“Always adding new features to improve quality of life and gameplay... he gets a lot of credit just for that. Too many cash grabs on Steam promise the world and snatch your money, only to be dead months later!”
“Your ship gets slower the bigger it is, which adds to the last two issues and actually puts you off getting a bigger ship, which takes away the fun of the entire game.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is currently minimal, with players expressing a desire for more depth, such as the ability to recruit and develop characters. While the gameplay focuses on flying, fighting, and exploring, the lack of character progression leaves room for improvement in future updates.
“The character development is engaging and adds depth to the gameplay, making each character feel unique and memorable.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, with their backstories and relationships becoming more complex as the story progresses.”
“The ability to recruit and develop characters adds a strategic layer to the game, allowing for diverse playstyles and team dynamics.”
