Starbase
- July 29, 2021
- Frozenbyte
- 86h median play time
"Starbase" is a science fiction open-world game in early access that combines single-player, co-op, and massively multiplayer options with a focus on building, designing, and battling in space. Its destructible environment and hybrid voxel/vertex mechanics allow for detailed simulations and creativity, but expect some bugs and grinding. The game includes impressive graphics, exceptional music, and a full roadmap of upcoming features.
Reviews
- The game has huge potential and offers one of the most complex ship-building systems available.
- The community is supportive and helpful, making it easier for new players to learn the game.
- The graphics and overall design of the game are impressive, creating an immersive experience.
- The game is currently in a very buggy state, with many players experiencing game-breaking issues.
- There is a lack of content and gameplay loops, leading to repetitive mining and ship-building.
- The developers have announced a slowdown in updates and development, causing concern about the game's future.
- gameplay1,270 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Starbase is characterized by a complex mix of ship-building mechanics and resource gathering, primarily focused on mining asteroids to upgrade ships. However, many players find the current gameplay loop repetitive and tedious, often involving long travel times and a lack of engaging content beyond mining and crafting. While the game boasts impressive mechanics and potential for emergent gameplay, it suffers from bugs, poor tutorials, and a lack of meaningful objectives, leading to frustration among players.
“At its core, the game is phenomenal; its design philosophy for ships and stations is great, its visual style is appealing, and its core mechanics for destruction and creation are unmatched.”
“The deep ship building mechanics/system has so much potential it has me drooling.”
“The core gameplay loop is good, and building ships is awesome.”
“While in line with other ship-design mechanics it solves none of the existing issues and is, in my opinion, a complete waste of development time.”
“It is an unbelievable shame that they have created all these intricate systems that are made so difficult to enjoy, because not only does one need to read up and learn the mechanics, one also needs to invest an absurd amount of time grinding just to play with them.”
“Starbase is an aimless mess of a game with clunky controls, a haphazard interface, boring gameplay and almost no players.”
- stability944 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many reviews describe the game as a "buggy mess," particularly highlighting issues with the ship-building system and the tutorial, which often leads to frustrating experiences. While some players acknowledge the game's potential and the developers' efforts to address these issues, the consensus is that it remains too unstable for a satisfying experience at this time.
“It runs great, looks good, and the foundation/mechanics are solid.”
“Not too buggy, and regular updates generally fix the bugs that are there.”
“Although not bug free, the last few days of patches have made a huge difference.”
“Prepare to wait the next 10 years for the devs to convert this buggy mess into a great space MMO where you make your own society and spaceships.”
“Launched a buggy mess with practically no gameplay content, remained that way for a year, missed every update deadline announced, and is now maintained by at most a couple of developers (down from over 100) working part-time.”
“The countless game-breaking bugs and system freezes put me in a state of waiting till the game was fixed.”
- grinding500 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming. Many reviews highlight the need for extensive resource farming and crafting to progress, often leading to frustration and a sense of aimlessness, particularly for solo players. While some players appreciate the depth and potential of the game, they agree that the current grind-heavy mechanics detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“Elite is slightly better in many ways and has no grinding.”
“The crafting process can be slow, which adds a layer of challenge.”
“It is an unbelievable shame that they have created all these intricate systems that are made so difficult to enjoy, because not only does one need to read up and learn the mechanics, one also needs to invest an absurd amount of time grinding just to play with them.”
“The research tree, which lets you unlock new craftables, weapons, and ship parts is far too grindy for most players.”
“After building your ship (assuming you select out of the buildable ship parts) and grinding the credits and materials for it, there is nothing to reach anymore, nothing to explore, nothing to do, nothing to enjoy.”
- story228 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that it lacks a coherent narrative, missions, or engaging content. While some appreciate the sandbox nature that allows for player-driven storytelling, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game feels hollow and directionless without structured objectives or NPC interactions. Overall, players express a desire for more content, including missions and lore, to enhance the gameplay experience.
“The story that you are a robot that is a part of a whole community of robots is very refreshing as a basic story.”
“Very open world with the ability to build your own designs and form your own story.”
“This created a whole story out in a sandbox game.”
“There's no story, barely any mechanics, and no objectives to complete beyond grinding in an empty open world with the depth of a puddle.”
“Literally no story, missions or any content of substance to bite into, leaving the gameplay severely hollow and pointless...”
“If you are looking for something with a storyline or a series of quests, this isn't it.”
- graphics222 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and detailed environments, particularly in ship design and destruction mechanics. However, some players report performance issues, including lag and crashes, especially on lower-end systems, and inconsistencies in graphical quality. Overall, while the game showcases impressive graphics for an early access title, optimization and polish are still needed to enhance the user experience.
“A complex building system with structural integrity, electrical and propellant systems and even a custom programming language to bring your creations to life; wonderful voxel-based destruction system, present throughout the whole game, be it your ships, stations or asteroids; genuinely great graphics with beautiful sights that can make your day.”
“The graphics are awesome and just so much detail.”
“The visuals are outstanding, the character design and animations are quirky and entertaining, ship flight is intriguing and feels great, and I could see myself sinking countless hours trying to learn the building system.”
“The game is horrible, it looks and feels empty, the graphics are bleh, nothing to see, just that blue haze when you're in space.”
“Extremely laggy for low-end gaming PCs; the graphics are too high because of the lights of the stations.”
“The game is currently incredibly unoptimized; meaning crashes every session and large stutters even on the lowest graphic settings.”
- optimization182 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including crashes, stuttering, and high minimum system requirements. While some users have experienced good performance on lower-end hardware, the overall consensus is that the game is currently unoptimized and plagued by bugs, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay fully. Developers are actively working on improvements, but many players feel that substantial optimization is still needed for a smoother experience.
“The optimization of the game is incredible and the mechanics are solid.”
“They have well-optimized graphics, MMO servers that handle heavy user load fine, and a building system that will make you think 'Empyrion had a baby with Kerbal.'”
“I've actually not had any issues so far and I'm very impressed with the performance.”
“The game is currently incredibly unoptimized; meaning crashes every session and large stutters even on the lowest graphic settings.”
“Performance is generally bad, sometimes terrible.”
“Currently, it's very raw, unoptimized and hardly playable.”
- music70 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising its grand and immersive quality that enhances the overall experience. Composed by Marcus Warner, the soundtrack effectively captures the vastness of the game world and complements various gameplay elements, making it a standout feature. While some users noted occasional repetitiveness, the majority found the music to be engaging and a significant reason to recommend the game.
“The sheer grandness and wonder that the music provides to the game fits it perfectly and really encapsulates the vast world that you are in.”
“The soundtrack for the game seems to be aiming clearly at communicating the grand scope of both the game world and its ambitions, and it generally succeeds.”
“This game has some very very good and fitting music which really helps capture the size of the game, a lot of different soundtracks as well.”
“Learning curve is steep, nothing is properly explained (no tooltip), very buggy, music is repetitive, graphics are subpar.”
“No seriously, put on some music or a book or something, especially with the beginner's ship you're gonna be slow as hell.”
“You might want to have some podcasts/music in the background playing this.”
- humor54 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its chaotic and often frustrating mechanics, leading to unexpected and hilarious situations, such as ships malfunctioning or players losing their meticulously built creations. Players find amusement in the absurdity of bugs, the clumsy building system, and the interactions with others, creating a shared experience of laughter amidst the challenges. Overall, while the game has its flaws, the comedic moments and player stories contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere that many find enjoyable.
“When I arrived at the station, my ship I spent 30+ hours building (still not finished) decided it would be funny to duplicate itself inside itself to make attaching and detaching physically impossible. 30+ hours wasted... and I was so excited to finish it soon... what a waste of time...”
“I've already got a bunch of funny stories to tell about crashing into asteroids, rewiring my entire ship, running out of fuel, helping out other stranded randoms, and discovering the limits of the game with my corp.”
“The player interaction is hilarious and loads of fun.”
- monetization42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a "cash grab," with many users feeling that it was rushed to early access without sufficient development or advertising support. Players express frustration over the lack of functional gameplay and the perception that the developers abandoned the project shortly after launch, leading to a belief that the game prioritizes profit over quality. Overall, reviewers recommend waiting for a more polished release before investing in the game.
“This was just a quick cash grab game that is dead now.”
“What seems like a great platform is in reality a rushed out cash grab.”
“It was a cash grab up front with never any thoughts about actually finishing it.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is highly praised, with some users rating it as "infinitely replayable" and expressing satisfaction with the value received despite current bugs. However, many reviewers caution potential players to wait until the game is more stable and playable, as significant issues detract from the experience at present. Overall, while the foundation for replayability is strong, the current state of the game may frustrate those sensitive to bugs.
“✅ infinitely replayable”
“I give this a thumbs up, because what they have delivered on I have most certainly gotten my money's worth out of the game as is.”
“It is a lot more playable now!”
“All in all, I will be changing this to not recommended until the game is in a more playable state without the game-breaking issues.”
“I give this a thumbs up, because what they have delivered on I have most certainly gotten my money's worth out of the game as is; however, for those that expect issues or cannot handle severe bugs, I would recommend you put it off for a few more months before it's a bit more playable.”
“In the current state, I cannot recommend this to anyone unless you're ready to deal with everything being broken and losing everything you have for no reason.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its impressive graphics and music, creating an epic feel that enhances the sense of adventure and exploration in space. However, many players are disappointed by the use of atmospheric flight mechanics instead of realistic space physics, which detracts from the overall immersion. Despite these criticisms, the supportive community and engaging core gameplay contribute positively to the game's atmosphere.
“Great space look, feel, and atmosphere.”
“The game combines adventure, exploration, battle, construction, coding, and general science quite well, but still provides the realistic atmosphere of a lot of empty space.”
“The awesome community and personal, down-to-earth devs make the atmosphere of this game wonderful.”
“Space flight does not feel like space flight; it acts like there is atmosphere, which is just a deal breaker.”
“But from what I saw, it will remain an arcade-y grind simulator, devoid of space exploration atmosphere.”
“When I finally left the origin after designing my first real interplanetary vessel, I ended up crashing it on a moon (attempted a fuel rod transfer mid-flight in high atmosphere) and I lost all 80 hours of my progress.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply impactful, evoking feelings of heartbreak and frustration, with players often feeling on the verge of an emotional breakdown due to its technical shortcomings. Despite these challenges, there is a sense of hope for the game's potential to evolve into something more fulfilling and wholesome. Overall, it serves as a poignant reminder of what could be, leaving players both moved and yearning for improvement.
“I haven't played this game in ages, but I have to say: it's heartbreaking.”
“My heart breaks and I shed a tear every time I see this game in my library.”
“There were also times where I felt like the tiny dots never grew into asteroids as I got closer, and it made me feel like I was chasing a rainbow.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is notably lacking, with no skill or ability systems in place, which detracts from the overall experience. While the character design and animations are praised for their quirkiness and entertainment value, the absence of meaningful progression or challenges leaves players wanting more depth in this aspect.
“The visuals are outstanding, the character design and animations are quirky and entertaining. Ship flight is intriguing and feels great, and I could see myself sinking countless hours trying to learn the building system.”
“Between the soundtrack, the great character design, and the ship builder that, while complicated, gives you the opportunity to build nearly anything once you've mastered it, I can't help but recommend you try it assuming you think what I've said about it so far seems interesting.”
“There is no economy, no risk/reward system of any kind, no PvE or related challenges, no character development or skill/ability system, and an AFK crafting system where you throw out everything you make once every 45 minutes or so.”