StarDrive
- April 26, 2013
- Zero Sum Games
- 64h median play time
Some omissions and flaws, but balanced by excellent alien races and ship design. A welcome addition to the crew.
Get on Steam"StarDrive is a single-player Science Fiction Real Time Strategy game with high-quality graphics, offering a sandbox experience for players to build and design peticular spaceships for tactical combat and exploration. However, the game is criticized for its lack of optimization and numerous bugs, as well as the requirement of grinding. The game boasts a modular approach to ship design and a real-time gameplay with a seamless zoom feature."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique ship customization system allows for creative designs and strategies.
- Engaging real-time space battles provide a dynamic gameplay experience.
- Diverse alien races add flavor and variety to the game.
- Game is unfinished and lacks promised features, leading to a feeling of abandonment.
- Severe performance issues and crashes, especially in late-game scenarios.
- Poor AI behavior and limited diplomatic options diminish overall gameplay experience.
- gameplay116 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ship customization and core mechanics but criticizing the overall execution due to numerous bugs, clunky controls, and a lack of polish. While some find the gameplay engaging and rewarding, others feel it is shallow, unfinished, and plagued by unresolved issues that detract from the experience. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant refinement and balancing to reach its full capabilities.
“The gameplay is great, controlling the ship layout for your personal play style, and the ability to modify your own race are just examples of how much control a player can have.”
“This took me quite a while to get the hang of, but once I did, the gameplay is fantastic.”
“I truly enjoy the game's 'free to do as you please' concept; you can be a mighty conqueror, a noble leader of peace, or an imperial-minded colonizer. The gameplay is smooth, streamlined, and fun to play for hours on end!”
“The game is buggy, crashes a lot, and there are several gameplay mechanics that just do not work.”
“Unfortunately, the game essentially released in alpha, with mechanics lacking both balance and depth.”
“Unfortunately, many game mechanics are broken and will never get fixed.”
- stability74 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios. Many players feel the game was released in an unfinished state, lacking essential features and optimization, leading to a frustrating experience. Despite some enjoyment found through mods, the overall consensus is that the game is a buggy mess, abandoned by its developers, and not worth its current price.
“While the game isn't buggy or unpolished by any means, it feels like a finished product, though it's not a great one.”
“The game is stable and does not suffer from significant bugs, providing a smooth experience overall.”
“Despite some design flaws, the game maintains a level of stability that allows for enjoyable gameplay.”
“The game gets a lot of hate, justifiably so because the developer over-promised and under-delivered, and left the game in a buggy state.”
“After playing for some 80ish hours and having some decent fun when it did not crash, the game seems to be really dead nowadays. The dev quit it for a flopped sequel; every time I start the game, it just freezes, even after all the tips from the forums to make matters worse. The price of this game is still around 27 euros, which is way too high for a game that is essentially unfinished, with no support and lots of bugs that don't even allow people to play.”
“This game is buggy and unfinished, incomplete, akin to an alpha version.”
- graphics54 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the art style and visual effects, particularly during ship combat, while others note that the graphics are not groundbreaking and can suffer from glitches and bugs. Mods have significantly improved the visual experience, making it more enjoyable, but some players still find the overall graphical quality to be average compared to other titles in the genre. Despite its shortcomings, the game is considered visually appealing and offers a unique aesthetic that enhances gameplay.
“I love the graphic style; it's so much better than any other game like this.”
“The latest update was June 2019, and the game is pretty slick now, graphically gorgeous, with automated freighters ferrying production, food, and civilians.”
“The art style looks great, and at first, it is interesting.”
“There's few graphics tweaking options and on a UHD display the text is impossible to read because the developer didn't bother with UI scaling, a vital feature for any modern game.”
“The end of the story wasn't put in, not all the races have titans, there are glitches, bugs, graphics lacking, it's about 75% of a finished game.”
“They changed the best parts of Stardrive completely, turns no longer play in real-time, the shipyard is worse - however they did add the ability to add upgrades to modules which I liked, the research system meant that you couldn't unlock every tech in the game without a silly race attribute, the space combat is slow and boring, ground combat is simple and the graphical 'improvements' make the game look weirdly cheap.”
- story43 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal or non-existent, with many players noting that it feels incomplete and lacks a coherent narrative. While there are some elements of lore and random events, these are often buggy or poorly developed, leading to a sense of abandonment by the developers. Overall, the absence of a fleshed-out campaign or engaging storyline detracts significantly from the gaming experience.
“A sandbox mode with an engaging storyline.”
“There is space battles, ground battles, artifacts, and a backstory that develops as you progress through the game.”
“I would have liked to see some multiplayer though or even some more fleshed out storyline (the game has a kind of story you can figure out as you play).”
“Very much a 'make up your own story as you crush the other races of the galaxy.'”
“[b]Story[/b] – essentially, there is no story.”
“So many halfway story threads, half-developed concepts, and unfinished features plague this game from back to front, not to mention unfixed bugs throughout.”
- optimization25 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, particularly in the late game, where performance issues and bugs lead to crashes and significant slowdowns, even on high-end systems. Players report that the game feels unfinished and unpolished, with many features incomplete and a general sense of abandonment by the developers. Overall, the poor optimization detracts from the gameplay experience, making it difficult to recommend.
“A) Memory optimization: unlike other RTS games (which this game has flavors of), there is no unit cap other than your bank account (i.e. turn-by-turn income).”
“It allows you to arrange unlocked systems on a ship frame so you can create specialized designs (i.e. resupply, strike, scout, colonization, etc.) and allows you to control their performance levels.”
“The game is fun when the bugs/performance don't get in the way.”
“At endgame, the optimization takes a dive, with large fleets of ships, even those offscreen, tanking performance and even crashing the game.”
“In addition, you will suffer a lot late game due to poor optimization that even a really powerful system can't power through.”
“The end-game optimization was also lacking, causing the game to choke horribly during battles.”
- replayability17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily due to its single-player focus and lack of customization options. While some players find it enjoyable for a single playthrough, many suggest that mods can significantly enhance the experience and replay value. Despite its shortcomings, it is still considered a worthwhile purchase for those who appreciate the genre.
“Mods greatly increase replayability though.”
“Some great mods enhance gameplay and replayability immensely.”
“Surprisingly addictive, never without replayability.”
“Not much replay value to it and never seemed to have been finished.”
“Least replayable, quickest to beat game I have ever played.”
“Stardrive is a fun single player experience the first time you play through, but replayability is lacking.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in ship building and management tasks. While the ship design offers some initial enjoyment, it quickly becomes repetitive and burdensome, especially with the lack of automation in managing resources and production across multiple planets. Overall, the grindy nature of the game detracts from the experience, leading many to recommend avoiding it unless on sale.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's tedious and not all that much fun; I'd recommend avoiding it unless on sale.”
“Managing your freighters is the most annoying and tedious thing to handle, and it never gets better.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its role in enhancing the atmosphere and personality of factions, while others find it repetitive and lacking excitement. Overall, it seems to contribute positively to the game's ambiance but can become annoying or overwhelming at times. Ratings vary, with some giving it a score of 5/10.
“Graphically I cannot complain; the music and sounds are nice.”
“Like the music, a fundamental part of any strategy game, whether it's Master of Orion or Civilization, the music is there to make you feel like a commander of a thousand fleets or a cultured world leader. In both of the games mentioned, the game does a great job doing that.”
“This may sound weird, but it is exactly what makes this game so lively, in addition to a nice soundtrack and a unique personality of each faction.”
“Even the tutorial videos aren't done very well as the music eventually overtakes the speaker!”
“The music sucks; it's a bunch of dreary melodies with a few space-themed instrumentals, but all of them lack any sense of excitement.”
“Music gets annoying.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is appreciated by some players for its quirky style and amusing depictions of races and weapons, contributing to an enjoyable experience. However, others find the humor overshadowed by the game's lack of content and unfinished elements, leading to a mix of laughter and frustration regarding the developer's claims about the game's completeness. Overall, while the humor has its moments, it is often seen as inconsistent and tied to the game's broader issues.
“I played this 100 hours in early access, another 40 now. A lot of haters for this game, but I love it. I love the style, the humor, the weapons. I can make old school slug throwers or a pseudo enterprise with phasers.”
“Races are a joy to behold as they are varied and rather humorous in their depiction.”
“Kind of funny watching them do big U-turns and wide swings, going way off the screen and turning around to head back into the fight.”
- monetization5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it a "cash grab" due to the release of an incomplete product and the developers' apparent abandonment of the game in favor of a sequel. Many feel that the focus on profit over quality has hindered the game's potential, leading to disappointment among players.
“If they had spent their time on Stardrive 1 instead of going for a damn cash grab, maybe they would have made a really good game.”
“Sold an incomplete package marked as gold to support the next cash grab called Stardrive 2 by Iceberg and Zerosumgames.”
“Although it started out very promising, the game never progressed beyond beta stage, and it seems the developer abandoned it after a quick cash grab.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a deep sense of heartbreak, stemming from its potential being squandered by the developers' decisions. Players express disappointment over the abandonment of the game's promising future in favor of a less successful sequel, leading to feelings of frustration and loss.
“It's great... I mean, totally heartbreaking.”
“It's so heartbreaking that this game was tossed out by the developer. It had a great future in front of it, but the makers got greedy. Instead of fixing the minor bugs that players found, they just gave up and made a 'new' game that was even worse.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is praised for its great animation and detailed shipbuilding, contributing to an engaging experience, particularly during combat. Overall, it receives a solid rating of 8/10, with some aspects being merely adequate.
“The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, making every moment feel alive.”
“Great atmosphere and animation; the shipbuilding is detailed and the combat is fun.”
“The ambiance really draws you in, creating a unique and engaging experience.”
