Starless

About

Starless is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Petr Sapozhnikov and was released on August 25, 2022. It received very positive reviews from players.

Starless is a horror stealth game where you, as a colonist, must survive on a malfunctioning space Ark filled with dangerous monsters. With the help of the AI, Freya, you must navigate the dark corridors, using caution and strategy to save the ship and its crew, as every death threatens the mission to establish a colony on a distant planet. The game boasts exceptional stealth mechanics and a tense atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of early 00's shareware PC games, with enjoyable and challenging gameplay.
It features a unique spin on a limited lives system, allowing players to strategize and make meaningful decisions with each colonist's actions impacting the next.
The atmosphere and art style are praised for their immersion, effectively capturing a dark sci-fi environment.

The game suffers from a cumbersome equipment UI that can be frustrating to navigate, along with some difficulty spikes that may lead to frustration.
There are significant design issues, such as pitch-black rooms that make it difficult to navigate and survive, leading to a reliance on luck rather than skill.
The game is quite short, with limited replayability due to the lack of save options and minimal music, which may leave players wanting more.

gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The gameplay is described as enjoyable and challenging, featuring polished mechanics that allow for a variety of tactics, such as sneaking past enemies. Players appreciate the unique elements and atmosphere, making it a recommended experience despite some minor drawbacks. Overall, the game successfully combines engaging gameplay with a well-executed design.
- “Just enough polish to make it work, with a direct and to-the-point gameplay that is both enjoyable and challenging.”
- “I enjoyed the atmosphere and the gameplay.”
- “First, the gameplay is a good bit of fun trying to sneak through rooms without being detected by aliens and robots, and the various tools you get will allow you to try different tactics.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The graphics are generally praised for their quality and immersive art style, effectively enhancing the sci-fi atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, some users noted issues with graphic design and the lack of music, which detracted from the overall presentation. Despite these drawbacks, the game's aesthetics and attention to detail in the alien environment are highlighted as strong points.
- “The graphics, animation, atmosphere, and gameplay idea are good, too.”
- “Nice graphics, different endings in a sci-fi environment.”
- “In less than 10 minutes, the immersion is complete, thanks to a short but sufficient tutorial part, and an art style that does an excellent job.”
- “The main cons are controls, graphic design, and music (or, more precisely, the absence of music).”
- “This is a puzzle game, and is entirely simplistic in its solutions but is heavily driven by its aesthetics and a clear love for alien design.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised as a strong point, contributing to an overall satisfying experience. Reviewers highlight the combination of graphics, animation, and gameplay as key elements that enhance the immersive quality of the game.
- “Overall a satisfying little game, with great atmosphere, as well as the most unique spin on a limited lives system.”
- “The atmosphere is a strong point of the game.”
- “I enjoyed the atmosphere and the gameplay.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game is largely criticized for its minimal presence, with many users noting that it is almost entirely absent during gameplay, only featuring in the intro and ending, along with a brief track during specific events. This lack of music detracts from the overall experience, as players feel it contributes to a sense of emptiness in the game's atmosphere.
- “The main cons are controls, graphic design, and music (or, more precisely, the absence of music).”
- “There's also minimal music in this game; I think only the intro and ending really have anything, as the game itself is silent except for ambient sound effects and the short track that plays when a colonist is killed.”
- “What I miss is only some music.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The story is a compelling dark sci-fi narrative that effectively integrates stealth and light puzzle elements, enhancing the adventure experience. The limited lives of the colonists and the respawn mechanics are well-justified within the plot, showcasing thoughtful attention to detail in the game's world-building.
- “It's exactly what it says it is: stealth elements, light puzzle elements, and mainly adventuring and story-driven, with a heavy dark sci-fi theme that triggered my interest initially.”
- “The limited lives of the colonists is a good approach, and so is the respawn at a set point, making sense for story reasons.”
- “There's attention to details related to the story of where some elements and places are.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative arc, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “Character development is shallow, and I found it difficult to connect with any of the protagonists.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises, leaving the overall experience flat.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report frequent glitches and issues that negatively impact the overall stability of the game, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The game is plagued with glitches and issues that disrupt the overall experience.”
- “Frequent crashes and bugs make it nearly impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “I encountered numerous stability problems that ruined my gameplay.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game offers some replayability through multiple endings, but the limited options of "new game" or "continue" and the deletion of save files upon completion necessitate a full playthrough to explore different outcomes, which may frustrate some players.
- “The variety of choices and paths you can take makes each playthrough feel unique, encouraging you to explore different strategies and outcomes.”
- “With multiple endings and character interactions, the game invites you to replay it to uncover all the secrets and storylines.”
- “There's replayability in trying different endings, but the game's options only consist of 'New Game' or 'Continue'. Finishing the game deletes your save, requiring a new playthrough to see different endings.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel tedious, as the outcomes are often the same regardless of the path taken.”
- “While the game offers multiple endings, the journey to reach them is so similar that it hardly feels worth the effort to replay.”