Starmancer

About

Starmancer is a single player role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Ominux Games and was released on August 5, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Starmancer is a single-player Science Fiction Role Playing game with phenomenal gameplay and delightful graphics, but be prepared for lots of grinding and bugs. As a Starmancer AI, construct and manage a space station for human refugees, encountering monsters, alien probing, and forbidden technologies in this vast wilderness of space."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+16

Skip User Reviews

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 699 reviews

gameplay26 positive mentions

stability71 negative mentions

The game has a cool concept and charming pixel art style that appeals to fans of colony management games.
The core gameplay loop is engaging, allowing players to build and manage a space station while dealing with unique challenges.
The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on updates to improve the game.

The game is riddled with bugs and crashes, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
Colonists can easily spiral into chaos, leading to murder sprees and making it difficult to maintain a stable colony.
The tutorial is lacking and does not adequately explain key mechanics, leaving players confused about how to progress.

gameplay
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
74%
7%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and significant frustrations, with players noting a solid core gameplay loop that can be addictive but is often marred by bugs and unclear mechanics. While customization options and exploration elements are praised, many users report issues with colonist behavior, performance problems, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, there is optimism for future updates and improvements, as the game shows potential for growth and refinement.
- “The gameplay loop is enjoyable, and I hope the bugs that bog down the performance are cleared soon.”
- “The sheer variety and customization in this game is amazing, but the construction, exploration, and discovery on top of the crisp colony survival mechanics will always make you come back for more.”
- “The core gameplay, mechanics, art style, and sheer potential of this game alone makes it worth a purchase for me.”
- “It is not a player-friendly game and works against the player with just frustrating game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly boring, and the so-called tutorial is all over the place in terms of learning.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is riddled with game-breaking bugs such as disappearing items or very bizarre fire-fighting mechanics.”
graphics
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
30%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming pixel art style, which blends 3D geometry with retro aesthetics, creating a visually appealing experience. Many players appreciate the consistent and beautiful art direction, noting that it enhances the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the gameplay. While some minor graphical issues exist, the visuals are generally considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The graphic style for this one just feels good, a blend of 3D geometry and pixel art that just works.”
- “Beautiful and consistent art style that rivals the best.”
- “Even in its nascent stages, Starmancer's core game loop is enjoyable to space out on for a couple of hours, and Chucklefish's distinctly gorgeous, darkness-unafraid pixel art style makes it a pleasure to have on screen.”
- “I know it looks promising, cute pixel art graphics and all, but give it more time, like way more time.”
- “Of course there are many little fixes that need to be done such as missing graphics, but those don't have an impact on the game being played.”
- “Having said that, the game has a charming art style and plenty of room for improvement; I can definitely see that the core of the game is already present in its current version, it needs tweaking in the form of bug fixes and quality of life updates at the moment to fix some of the more annoying problems players come across while playing the game.”
stability
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay. Despite some improvements since its early access launch, many players find it still feels like an unfinished product, often rendering it unplayable. While there is potential and enjoyment to be found, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial polishing and bug fixes before it can be recommended.
- “Far too buggy for a game that's been in early access for 4 years.”
- “At the moment this game is buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
- “Currently it's a buggy mess, crashes... holy smokes, crashes... also, this is the first game where I couldn't finish the tutorial without restarting.”
story
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
88%
4%
The game's story is currently underdeveloped, with many players noting a lack of genuine narrative and compelling plot elements, resulting in a sandbox feel rather than a structured campaign. While there are missions and progression systems in place, they often feel empty or buggy, leading to frustration and a sense of aimlessness. Players express hope for future improvements, as the game's potential is recognized, but the current state leaves much to be desired in terms of storytelling and mission engagement.
- “With the ability to send your crew on missions and finding new items, there is definitely a huge potential to expand the game and keep it interesting.”
- “If you're looking for a fresh entry in space-station management with a dash of story campaign, congratulations, this is your game even in early access.”
- “Hopefully the bugs get worked out soon because I think this game has a lot of potential with its great story.”
- “Be prepared for a lot of bugs, no genuine story plot, and very limited space to build your base.”
- “I'm trying to love this game, but I don't know what else there is to do now... it's fun building and rebuilding, but at this point, that's about all there is to it as the story missions are just... I dunno, empty?”
- “The story concept is weak/lacking -- there is no hook to what the hell is going on.”
grinding
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often citing slow-paced gameplay, erratic colonist behavior, and a lack of effective automation as major issues. The repetitive tasks and cumbersome controls contribute to a feeling of boredom, despite the game's potential and engaging elements. Many reviewers express hope for improvements in future updates, particularly regarding the management of colonists and the overall gameplay experience.
- “The game is extremely slow and tedious due to the erratic colonist behavior.”
- “But... the potential killer is the slow pace and constant repetitive grinding.”
- “Game is incredibly tedious, with you having to vent a room to put out fires, the tutorial is incredibly lackluster, and the overall lack of mechanics that allow you to tell your crew what to do is infuriating.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including lag, stuttering, and frame drops, especially as the game progresses and the complexity increases. While some users with high-end PCs experience stable performance, many others face significant bugs and inefficiencies that hinder gameplay, leading to frustration and a sense that the game is not ready for release. Overall, there is a strong consensus that the game requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to improve the player experience.
- “Its also worth mentioning that the game runs well, so it's optimized to its current state.”
- “There are still a lot of quality of life improvements and optimizations necessary for this game to feel polished, and I really do hope the devs get there.”
- “I have a pretty beefy PC, but the game is well optimized.”
- “Between the stuttering and lag every 20 minutes, it's almost unplayable. How about focusing on how the game runs on all platforms and polishing it up before adding 100 new buggy items, acting like half of the content isn't just Discord fanfare?”
- “I enjoy the game; however, it suffers from performance issues as your space station gets bigger. It might just be an AMD issue, but an 8-person station, which I consider relatively small, absolutely murders my performance: sub 30 FPS.”
- “An insurmountable number of bugs, performance issues, incomplete features, and poor design decisions (from both a balance and logic standpoint) make this game out to be a product that should not have been put up for sale yet.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience without becoming repetitive or distracting. Players appreciate the fantastic soundtrack that complements the charming pixel art and immersive gameplay, making it a standout feature that keeps them engaged. Many users noted that they found the music enjoyable enough to keep it on, which is a rarity for them in gaming.
- “The art is charming, and the ambiance and music is enjoyable.”
- “Starmancer is a great game with a great concept, fantastic soundtrack and very impressive pixel art.”
- “The music is nice to listen to and the graphical assets of items, colonists, spaceships, planets, etc. look very pleasing.”
- “Main points that keep me playing till I can't keep my eyes open, and the music feels like it's vibrating in my brain.”
- “It's the first game I've played in a while I didn't have to immediately go into settings to mute the music.”
- “And the pixel art aesthetic and music is pretty chill and relaxing as my colony starts to go mad from space fever and fight each other to the death and go outside the ship to suffocate and die.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its clever writing, dark and morbid themes, and situational comedy, often stemming from the absurdity of gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the quirky and dry humor, which enhances the overall experience, although some find it inconsistent or not universally appealing. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with strategic gameplay, making it entertaining for many.
- “It's funny; the humor comes from the situations you find yourself in and the general blunt, dry nature of the game.”
- “It is hilarious and morbid.”
- “The aesthetics of space along with the funny and comedic things that can occur make this game fun to play for hours.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its retro pixel art, isometric view, and atmospheric music, creating a sense of isolation that many players find engaging. However, players express frustration with the lack of guidance on critical gameplay mechanics, particularly regarding atmosphere management and fire control, which can lead to game-breaking situations. Overall, while the aesthetic and immersive elements are appreciated, the gameplay experience is marred by significant bugs and unclear instructions that detract from the intended atmosphere.
- “The retro pixel art and isometric view, the atmospheric music, the total isolation... I dig it.”
- “But it has a nice atmosphere and cute graphics that make me stoked about the full release.”
- “I love the graphics, the concepts, the genres, and the atmosphere.”
- “I was willing to give it a chance, but when I had to Google how to deal with an actual major issue, in this context how to put out a fire on a spaceship (and no, they tell you nothing aside from to 'vent the atmosphere'), that's a big red flag.”
- “No fire extinguishers, no fire sprinklers, no stamping out fires, just venting the atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere seems like it would be one of the features you'd really want to have nailed down before releasing your space station simulator.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate its in-depth systems and potential for extended playtime, others find it lacking in content and variety, limiting their desire to return. Many express hope for future updates to enhance replay value, but currently, it faces competition from other titles that offer more engaging experiences.
- “This game has such an in-depth system that other games sometimes miss, and the replayability of this game makes me play for 70+ hours.”
- “Lots of replay value.”
- “In conclusion, I'm stoked for this game, and I cannot wait for its next updates to make it much more playable.”
- “The game is solid, fun, and full of potential, but in its current state, I can't see myself playing more. It just needs some more content and variety to become deeper and more replayable.”
- “While it's a little light on content and doesn't seem to have much replay value as it currently stands, I think the game is super solid given its dev team size and likely lack of experience.”
- “There are plenty of other early access games that are way more playable than this game; it's a bad clone of Space Haven so far.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as exploitative, with users feeling it resembles a cash grab, especially in light of the lack of updates for over a year.
- “The game feels more like a cash grab after not having an update in over a year.”
- “It's just a scam and a cash grab.”