Starmancer
- August 5, 2021
- Ominux Games
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"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."
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Reviews
- The game has a charming pixel art style and engaging gameplay mechanics.
- It offers a unique twist on the colony simulation genre, allowing players to manage a space station and its inhabitants.
- The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, showing commitment to the game's future.
- The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
- The AI behavior of colonists can lead to chaotic situations, including random fights and deaths.
- The tutorial is lacking in detail, leaving players confused about basic mechanics and how to progress.
- gameplay91 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a solid core loop that can be addictive, though it suffers from a lack of polish and numerous bugs that hinder the overall experience. Players find the mechanics initially challenging to grasp due to a sparse tutorial, but many appreciate the potential for depth and customization in colony management. While the game shows promise for future updates and expansions, it currently requires patience and a willingness to navigate its imperfections.
“If you're the type that enjoys automating and optimizing gameplay, then you'll enjoy this.”
“The gameplay loop is enjoyable and I hope the bugs that bog down the performance are cleared soon.”
“The gameplay is easy enough to be relaxing but challenging enough to still catch you by surprise.”
“Gameplay is unfinished, unpolished, leaves much to be desired.”
“The main gameplay, for me, is just another generic colony building much like RimWorld, but with lesser features (as it is in early access).”
“At the time of writing, there are just too many bugs that keep popping up here and there that prevent gameplay from going anywhere really far.”
- graphics66 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming pixel art style, which many reviewers find beautiful and consistent, often comparing it to classic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and Pokémon. The art style is noted for its unique aesthetics and attention to detail, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and overall enjoyment. While some users mention minor graphical issues, the visuals are generally considered a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience.
“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.”
“The graphics are beautiful and reminded me of Grandia from my childhood, which may have clouded my mind when I bought it.”
“I know it looks promising, cute pixel art graphics and all, but give it more time, like way more time.”
“Otherwise the game is very RimWorld lite, with classic Chucklefish graphics.”
“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.”
- story56 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being weak and lacking depth, with many players noting that it feels empty and unengaging. While there are interesting mechanics like sending colonists on missions, the overall narrative fails to provide a compelling hook, and numerous bugs hinder progression. Players express hope for future improvements, acknowledging the game's potential but currently finding it frustrating and incomplete.
“Good and simple story.”
“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 mission system is quite basic, you can't make friends (or enemies) and there are no invaders in the game (unless you count random slimes and such that spawn as invaders). Do not expect pirates.”
- stability53 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, making it frustratingly unstable and often unplayable, especially for a title that has been in early access for over a year. While some players find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these issues, many report frequent crashes, game-breaking glitches, and a lack of clarity in tutorials. Overall, the stability of the game is a significant concern, with many reviewers recommending waiting for further updates before diving in.
“A year and a half since early access launch and it's still extremely buggy.”
“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.”
- grinding23 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling overwhelmed by the slow pace and erratic AI behavior. Many reviewers express a desire for improved automation and better task management to alleviate the repetitive nature of gameplay, particularly in farming and resource collection. While there is potential for enjoyment, the current grindiness detracts from the overall experience, leading to a recommendation to wait for updates before fully engaging with the game.
“The changes made to how the game plays recently in terms of building material manufacture vs simple collection makes it wholly more tedious and even less enjoyable.”
“But... the potential killer is the slow pace and constant repetitive grinding.”
“It's gameplay is grindy, not particularly interesting and slow; even on the highest speed setting, this game drags on.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including lag and frame drops, particularly as gameplay progresses. While a few users noted that the game runs well on high-end PCs, many others reported persistent bugs and incomplete features that hinder the overall experience. Overall, there is a consensus that while the game shows potential, it requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to reach a polished state.
“It's 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.”
“Furniture being in a permanent state of red haze to indicate deletion even when not due for deletion (went away eventually) and human AI breaking down around hour 2 of playtime (restart fixing it) were the two major ones I had, but the whole game feels a bit unoptimized.”
“Optimization goes down as the game carries on; this can be fixed for a few minutes by flicking V-Sync off (it gets turned on when you start the game).”
“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.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience alongside the charming retro pixel art. Many players find the soundtrack engaging and enjoyable, often noting that it stands out even for those who typically prefer to play without music. Overall, the combination of pleasing visuals and a fantastic soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“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 amazing; usually I turn off music in almost every game due to wanting to focus on more shooter-oriented games, but the game's soundtrack has me hooked. I enjoyed every second of it.”
“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.”
“+ music was half decent”
“The soundtrack is very relaxing”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its dark and morbid elements, complemented by a charming art style and clever writing. Players appreciate the comedic possibilities, particularly in the context of colonist management, where absurd and brutal scenarios can unfold. Overall, the game is described as consistently funny, providing hours of entertainment despite some gameplay issues.
“It is hilarious and morbid.”
“Wonderful art style and dark humor.”
“The developers also thought it would be funny to add an option to permanently space colonists and put it right next to the button that issues commands.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its retro pixel art, isometric view, and atmospheric music, creating an engaging and immersive experience. However, players express frustration with the lack of guidance on managing critical atmospheric issues, such as fire control, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and realism of the space station simulation. Despite these concerns, the graphics and overall ambiance contribute positively to the anticipation for the full release.
“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 don't know how to 'vent the atmosphere.' It didn't bother to tell me how.”
“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.”
“Atmosphere seems like it would be one of the features you'd really want to have nailed down before releasing your space station simulator.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
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 falls short compared to other titles in the genre.
“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.”
