Stellar Orphans
- October 7, 2024
- Artifex Parvus
Get on Steam"Stellar Orphans" is a deck-building game set in an immersive, thrilling sci-fi universe. Players must strategically build decks to navigate cosmic challenges and ensure the survival of their crew. The game offers narrative depth with moral dilemmas, tough choices, and intriguing plot twists in the mysterious expanse of space.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Stellar Orphans offers a unique blend of deckbuilding, resource management, and rogue-lite elements, providing a fresh take on the genre.
- The gameplay loop is satisfying and challenging, rewarding strategic thinking and risk management, making each scenario feel engaging.
- The game features appealing art and music, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The game suffers from significant balance issues and heavy reliance on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences where players feel powerless due to bad luck.
- Many players have reported softlocks and long loading times, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and respect for player time.
- The lack of easier difficulty settings and meaningful meta progression can make the game feel overly punishing, especially for those new to the genre.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Stellar Orphans" is described as a satisfying loop that evolves from initial despair to a rewarding sense of victory, appealing to those who enjoy a fair challenge with original mechanics. While some players appreciate the unique deckbuilding approach and addictive fun, others criticize the gameplay for its reliance on balance issues and RNG, leading to frustrating experiences. Overall, the game offers solid mechanics and an interesting atmosphere, but it may require further refinement to enhance player enjoyment.
“Gameplay loop is very satisfying.”
“Go buy it if you like a fair challenge with original mechanics.”
“Addictively fun gameplay.”
“I'm not a fan of 'hurry up and wait' gameplay loops.”
“Some solid mechanics, but with about ten hours in on the demo and the full version, I can say this one is going on my shelf for a while until the balance issues and RNG dependence get some attention.”
“The mechanics seem designed to hamstring you right from the start.”
- story5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its limited scope, featuring only two storylines despite a diverse cast of characters, and is described as a mix of hard sci-fi and space opera with a somewhat silly tone. Players express frustration with the reliance on RNG mechanics, which can hinder progress and lead to a feeling of helplessness in advancing the narrative.
“The story, while a bit silly, transitions rapidly from hard sci-fi to space opera, reminiscent of a dime store paperback.”
“I wish there were more storylines available, as there are a large number of crews to explore.”
“It would be interesting to see the storyline incorporate roguelike elements.”
“The 'story', such as it is, is quite silly and goes rapidly from hard sci-fi to space opera to dime store paperback.”
“And this game only has 2 storylines so far, compared to the large amount of crews.”
“Even if you do everything in your power to solve the bad events and to advance the main story as quickly as possible, it almost always happens that the RNG just messes you up - you don’t draw the cards you need and you lose turn after turn, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it when luck is not on your side.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with players noting that the demo alone provides ample enjoyment. With two distinct scenarios available and more planned for the future, the game encourages multiple playthroughs, enhancing its overall value for the price.
“A lot of good replayability!”
“In fact, the demo was so good with replay value that I could honestly have played that forever.”
“There are two scenarios included in the game (with more incoming) that currently have some differences, which makes the game even more replayable.”
“There are two scenarios included in the game (with more incoming), that currently have some differences which make the game even more replayable.”
“A lot of replayability and value from the small price as well.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its engaging art and flow, contributing to an addictive experience. However, some players feel that the storyline does not align well with the overall fantastic atmosphere, creating a disconnect.
“Very well made and addictive game, with interesting mechanics and atmosphere.”
“It has quite a lot of atmosphere, thanks to the art of the cards and the game flow.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for being great and fitting the overall atmosphere, though players express a desire for more variety to enhance the experience.
“The music is great and fitting, but more variety would be cool.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their high quality, featuring impressive art and a cohesive theme that enhances the overall visual experience.
“The art and graphics are exceptional, creating a captivating theme.”
“The visuals are stunning, with incredible attention to detail.”
“The graphics are beautifully designed, enhancing the overall experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is enjoyable, but players report experiencing numerous bugs that affect its stability.
“Fun game, but it's really buggy.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
“I experienced constant lag and stability issues during gameplay.”
