Stellar Orphans

About

Stellar Orphans is a single player survival management game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Artifex Parvus and was released on October 7, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Stellar Orphans" offers an immersive dive into a thrilling intergalactic odyssey. In this deck-building game, every decision shapes the fate of your crew lost in the cosmic expanse. Drifting aimlessly in the darkness of space, your mission is to solve emerging crises to ensure the survival of your "Stellar Orphans." The game stands out for its strategic aspect, challenging p…

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74%

Audience ScoreBased on 46 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Stellar Orphans offers a challenging and rewarding gameplay experience that encourages strategic thinking and risk management.
The game features beautiful AI-generated art and a unique blend of deckbuilding and board game mechanics, providing a fresh take on the genre.
High replay value is present due to multiple scenarios and crew sets, allowing players to explore different strategies and difficulties.

The game suffers from significant balance issues and a heavy reliance on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences and a feeling of unfairness.
Many players find the difficulty level to be excessively high, with some scenarios feeling nearly impossible to complete without luck.
The deckbuilding mechanics are criticized for lacking depth, as higher rarity cards often overshadow lower ones, reducing strategic options.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
31%
14%
The gameplay of "Stellar Orphans" features a unique blend of deckbuilding mechanics reminiscent of board games, offering an addictive experience with interesting resource management elements. However, players have noted issues with balance, RNG dependence, and frustrating gameplay loops that can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game presents a fresh approach to deckbuilding with scenario-style progression, improvements are needed to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Addictively fun gameplay.”
- “Still, the very long scenario-style games are a bit of a new approach to deckbuilding that sees your deck go in multiple different directions over the course of the game, rather than just steadily building in combat power, and I enjoyed the approach a lot.”
- “Very well made and addictive game, with interesting mechanics and atmosphere.”
- “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.”
- “Another frustrating mechanic is the stability system.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's story is criticized for its limited scope, featuring only two main 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 regardless of their efforts to advance the narrative. Overall, the storytelling lacks depth and variety, leaving players wanting more engaging content.
- “The story, such as it is, is quite silly and goes rapidly from hard sci-fi to space opera to dime store paperback.”
- “How about making the storyline also roguelike?”
- “And this game only has 2 storylines so far, compared to the large amount of crews.”
- “This game only has 2 storylines so far, compared to the large amount of crews.”
- “The 'story', such as it is, is quite silly and goes rapidly from hard sci-fi to space opera to dime store paperback.”
- “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.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Players highlight the game's high replayability, noting that the demo alone offers significant value and enjoyment. With two distinct scenarios currently available and more planned for the future, the game encourages multiple playthroughs due to its varied content.
- “The demo was so good with replay value that I could honestly have played that forever.”
- “A lot of replayability and value from the small price as well.”
- “There are two scenarios included in the game (with more incoming) that currently have some differences, which makes the game even more replayable.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its engaging art and smooth gameplay, contributing to an addictive experience. However, some players feel that the storyline does not align well with the otherwise fantastic atmosphere, detracting from the overall immersion.
- “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.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are consistently praised for their high quality, with users highlighting the impressive art style and thematic execution.
- “The art and graphics are exceptional, creating a captivating theme.”
- “The visuals are stunning, with a beautifully crafted art style.”
- “The graphics are impressive, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is enjoyable, but players frequently report encountering bugs that affect stability.
- “Fun game but buggy.”
- “Fun game but buggy.”