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Stellar Settlers: Arrival

69%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
story, grinding
69% User Score Based on 196 reviews

Platforms

Mac OSMac OSPCPCWindowsWindowsLinuxLinux

About

"Stellar Settlers: Arrival" is a relaxing space base-building and colony simulation game where you manage a settlement on procedurally generated alien planets with unique challenges. Build a physics-based spaceship to escape hostile environments and travel to different planets. Manage resources, recruit skilled settlers, and make strategic choices to ensure your colony's survival and progression. *Relaxing base-building and colony simulation *Procedurally generated alien planets *Physics-based spaceship design and escape *Strategic resource management and settler recruitment

Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
Stellar Settlers: Arrival screenshot
+16

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 196 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions

  • The game features a charming art style and relaxing atmosphere, making it enjoyable for casual play.
  • Building mechanics are intuitive and allow for creative designs, with vertical building adding a unique twist to the gameplay.
  • Despite some bugs, the game has potential and offers a fun, chill experience for players who enjoy resource management and base building.
  • The game suffers from numerous game-breaking bugs that hinder progress, making it frustrating to play.
  • The tutorial is poorly designed, leaving players unprepared for key gameplay elements and lacking clear instructions.
  • Gameplay can feel shallow and repetitive, with a lack of meaningful challenges or threats, leading to a waiting simulator experience.
  • gameplay
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers a mix of interesting vertical building mechanics and a relaxed atmosphere, appealing to players seeking a chill experience. However, many reviewers find the gameplay shallow and unfinished, with some mechanics feeling unnecessary and lacking depth. While the game features smooth controls and pleasant designs, it may not satisfy those looking for more complex management-building elements.

    • “If you are looking for a casual & chill gameplay accompanied by beautiful soundtracks, you are in the right place.”
    • “The game features simple and enjoyable building mechanics, gentle music, and a relaxed atmosphere as you watch the resources gradually increase.”
    • “Different planets, environmental hazards, game modes; all contribute to a richer gameplay experience.”
    • “On the other hand, the gameplay is quite shallow, the vertical building is essentially a gimmick, and overall the game feels unfinished - what kind of management-building game does not allow the player to place buildings when paused?”
    • “This is not a game, there is no gameplay.”
    • “I do not expect Kerbal Space Program's rocket mechanics, but the RNG part of launching is not enjoyable.”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhancing the laid-back atmosphere of gameplay. While some players appreciate the soft, vibey soundtracks that complement the casual experience, others find the repetition of the music annoying and suggest it could benefit from a more cheerful or energetic tone. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a key element that can significantly influence enjoyment, particularly in a chill gaming context.

    • “One thing I really liked about Stellar Settlers was the soft, vibey music.”
    • “If you are looking for a casual and chill gameplay accompanied by beautiful soundtracks, you are in the right place.”
    • “The game features simple and enjoyable building mechanics, gentle music, and a relaxed atmosphere as you watch the resources gradually increase.”
    • “This game is too relaxed, too chill, and this was the first time I got really annoyed by the repetition of the music.”
    • “The music is slow and somber and I feel like it could be a little more cheerful or energetic.”
    • “Background music is so important to me as it can help or hinder my enjoyment of a game, as the game is very laid back and relaxing, music that reflected that but still kept me on track was great.”
  • graphics
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute art style and calming aesthetics, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some users noted issues with specific design elements, such as the vertical tunnel systems, the visuals are considered adequate and enjoyable, enhancing the game's replayability. However, there were reports of technical problems, including crashes that affected graphics drivers.

    • “Chill and has cute graphics.”
    • “In saying that, I found the game very enjoyable, taking joy in its base building and calming atmosphere, thanks to its brilliant audio and visuals.”
    • “The art style is lovely.”
    • “I enjoyed what I did play up until I tried to close it and the game blew up my graphics drivers, which I had to repair and install again.”
    • “Something that many developers like to ignore these days is the mindset of 'as long as the game works, UI and visuals can be ignored until we manage to finish the game', usually resulting in ugly UI forever.”
    • “- I didn't like the vertical tunnel joining systems; it felt like a cup stacking simulator. If you were going for a puzzle-type game, I guess it's alright, but for me, I thought it ruined the aesthetic of the city.”
  • story
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story revolves around a mission to launch a rocket, which is hindered by bugs, impacting gameplay. Players encounter various settler missions that add depth, but issues with morale and quest assignments detract from the overall experience. The narrative is marred by technical problems that complicate mission completion.

    • “They have morale which didn't seem to matter much, as well as some specific quests of things they want as well.”
    • “- multiple settler missions outside the one that you get when you first meet them.”
    • “The biggest issue is that you have to launch the rocket to finish the mission, and the rocket launch is bugged.”
    • “They have morale which didn't seem to matter much, as well as some specific quests for things they want.”
    • “When a new mission arrived to assign all settlers to pods, even though all of them were assigned, I had to detach and reassign all of them one by one.”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players note that while the game involves significant grinding, it often feels rewarding, especially when progressing to the end game quickly after initial resource farming. However, some find the process tedious and suggest that balancing improvements are needed, particularly in managing settlers' morale and late-game challenges. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a mixed experience, combining fun with occasional frustration.

    • “You can spend the first 30 minutes farming resources and skip right to the end game by unlocking the launch pad.”
    • “Figuring out where your settlers with low morale are to grab them and put them in a building that ups their morale (or just putting settlers in any other building, really) can be a bit tedious.”
    • “A bit tedious at times and needs some more balancing to smooth out late game, but there's definitely something interesting here!”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhanced by brilliant audio and visuals. Players appreciate the blend of creativity and exploration within a serene environment, complemented by gentle music and enjoyable building mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's quality and enjoyment.

    • “It has a relaxing atmosphere.”
    • “It's a base building, strategy game that beautifully blends creativity and exploration, all wrapped up in a calming atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere, environment, sounds, and mechanics of the game really make you feel like you're playing a quality game.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been criticized for poor optimization, with frequent freezes occurring every two seconds during resource updates. While there are minor glitches, such as animation issues with drones and controller problems, players note that the developers are aware of these issues and are actively working on fixes. Overall, the stability concerns significantly impact the gameplay experience.

    • “Terribly optimized for a game this size, my game freezes every 2 seconds when the resource ticker goes up.”
    • “There are some minor glitches (transport and mining drones may stop their animations after a while, but they're still working), but you can overlook it and the devs are aware and working on finding the culprit of the behavior.”
    • “There can be some glitches with the controller.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find that the emotional aspect of the game is chaotic and lacks clarity, mirroring the unpredictability of real life but without a structured way to navigate or progress through these emotional experiences. This instability can lead to frustration, as the game's portrayal of emotional drama feels unrefined and disconnected from player expectations.

  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players feel that while there are opportunities for resource optimization, the lack of motivation and diminishing returns in the game's environment make it less appealing to invest time in optimizing strategies. This has led some to disengage from the game rather than pursue optimization efforts.

    • “I could have optimized my resource gain somehow, but with the dwindling amount of real estate and no real impetus to 'go faster', it was easier to just walk away for a while.”
    • “I'm sure if I had applied myself really hard, I could have optimized my resource gain somehow, but with the dwindling amount of real estate and no real impetus to 'go faster,' it was easier to just walk away for a while.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight a strong sense of replayability, driven by the opportunity to experiment with various strategies, aesthetics, and speed-running techniques, which encourages diverse builds and problem-solving approaches.

    • “I feel like there's a lot of replayability; trying to do things efficiently, aesthetically pleasing, or speed running will lead to a lot of different builds and problem solving.”

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