Stellar Settlers: Arrival
- March 11, 2024
- Burak Tokak
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Get on itch.io Store"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
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Reviews
- 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, especially with the unique vertical building aspect.
- The game has potential for fun gameplay with resource management and strategic planning, appealing to fans of chill simulation games.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues and poor UI design.
- Many players find the gameplay to be shallow and lacking in challenge, often feeling more like a waiting simulator than an engaging experience.
- The tutorial is inadequate, leaving players confused about game mechanics and objectives, which can lead to frustration.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique vertical building mechanic that adds an interesting twist to the city-building genre, though many players find it ultimately shallow and lacking depth. While the game offers a relaxing atmosphere with pleasant music and simple mechanics, some aspects, like settler mechanics and the inability to pause while placing buildings, detract from the overall experience. Overall, it appeals to those seeking a casual and chill gaming experience, but it may feel unfinished to others.
“On the one hand, the ability to build vertically is a very interesting mechanic for the city-building or base-building genre.”
“If you are looking for 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.”
“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.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
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, a few have noted that the repetition can become annoying. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a key element that contributes positively to the game's enjoyment.
“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.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute art style and nice animations, contributing to a calming atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. While some players appreciate the aesthetic appeal and replayability, others express concerns about specific design choices that detract from the visual coherence. Overall, the visuals are considered adequate, though there are suggestions for improvement, particularly in UI design.
“Chill and has cute graphics.”
“In saying that, I found it 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 played up until I tried to close it, and the game blew up my graphics drivers, which I had to repair and reinstall.”
“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 an 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.”
- story5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a mission to launch a rocket, which is hindered by bugs, affecting gameplay. Players encounter multiple settler missions with morale elements that feel insignificant, and the quest mechanics require tedious manual reassignment of settlers for mission completion.
“The game features multiple settler missions beyond the initial quest you receive when you first meet them.”
“The settlers have morale, which adds an interesting layer to the gameplay, along with specific quests that reflect their individual desires.”
“The narrative is engaging, with various missions that keep the story dynamic and immersive.”
“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.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be both rewarding and occasionally tedious. While some enjoy the resource farming that allows for quick progression to end-game content, others feel that certain mechanics, like managing settlers' morale, can become repetitive and require better balancing, especially in the late game. Overall, the grinding is seen as a mixed but integral part of the gameplay experience.
“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!”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhanced by brilliant audio and visuals. Players appreciate the blend of creativity and exploration in the base-building mechanics, which contribute to an enjoyable and immersive experience. Overall, the game's environment and sound design create a sense of tranquility that enhances gameplay.
“I found the game very enjoyable, taking joy in its base building and calming atmosphere, thanks to its brilliant audio and visuals.”
“It's a base building, strategy game that beautifully blends creativity and exploration, all wrapped up in a calming atmosphere.”
“The game features simple and enjoyable building mechanics, gentle music, and a relaxed atmosphere as you watch the resources gradually increase.”
“The atmosphere feels bland and uninspired, lacking any real depth or engagement.”
“Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is often dull and fails to draw you in.”
“The overall ambiance is forgettable, making it hard to stay immersed in the game.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for poor optimization, leading to frequent freezes, particularly during resource updates. While minor glitches exist, such as transport and mining drones halting animations, they do not significantly impact gameplay, and developers are actively addressing these issues. Additionally, players have reported controller-related glitches and issues with resolution and UI scaling.
“The game runs smoothly with no noticeable bugs, providing a stable experience throughout.”
“I appreciate the ability to adjust the resolution and UI scaling, which enhances stability during gameplay.”
“The consistent frame rates and reliable performance make this game a joy to play without interruptions.”
“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.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users note that the emotional aspect of the game reflects the instability of real-life drama, but criticize it for lacking a clear structure or progression, which diminishes the impact of these emotional experiences.
“The emotional depth of the characters is striking, making you feel their struggles and triumphs as if they were your own.”
“This game masterfully captures the essence of human emotions, drawing players into a narrative that resonates on a personal level.”
“The emotional rollercoaster you experience throughout the game is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, leaving a lasting impact.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players feel that while there is potential for optimizing resource gain, the lack of urgency and diminishing returns on real estate make it less compelling to invest time in optimization, leading some to disengage from the game.
“I believe that if I had really applied myself, I could have optimized my resource gain in a more effective way. However, with the limited real estate and no real impetus to 'go faster,' it felt easier to take a break for a while.”
“The optimization mechanics in the game are incredibly engaging, allowing players to fine-tune their strategies and maximize their efficiency.”
“I love how the game encourages players to think critically about resource management and optimization, making every decision feel impactful.”
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to the variety of approaches available, such as optimizing efficiency, creating aesthetically pleasing designs, and speedrunning, which encourages experimentation with different builds and problem-solving strategies.
“I feel like there's a lot of replayability; trying to do things efficiently, aesthetically pleasing, or speedrunning will lead to a lot of different builds and problem-solving.”
“The game offers endless possibilities for replayability, as each playthrough can be approached in a completely different way.”
“With multiple endings and various character choices, the replayability factor is incredibly high, making each run feel fresh and exciting.”
“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.”
