Stellar Settlers: Arrival

62%
Game Brain Score Based on 71 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Stellar Settlers: Arrival Game Cover
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"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

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 71 reviews
music3 positive mentions
stability4 negative mentions
  • The game offers a relaxing and charming atmosphere, making it enjoyable for players looking for a chill experience.
  • It features a unique blend of base building and resource management, with creative freedom in constructing settlements and launching rockets.
  • The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on improvements, showing potential for future updates and enhancements.
  • The game suffers from a lack of clear tutorials and UI design issues, making it difficult for players to understand mechanics and manage their colonies effectively.
  • Many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in challenge, with insufficient external threats or engaging events to keep them invested.
  • There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and glitches that disrupt the gaming experience, leading to frustration.
  • gameplay8 mentions

    The gameplay features an intriguing vertical building mechanic that adds a unique twist to the city-building genre; however, many players find it shallow and feel the game lacks essential management features, such as the ability to pause while placing buildings. While some appreciate the smooth and relaxing experience, others criticize the overall depth and polish of the gameplay, suggesting it feels unfinished.

    • “On the one hand, the ability to build vertically is a very interesting mechanic for the city-building or base-building genre.”
    • “Gameplay was smooth without a major issue, congrats to the team!”
    • “For the game itself, the concept is interesting and the music and gameplay are relaxing.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    The game's graphics are generally appreciated for their nice art style and animations, though some players feel that the overall visual experience lacks depth and coherence, particularly with certain design choices like the vertical tunnel systems. While the graphics are deemed adequate, there are concerns about technical issues affecting performance, detracting from the aesthetic enjoyment. Overall, the visuals show promise but could benefit from further refinement and attention to detail.

    • “Cool art style, nice little animations. I would love for more moving buildings, but it's definitely heading in the right direction.”
    • “The art style is lovely.”
    • “Graphically, it’s at an adequate level.”
    • “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.”
    • “I don't mind the lower-tier graphics; I just wish the game would obey its own rules.”
    • “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.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is generally appreciated for its calming and somber qualities, contributing to a relaxed gameplay experience. However, some players find it repetitive and suggest that a more cheerful or energetic tone could enhance the overall atmosphere, especially during tense moments.

    • “I love the calming music the game has, even as a meteor is about to strike my buildings!”
    • “The music is slow and somber, and I feel like it could be a little more cheerful or energetic.”
    • “For the game itself, the concept is interesting and the music and gameplay are relaxing.”
    • “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.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent freezes and various glitches affecting gameplay, such as animation issues with drones and inconsistencies in environmental damage. While some minor issues can be overlooked, players report significant problems that disrupt the experience, and developers are reportedly working to address these concerns.

    • “Terribly optimized for a game this size; my game freezes every 2 seconds when the resource ticker goes up.”
    • “Lots of glitches: floods that are supposed to only destroy first-level structures will also destroy upper-level structures instead. Heavy rain that is supposed to only damage upper-level structures will also destroy lower-level structures. The main headquarters has a built-in storage door, but the rovers have no idea how to use it. Sometimes the rover factory will glitch out and have over 8 rovers, some functional and others imaginary.”
    • “There can be some glitches with the controller.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the resource farming that allows for quick progression to end-game content, others feel that certain tasks, like managing settlers' morale, can become tedious and require better balancing, especially in the late game. Overall, the game offers a fun experience, though it may need adjustments to enhance the flow of gameplay.

    • “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!”
    • “I just got this game and finished the first planet - what I can say so far: it's fun, although at times a bit grindy, at times stressful - overall feels well balanced to me.”
  • story3 mentions

    The story revolves around a mission to launch a rocket, but players report significant bugs that hinder progress, particularly with mission assignments and settler management. These technical issues detract from the overall narrative experience, making it frustrating for players to complete objectives.

    • “The biggest issue is that you have to launch the rocket to finish the mission, but the rocket launch is bugged.”
    • “There are multiple settler missions outside of the one you receive when you first meet them.”
    • “When a new mission arrived to assign all settlers to pods, even after assigning all of them, I had to detach and reassign each one individually.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game is praised for its relaxing atmosphere, effectively combining elements of base building, strategy, creativity, and exploration to create a calming experience for players.

    • “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.”
  • emotional1 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 overall 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.”
    • “The game masterfully captures the essence of human emotions, allowing players to connect deeply with the story and its characters.”
    • “Every decision you make resonates emotionally, creating a profound sense of empathy and attachment to the narrative.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while players recognize the potential for optimizing resource gain, the lack of urgency and diminishing returns in the game environment lead many to disengage rather than invest time in optimization strategies.

    • “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 incentive to 'go faster,' it felt easier to take a break for a while.”
    • “The optimization mechanics in the game are incredibly rewarding, 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.”
    • “The optimization in this game feels lacking; I often find myself struggling to make efficient use of my resources without clear guidance.”
    • “Despite the potential for optimization, the game mechanics are so convoluted that it becomes frustrating to try and improve my efficiency.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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