The Fermi Paradox

About

The Fermi Paradox is a single player management game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by The Fermi Paradox and was released on July 1, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"The Fermi Paradox" is a choice-driven galactic god game where players guide up to 10 alien civilizations through the ages, faced with decisions that can lead to thriving or survival. With 400 different civilization-development events, the game offers diverse stories and consequences that impact each civilization's history, from natural disasters to societal revolutions, even within starships and complex ecosystems. Meet unique alien species, including the enigmatic hairless mammals called Humans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 878 reviews

gameplay36 positive mentions

grinding21 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging narrative experience, allowing players to guide civilizations through various stages of development.
The artwork and music are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
The emergent storytelling aspect creates memorable and diverse scenarios, making each playthrough feel distinct.

The gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, with many events feeling similar and lacking meaningful impact.
The resource management system is often frustrating, with players feeling limited in their ability to influence outcomes.
The game currently lacks sufficient content and variety, leading to a lack of replayability after a few playthroughs.

gameplay
200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The gameplay of this early access title is characterized by a simplistic and repetitive mechanic primarily involving clicking to gain resources and making choices that influence civilization outcomes. While the game offers a charming narrative experience and beautiful visuals, many players find the gameplay lacks depth and variety, leading to a monotonous experience over time. Despite its potential for emergent storytelling, the current mechanics often feel shallow, with limited player agency and a need for more engaging gameplay elements to enhance replayability.
- “The gameplay is simple yet engaging.”
- “The choices you make in the game have significant consequences, which adds an extra layer of depth and strategy to the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay itself is very much intuitive.”
- “The gameplay quickly feels slow and repetitive; within 10 minutes of playing, you have already seen the same dialogue of 'events' happen many times.”
- “The whole gameplay is clicking on flares, which is uninspired and boring, and gets repetitive quickly.”
- “Unfortunately, that is all the gameplay there is currently.”
story
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
64%
4%
The game's story aspect is primarily characterized as a dynamic and engaging story generator, allowing players to shape unique narratives through their choices and interactions with various civilizations. While many players appreciate the emergent storytelling and rich backstories of the species, some express frustration with the repetitive nature of events and the limited player control over the unfolding narrative. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy text-based storytelling and sci-fi themes, though it may feel more like an interactive story than a traditional game.
- “The races are interesting, and I like a lot of the story events for the different races. It allows you to create unique universes depending on the choices you make, with some being a universe of war while others work to peacefully establish connections with one another.”
- “This game is an incredible story generator, and loads of fun to play around with.”
- “The engaging artwork and well-written storytelling make for a wonderful atmospheric, narrative-based god game.”
- “The lack of updates is really killing this game for many people including me... the whole synthesis stuff is a pain in the ass as it limits the fun one can have in the game massively... just add the storyteller mode already.”
- “You think this is a story generator? Nope, this is a clicker. You have to click and click and click for mini-events to happen, and then after enough mini-events (which are repetitive sentences that add no value to the game), you get a main event telling you that something bad or good has happened in the civilization you are in. The game is not a game; it's a reading experience if you had to work for the reading by clicking.”
- “Very little player interaction to the point it's almost an animated storybook just telling you what is happening, with no explanation as to why completely peaceful civilizations will suddenly go full genocide without the actual stats changing, and absolutely no way of knowing ahead of time what ending you're headed towards.”
graphics
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and beautiful art style, with many users highlighting the fantastic artwork and varied alien designs. However, some critiques mention a lack of diversity in visuals and repetitive imagery, as well as a desire for more detailed graphics that reflect gameplay elements like species progress and planetary conditions. Overall, while the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, there is room for improvement in variety and depth.
- “The art style is beautiful, the music is relaxing, and I am looking forward to seeing developments of this game in the future; hoping for more races, more event diversity, and more music.”
- “The artwork is fantastic, the alien designs are very unique, as well as their lore.”
- “The engaging artwork and well-written storytelling make for a wonderful atmospheric, narrative-based god game.”
- “There's no real differences between civilizations, just flavor text and graphics.”
- “Don't expect sophisticated graphics, as this is more along the lines of text-based with artwork in the background.”
- “The difference is that there isn't much in the graphical aspect of things other than a basically still background which is the galaxy, some planets and that's about it.”
music
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the dynamic soundtrack that adapts to different scenarios and species. While some find the music repetitive over time, the overall consensus is that it complements the beautiful art style and enhances the gameplay experience, making it a standout feature of the game. However, a few critiques mention occasional issues with sound design and volume inconsistencies.
- “As for the soundtrack, it might just be one of the best ones I've ever listened to, and it's sort of dynamic as well, changing music as you engage with each scenario/species.”
- “The music and sound effects are perfect additions to a stylized, but enjoyable tapestry of graphics that help create a grand saga for your 'garden of creation'.”
- “The art and music of the game is awesome, and the events are also pretty cool with decent diversity.”
- “The music is okay.”
- “The soundtrack veers from ambient bliss to slightly annoying.”
- “Music: ear-grating chaotic ambient.”
replayability
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
8%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its potential due to random events and species variations, while others criticize it for becoming repetitive after a few playthroughs. Many reviewers express a desire for more content and difficulty settings to enhance replay value, noting that while the initial experience can be enjoyable, it often lacks depth for long-term engagement. Overall, the game shows promise for future updates to improve replayability, but currently, it varies significantly among players.
- “The replay value is awesome too, since you get to experiment with several styles of play.”
- “It's a subtly terrifying game, yet even in its most grim it manages to be entertaining and replayable.”
- “There is no depth and I don't really feel like there's a lot of replayability since you just kind of muddle through it in a couple of hours 'til you're done.”
- “Honestly, it feels like they spent so much time making the game have interesting events and species, only to make it so players don't see most of it because there's no replay value.”
- “There's very limited replayability and the game itself just turns into a boring slog towards the end as you wait for your species to research the final tech.”
- “Once you've won the game, replayability goes down, and once you've seen an event enough times, any time it pops up you'll find yourself bored of it.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the game's grinding mechanics lead to a repetitive and tedious experience, particularly as players progress towards the end. Many users express frustration with the lack of meaningful interaction and the excessive clicking required to achieve minimal progress, likening it to an idle game. While the concept and art are appreciated, the overall gameplay is criticized for being slow-paced and lacking substance, resulting in a sour experience for many players.
- “Events get very repetitive and the game became grindy towards the end.”
- “The general idea is very good, but the main loop of collecting 'flares' is really tedious, aggravated by the fact that you don't know which flares are available at a given turn unless you cycle all the planets.”
- “Boring and tedious gameplay that reminded me of an idle clicker flash game.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as weird, hilarious, and emotionally resonant, with players enjoying the absurdity of situations like dinosaurs inventing racism and the chaotic outcomes of their species' decisions. The emergent storytelling leads to a mix of dark and funny narratives, often enhanced by unique cultural events that add flavor to gameplay. While some aspects could use improvement, the game successfully delivers memorable and comedic moments that resonate with players.
- “It's weird, hilarious, and oddly emotional.”
- “The unique cultural events that shape and add flavor to the species is probably my favorite part, especially since you can have really funny or cursed combinations.”
- “Emergent storytelling at its most hilarious.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
93%
The game's stability has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting various bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, such as overlapping icons, unresponsive events, and UI issues. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these problems, others highlight the need for more polish and fixes, especially given its early access status. Overall, while there are promising elements, the game is currently marred by instability that detracts from the experience.
- “The game seems very stable and fairly bug-free after 20-25 hours of play. The only glitch I can think of is that some event selection graphical elements get stuck from time to time, but it hasn't majorly impeded gameplay.”
- “I have experienced minimal issues with stability; the game runs smoothly and consistently, allowing for an enjoyable experience.”
- “Overall, the stability of the game is impressive, with very few crashes or bugs reported during my extensive playtime.”
- “Too buggy to play.”
- “Also, it's buggy as hell, from the annoying (flares not disappearing after you select one) to the game-breaking (reaching 100% progress on the final tech but never having the event pop up).”
- “Early access is obvious in a few spots, especially the undercooked and buggy UI, but the Discord is plenty active and the devs are implementing community-submitted fixes and events, which gives me hope that this will be seeing a lot more polish.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is often described as relaxing and immersive, enhanced by gorgeous artwork and fitting music that create a captivating environment. Players appreciate the balance of engaging events and the complexity hidden within a simple interface, which contributes to a rich narrative experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a significant draw, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate a blend of tranquility and intriguing gameplay elements.
- “The atmosphere of the game is relaxing with events popping along just enough to keep you interested.”
- “The artwork is gorgeous, the music and atmosphere fitting, the dev team responsive, and so far updates have been regular and brought both a good amount of additional content and features requested by the community.”
- “The engaging artwork and well-written storytelling make for a wonderful atmospheric, narrative-based god game.”
- “If you like blankly staring into space and having exciting events like 'the atmosphere on planet whothefukcares got a bit thicker', you'll love this one!”
- “Shortly after, a gas mining accident released huge quantities of toxic gas into the atmosphere.”
- “My species of plant elves developed an AI so advanced that they began worshiping it as a god for a few thousand years until it decided they were obsolete and annihilated 99% of them with a memetic kill agent before it could be stopped, while on the other side of the galaxy my vulture people destroyed the atmosphere with their 6th coal war and wiped out all life on the planet, including themselves.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be deeply emotional, blending humor with poignant moments that evoke a range of feelings from heartbreak to hope. The narrative and decision-making elements foster strong emotional connections to the characters and civilizations, making for a compelling and heartfelt experience. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to deliver an emotionally intense journey, even in its early access stage.
- “In my opinion, this game is a masterpiece that, even while just being in early access, already delivers a coherent and somewhat emotional playthrough.”
- “A game has not made me feel this emotional without nostalgia in a very long time.”
- “The game is extremely emotionally intense, in dark, hopeful, and funny ways—all depending on the situation.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as feeling like a cash grab, with some users comparing it to an expensive mobile clicker game devoid of ads. While there is potential for improvement during early access, the current perception is that the game prioritizes profit over player enjoyment.
- “I don't normally say this (because I hate the monetization strategies used in most games), but I kind of think it would make a cool mobile game to play around with when you're on the bus or the train.”
- “However, this game is completely unenjoyable to play (which I cannot excuse) and on a good day, basically boils down to an expensive mobile clicker without ads.”
- “This can be fixed over early access if this isn't a flash cash grab.”
- “All evidence is that this is a cash grab on a subject near and dear to the dev's beliefs that will draw the interest of many.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the game's optimization is solid, with decent graphics and enjoyable performance, though some users note minor glitches. There are concerns about its potential to run on mobile devices, and players hope for further improvements as it transitions from early access.
- “The graphics are decent and the overall performance of the game is solid.”
- “(not sure if it could run on mobile due to optimization)”
- “A few glitches in performance notwithstanding, this is a largely enjoyable, immersive sim strategy that I hope evolves further as it emerges from early access into a complex and nuanced game with a hint more clarity for the late-stage multi-cultural civilization evolution.”