The Last Starship
- February 14, 2023
- Introversion Software
- 57h median play time
Get on Steam"The Last Starship" is a sci-fi strategy survival game where players must build and manage a last surviving starship. Gather resources, manage systems, and navigate through procedurally generated galaxies, facing challenges and enemies along the way. The game features crafting, building, and exploration mechanics, with an emphasis on survival and resource management in a procedurally generated universe.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a solid foundation with a lot of potential for future updates and improvements.
- Ship building and customization are enjoyable, allowing for creative designs and strategies.
- The developers have a good track record and are actively engaging with the community for feedback.
- Currently lacks content, with repetitive missions and limited gameplay mechanics.
- The user interface is clunky and not very intuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate.
- There are numerous bugs and performance issues that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and crew pathfinding problems.
- story93 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is currently underdeveloped, with players expressing a desire for more structured narrative elements and varied missions. While the introduction of new story missions provides some sense of purpose, many quests feel repetitive and lack depth, leading to a mixed reception regarding the overall storytelling experience. As the game is still in alpha, players are hopeful for future updates that will enhance the narrative and mission variety.
“The new story missions tie the game together, providing a sense of purpose as you fly around upgrading your ship and crew.”
“I liked how I was faced with a moral choice in the mission, and it would be great if future story missions would force you to make tough decisions.”
“I want to uncover the story and find out what is happening and what happens next.”
“The story isn't complete.”
“Currently in game the story is limited to run away from the void, and the tiddles (a Star Trek tribble knockoff, that often breaks the game) quest in the second sector, that is it.”
“As far as storyline there is almost absolutely nothing here.”
- gameplay66 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is engaging and offers a unique mix of ship management and construction mechanics, though it currently suffers from a lack of depth and clarity, particularly in tutorials and core mechanics. While the foundational gameplay loop is functional and enjoyable, many players find it frustrating due to bugs, incomplete features, and a confusing interface. Overall, the game shows promise but is still in early access, requiring further development to fully realize its potential.
“Even in its alpha stage, the game is captivating and thought-provoking, providing a unique and engaging gameplay experience.”
“The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is smooth, making it easy to lose track of time while playing.”
“But that core gameplay loop is awesome.”
“The tutorial is basically non-existent; docking is next to impossible (they also don't explain you can dock) and mechanics are not properly explained.”
“The problem is that mechanically there's nothing here that other games such as Cosmoteer or Space Haven don't do better or smoother.”
“Many basic game mechanics are missing; you can't trade anything between your own ships.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as simple and somewhat rough, with many placeholder elements and a lack of polish typical of early access titles. While some users appreciate the aesthetic and find it fitting for the game's scale, others note that the visuals can feel barebones and are accompanied by gameplay bugs. Overall, the graphics are a mixed bag, with potential for improvement as development progresses.
“The graphics, oh sweet celestial bodies!”
“The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is smooth, making it easy to lose track of time while playing.”
“Good graphics and sound effects.”
“Being in early access, it is of course still rough aesthetically and with some gameplay bugs like loading saves.”
“You will find placeholder graphics here and there, and overall it's still a bit barebones.”
“Yes, it is early access and very early in development, so you won't see a totally polished game yet and you will see a lot of boxes which are placeholder graphics.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is currently a significant issue, with numerous bugs affecting core mechanics like combat and controls, leading to a frustrating experience for some players. While it is still enjoyable for others, the early access nature means players should expect crashes, potential save file issues, and incomplete features. Overall, while the game shows promise, its stability remains a major concern.
“Very buggy and not ignorable bugs either.”
“The new 'battle stations' button is so buggy - disappearing even when it should show up - that the combat mechanic is basically just gone.”
“The only caution I can give you is that if you are unfamiliar with early access games, it is still in development and can be buggy; it can crash at any time; not have all the features of the finished game; and your save games can stop working or be deleted from version to version.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the construction and building mechanics are engaging and challenging, some elements, like ship repairs and management, can become tedious. There is a desire for more systems and components to enhance gameplay and reduce the feeling of grind. Balancing complexity with ease of use remains a key concern for players.
“Of course there are some bugs; the biggest one I noticed was ships that, even though they are repaired, don't return to 100% health. Trying to build new ships and getting rid of the old is a tedious process.”
“It will be hard to strike a good balance between the quality of the simulation and the ease of building ships, while not making something that is 'tedious' instead of 'hard'.”
“The construction and building elements are worked in wonderfully to where it is just complicated enough to be a challenge, but not so complicated that it becomes tedious.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game shows potential for replayability, particularly in its rogue-like spaceship mechanics, it currently lacks substantial content and features due to its early development stage. Users have experienced random crashes and issues with contracts, which further limit the overall replay value at this time.
“Alpha 8: I got the game while it was on offer, and it's much better than the free weekend. There are still random crashes, so save often. It's far more playable now.”
“It's in very early stages of development, so there isn't a huge amount of content or replayability yet.”
“The emphasis now should be on mirroring the replayability of previous titles while still capturing the FTL rogue-like spaceship scenario.”
“It's in very early stages of development, so there isn't a huge amount of content or replayability.”
“Alpha 8: I got the game while it was on offer and it's much better than the free weekend. There are still random crashes, so save often. It's far more playable, but I'm still not sure if contracts are working right; they mention other systems, but yet there are none.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its funny issues and charismatic developers, Chris and Mark, who engage players through entertaining dev-diary videos. Players particularly enjoy the "tiddlets mission," a humorous nod to Star Trek, and express anticipation for more comedic content in future updates.
“I am so glad to see this game is getting frequent updates, each coming with a dev diary update video on YouTube from the funny and charismatic developers Chris and Mark at Introversion.”
“The Tiddlets mission is the highlight of the game so far, a funny reference to Star Trek, and I look forward to them adding many more of these fun episodes as you go through the game (which I really hope are coming soon).”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has raised suspicions among some players, with concerns that it may be perceived as a cash grab or an asset flip, despite a genuine appreciation for the game's initial appeal.
“I liked the game enough originally that I'm willing to dedicate all four of my brain cells to believing this game has not been an asset flip or a cash grab.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for poor performance as players progress, leading to frequent crashes and a lack of engaging combat. Additionally, there is insufficient feedback on system mechanics, contributing to an overall unsatisfactory experience.
“Poor performance as your ship grows; crashes all the time. Combat is rather bland, and there is a lack of feedback on how systems work.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, especially during intense battles, making it frustrating to play.”
“Optimization issues lead to long loading times and frequent stuttering, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's music effectively complements its pacing, creating a relaxing yet exciting atmosphere that enhances the player's experience as they navigate through a galaxy in decline. The soundtrack aligns well with the game's mood, encouraging a chill and enjoyable gameplay experience.
“The game will force me/you forward to be the literal 'last starship' as the galaxy is slowly consumed behind you/me, yet, confusingly, the game's pacing is quite relaxing. The exciting music follows the mood, creating a chill and enjoyable play experience at its forefront.”
