The Spatials
- March 30, 2015
- Weird and Wry
- 33h median play time
Get on Steam"The Spatials" is a real-time strategy game with simulation and management elements. As the captain of a space station, you'll build and customize your base, manage your crew, and explore the galaxy in search of resources and adventure. Expect quirky humor, retro-futuristic aesthetics, and complex strategic challenges.
Reviews
- The game combines elements of base building, resource management, and exploration in a fun and engaging way.
- The graphics are colorful and charming, adding to the overall enjoyable atmosphere of the game.
- The humor and subtle jabs at the Star Trek franchise enhance the experience, making it a light-hearted and entertaining game.
- Gameplay can become repetitive over time, with missions and tasks feeling similar after a while.
- The tutorial lacks detail, leaving players to figure out mechanics on their own, which can be frustrating.
- Combat mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience.
- story120 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as lacking depth and feeling disconnected from the repetitive missions, which primarily revolve around combat and resource gathering. While the humorous and light-hearted narrative elements provide some charm, players find the missions monotonous and overly simplistic, often reducing the experience to a cycle of grinding for resources rather than engaging storytelling. Overall, the narrative serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay mechanics rather than a driving force, leading to a mixed reception regarding its effectiveness.
“It's got a wonderfully Star Trek aesthetic to it, the interface makes me warm and fuzzy inside, and the away missions are a nice game element that is rare if nonexistent in similar games.”
“The story is cute.”
“The decisions one makes, not only during the mission, but when giving weapons and augments to officers or choosing the properly outfitted officers for the mission are critical to their success.”
“Finally, the missions just feel disconnected from the story they're trying to convey.”
“It seems that the story is an afterthought more than anything.”
“The missions are difficult but not too difficult.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of intuitive mechanics and simplistic design, making it accessible yet often repetitive and lacking depth. While some players appreciate the casual nature and straightforward learning curve, others criticize the unsatisfying gameplay loop, ineffective tutorials, and a lack of challenge. Overall, the game offers a blend of strategy, management, and RPG elements, but many feel it falls short of delivering a compelling experience.
“However, this one plays differently; it has all the functions a game like this has, but it is much easier to navigate, understand the mechanics, and the gameplay is much more intuitive than I expected.”
“The gameplay is straightforward, easy to learn, and enjoyable.”
“Relaxing gameplay - while you can still lose, you can enjoy every aspect of the game to its fullest without biting your nails like it is an ironman impossible XCOM run.”
“The tutorial is cheap, the gameplay is not intuitive, the UI could really be done better.”
“There is no real challenge, and no depth to the gameplay.”
“Everything you 'unlock' is basically the same exact thing as the thing you just had, so the base gameplay you will experience pretty much in full at the first solar system.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as colorful, cute, and well-polished, with a retro isometric style that evokes nostalgia for 90s simulation games. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and humorous elements, others criticize the repetitiveness and simplicity of the graphics, noting issues like 'copy & paste' assets and a lack of aesthetic appeal in certain areas. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's light-hearted atmosphere, despite some mixed opinions on their execution.
“The graphics are nice and friendly, and the game runs well even on my older and outdated laptop.”
“Pleasant, isometric 3D graphics - very nice and colorful, with plenty of goofy looking guys and animals.”
“In spite of the cutesy graphics, there are a lot of systems to sink your teeth into.”
“Ugly graphics.”
“Nice idea, but extremely repetitive gameplay, and messy graphics.”
“Your station ends up being not aesthetically pleasing at all.”
- grinding19 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious and repetitive over time, with many players finding resource farming and gear acquisition to feel like a chore. While some appreciate the depth of managing resources and crew, others feel that the lack of a crafting system and the straightforward leveling mechanics contribute to a sense of monotony. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly among players, with some enjoying it while others find it disappointing and boring.
“Finished it in 24 hours, final boss took some grinding and running around like crazy, which made it particularly annoying.”
“However, acquiring new gear for your soldiers can be tedious at times and it lacks a weapon/gear crafting option; if it had that, it would definitely be better.”
“The grinding is really obvious too - enemies are just 'pirate (lvl 10)', weapons are 'phaser (lvl 10)', the buildings & activities have different names, but it's obvious that each level is just an improved version of the previous level.”
- music16 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and stylish quality, effectively complementing the sci-fi theme without being intrusive. While many players find the soundtrack enjoyable and immersive, some note that it can become repetitive and annoying during extended play sessions, leading them to turn it off in favor of their own music. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, though opinions vary on its longevity and impact during long gameplay.
“The soundtrack is not intrusive nor prominent (unless you blast that sh!t on max volume) and if you close your eyes, you might just find yourself drifting somewhere in space and chilling in your capsule - try it.”
“The excellent soundtrack is amazing.”
“Wonderful music to fit the whole sci-fi theme.”
“The soundtrack is not intrusive nor prominent (unless you blast it on max volume), and if you close your eyes, you might just find yourself drifting somewhere in space and chilling in your capsule - try it.”
“Atmospheric and stylish soundtrack that isn't annoying.”
“I turned off the music because I wanted to play my own, but for the short amount of time I had it on, it was enjoyable.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, featuring clever puns, light-hearted storytelling, and amusing jabs at the Star Trek franchise, which contribute to an enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the funny dialogues and entertaining missions, although some feel that the humor can become repetitive over time. Overall, the game's humor adds a charming layer to its gameplay, despite mixed feelings about other aspects like base building and game design.
“I also appreciated the humor and subtle jabs at the Star Trek franchise.”
“Funny storyline, enjoyable challenging combat, relaxed base building, bagelheads, good balance of action and management.”
“It's easy to understand, has some funny puns and dialogues, and lots of pirates you can 'eliminate'.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with around 40 hours of gameplay enriched by randomly generated solar systems and resources, encouraging players to adapt to new challenges. While some may find the grind repetitive, many players appreciate the depth and variety that enhance the overall experience, making it appealing to both avid and casual gamers.
“Great replayability - all the systems in the game are randomly generated, making you adapt to the start that you are given.”
“If you want a casual game that doesn't take itself seriously, with goofy stuff, pretty graphics, lots of great gameplay, and very decent replayability, this game is for you.”
“Honestly, this game has a lot of depth, and after 6 hours of playing I still feel like I'm only 1/4 of the way to the end game (maybe?) and there's a lot of replayability, unless you don't like the grind and repetitiveness.”
“The replayability comes from the randomly generated solar systems, resources, and base-building.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report no performance issues or crashes, others feel that it lacks depth in planning and could benefit from further optimization improvements.
“Haven't run into a single performance issue yet; no crashes or FPS drops.”
“The game doesn't allow you to do much planning or optimization.”
“This could use some optimization.”
“It could use some optimization, but there has never been a perfect game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is generally enjoyable, but players have noted that it has some bugs that affect its stability.
“The game is enjoyable, but it suffers from numerous bugs that disrupt the experience.”
“I encountered frequent crashes that made it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
“There are too many glitches that affect stability, making it frustrating to play.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is enhanced by a stylish and atmospheric soundtrack that complements the gameplay without becoming intrusive or annoying.
“The atmospheric and stylish soundtrack enhances the immersive experience without becoming overwhelming.”
“The game creates a captivating atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you engaged.”
“Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that makes exploring the world a true delight.”
