The Spatials

About

The Spatials is a single player role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Weird and Wry and was released on March 30, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 376 reviews

story26 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

The game combines various genres, including base building, resource management, and RPG elements, providing a unique and engaging experience.
The graphics are colorful and charming, contributing to a fun and light-hearted atmosphere.
The gameplay is addictive and offers a good level of challenge, especially in managing crew needs and completing missions.

The game can become repetitive quickly, with missions often feeling similar and lacking variety.
There are issues with the tutorial and UI, making it difficult for new players to understand certain mechanics.
Combat mechanics are clunky and simplistic, leading to a lack of depth in the action-oriented aspects of the game.

story
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
81%
8%
The game's story is often perceived as an afterthought, with missions feeling disconnected from the overarching narrative. While the humorous and quirky elements add charm, the repetitive nature of the missions—primarily focused on combat and resource gathering—detracts from engagement. Players appreciate the Star Trek aesthetic and character progression, but many express a desire for more diverse and meaningful story-driven content to enhance the overall experience.
- “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.”
- “When it feels repetitive, just try to get into the storyline and it'll liven it up.”
- “Finally, the missions just feel disconnected with the story they're trying to convey.”
- “It seems that the story is an afterthought more than anything.”
- “The missions generate tons of useless garbage that all needs to be handled in a similar way.”
gameplay
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
80%
4%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it unsatisfying due to a repetitive loop, lack of challenge, and a poorly designed tutorial. While the mechanics are simple and easy to learn, they often feel shallow and monotonous, with little depth or innovation. However, some players appreciate the casual nature of the game, noting its enjoyable graphics and decent replayability, making it suitable for those seeking a relaxed gaming experience.
- “Considering it cost me next to nothing as I purchased it in a package with the follow-up game 'Spatials Galactology', I reckon 60 hours of gameplay is definitely value for money.”
- “Relaxing gameplay - while you can still lose, you can still enjoy every aspect of the game to its fullest without biting your nails like it is an ironman impossible XCOM run.”
- “The gameplay is straightforward, easy to learn, and enjoyable.”
- “The tutorial is cheap, the gameplay is not intuitive, and 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.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
46%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the colorful and cute aesthetic reminiscent of retro games, while others criticize them as simplistic or messy. Many highlight the pleasing art style and polished visuals, despite noting that the 3D rendering is not groundbreaking. Overall, the graphics are described as charming and suitable for casual gameplay, though opinions vary on their quality and effectiveness in enhancing the gaming experience.
- “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 visuals are pleasant to look at.”
- “Pleasant, isometric 3D graphics - very nice and colorful, with plenty of goofy looking guys and animals.”
- “Ugly graphics.”
- “Nice idea, but extremely repetitive gameplay, and messy graphics.”
- “On missions, the graphics are Nintendo 8-bit like!”
grinding
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive over time, particularly during resource farming and gear acquisition. While some appreciate the depth of managing resources and crew, others feel that the grinding becomes a chore, especially in the absence of crafting options and more engaging mechanics. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for those who embrace grinding, but it may deter players seeking a more dynamic gameplay experience.
- “Finished it in 24 hours, the final boss took some grinding and running around like crazy, which made it particularly annoying.”
- “The grinding is really obvious too - enemies are just 'pirate (lvl 10)', weapons are 'phaser (lvl 10)', the buildings and activities have different names, but it's obvious that each level is just an improved version of the previous level.”
- “Tldr: disappointing, boring, and tedious base builder that disappoints the hardest of hardcore base building genre fans.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
19%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its excellent and atmospheric soundtrack, which complements the sci-fi theme effectively. While many players find it enjoyable and fitting, some note that it can become repetitive and annoying during extended play sessions, leading them to turn it off. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, enhancing the game's ambiance despite some criticisms of its limited variety.
- “The excellent soundtrack is amazing.”
- “Wonderful music to fit the whole sci-fi theme.”
- “Some of the best music and ambient tracks I came across.”
- “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.”
- “The soundtrack is not intrusive nor prominent (unless you blast that 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 going on the nerves.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, featuring clever puns, light-hearted storytelling, and amusing jabs at franchises like Star Trek. Players appreciate the funny dialogue and entertaining missions, although some feel that the humor can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of engaging combat and whimsical elements contributes to a fun gaming experience, despite some criticisms regarding the game's design and management aspects.
- “I also appreciated the humor and subtle jabs at the Star Trek franchise.”
- “It's easy to understand, has some funny puns and dialogues, and lots of pirates you can 'eliminate'.”
- “I love the adorable graphics and light-hearted humor.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
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 it features depth and variety, some may find the grind and repetitiveness off-putting. Overall, it appeals to both avid gamers and casual fans looking for engaging, lighthearted gameplay.
- “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.”
- “The game provides around 40 hours of gameplay with enough replay value to make it worth its price tag to any avid gamer out there and even more to casual fans.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report no performance issues such as crashes or frame rate drops, others feel that the game lacks depth in planning and optimization features. There is a consensus that improvements could be made, but it's acknowledged that no game is without its flaws.
- “Haven't run into a single performance issue yet, no crashes, 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.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally enjoyable, but players have noted that it has some bugs that affect stability.
- “Nice game-- a little buggy but fun to play.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by an atmospheric and stylish soundtrack that complements the experience without becoming intrusive or annoying.
- “The atmospheric and stylish soundtrack enhances the overall experience without becoming annoying.”