Tiny Space Academy

About

Tiny Space Academy is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Full Orbit Games LLC and was released on March 25, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Tiny Space Academy is a 2D space sim where you can design and build custom rockets to explore a diverse solar system. With over 70 components, create unique spacecraft to land on a variety of planets and moons, each with unique mass, atmosphere, and terrain challenges. The game offers a campaign mode with budget management and a sandbox mode for pure gravity-based fun.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game is easy to understand and quick to learn, making it suitable for beginners interested in rocket building and launch.
It has a colorful and cheerful interface, and the game is actively being developed with potential for future updates.
Players find it enjoyable and satisfying to learn orbital mechanics, with a strong 'just one more go' factor.

The game suffers from poor physics and glitches, particularly on MACOS, making it difficult to play.
Instructions are not well explained, and the UI for rocket staging is frustrating, leading to a challenging user experience.
The game requires a more powerful computer to run smoothly, and many players feel it lacks depth compared to more established titles like KSP.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The game's story is minimal and often feels disconnected from the gameplay, with players noting a lack of narrative depth despite spending significant time in campaign mode. Mission failures do not carry consequences, which some players find detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the story aspect appears to be underdeveloped and not a central focus of the game.
- “10/10 - after 41 hours, a little story -”
- “There's no consequence for a mission failure such as rocket or astronaut cost as far as I can tell.”
- “Not in the mission plan, not something I even knew was in the game when I planned the mission.”
- “I'm stuck on the third mission because I cannot figure out what my rocket needs for reentry once the module has made one full orbit around the Earth.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The gameplay is praised for its engaging graphics and effective teaching of orbital mechanics, making it suitable for beginners interested in space simulation. However, some users find the orbital mechanics challenging and suggest that players might prefer established titles like Kerbal Space Program for a more comprehensive experience. The game's 2D plane universe simplifies space travel mechanics, making it more accessible.
- “Great game, graphics are good, and the orbital mechanics are great.”
- “Super good game, I recommend it. It helps you learn orbital mechanics and is good for beginners who want to play games like Space Flight Simulator and Kerbal Space Program.”
- “Orbital mechanics are way too difficult; just play KSP like everyone else suggests.”
- “It's also in a 2D plane universe, so space travel mechanics don't require as much comprehension.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Users highlight the game's atmospheric mechanics, particularly the interaction with Martian and exo-atmospheric environments, which adds depth to the gameplay. However, some players have reported issues following updates that affect their ability to launch rockets effectively, impacting their overall experience.
- “This is how I discovered exo-atmospheric braking is better than excess fuel when de-orbiting.”
- “But, just as I was about to scrub, I noticed the ship's trajectory skimmed the outer Martian atmosphere before the ship went flying into the deep black forever.”
- “Also, after an update happened, I am now unable to launch my rocket high enough out of the atmosphere to obtain orbit.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with users noting that they are good and that the game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware. However, there have been reports of issues, such as stationary planets at launch, which may affect the overall experience.
- “Great game, the graphics are impressive and the orbital mechanics are great.”
- “I recommend you buy this game for both the long-term playtime and the low price. The graphics run smoothly even on my 8th gen i3 Intel chip with integrated UHD graphics.”
- “The graphics are outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
- “The visual effects are underwhelming and do not match the expectations set by modern games.”
- “The character models look flat and lifeless, which detracts from the overall experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is hindered by poor instruction clarity and notable glitches on the macOS version, which significantly impact the overall gameplay experience.
- “Instructions are not explained well, and there are glitches on the macOS version that make it difficult to play.”