Towards The Stars
- March 4, 2021
- Peter Tkačov
Get on Steam"Towards the Stars" is a mining and ship management game where you are the captain of a mining ship, forced to leave your home world after it's destroyed by an asteroid. Your mission is to gather resources, upgrade your ship, and explore the galaxy to find a new home. With a zero gravity simulation, managing your ship's fuel, energy, and life support systems is crucial for long-term crew survival. The game also offers local multiplayer modes for up to 4 players.
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Reviews
- The game has a simple exterior but offers a lot of depth with many places to explore and technologies to discover.
- The developer is dedicated and responsive to community feedback, implementing changes quickly.
- Despite its flaws, the game has potential and an interesting concept that could be enjoyable with improvements.
- The controls and flight mechanics are frustratingly difficult, making progression nearly impossible.
- The tutorial is poorly designed, leaving players confused about gameplay mechanics.
- The game suffers from technical defects, including low-quality graphics and a lack of engaging content, leading to a lack of player interest.
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of testing, resulting in frustrating controls and poorly designed mechanics, such as problematic landings. Players have noted that the tutorial fails to adequately explain gameplay elements, and while there are intriguing mechanics hinted at, accessibility issues and rough graphics detract from the overall experience.
“The landings need balancing instead of the landing gears deploying and hitting the ground; maybe have the tutorial explain a bit better on the gameplay mechanics.”
“I can see there are many mechanics that might interest me later on, but if I can't access them because the controls are too difficult to use, I'll never know.”
“It's obvious the developer did no gameplay testing; nobody would make a game this annoying and difficult to play on purpose.”
“The landings need balancing instead of the landing gears deploying and hitting the ground. Maybe the tutorial should explain the gameplay mechanics better.”
“I can see there are many mechanics that might interest me later on, but if I can't access them because the controls are too difficult to use and the graphics make me physically ill, I'll never know.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as simple yet visually appealing, complemented by nice effects and a strong musical score. However, some players experience severe motion sickness due to spinning graphics, and the challenging controls detract from the overall experience, raising concerns about accessibility and gameplay enjoyment.
“While having simple graphics, it looks good and has nice effects, along with really good music. On top of that, there is one dedicated developer who keeps taking community feedback and implementing it really fast.”
“The controls are maddening (for instance, it's impossible to safely fly fast, but if you fly too slow and close, the landing gear deployment itself will push you away from your landing target) and the spinning graphics gave me severe motion sickness in a very short amount of time.”
“I can see there are many mechanics that might interest me later on (though there are also many spelling errors and rough edges that make me wonder how well the later mechanics might be implemented), but if I can't access them because the controls are too difficult to use and the graphics make me physically ill, I'll never know.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating, with progression often feeling nearly impossible and, when achievable, excessively tedious.
“Progression is practically impossible and, when it is possible, it's tedious.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks any meaningful reward.”
“Leveling up requires an excessive amount of time and effort, making it frustrating.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization of "Towards the Stars" is criticized as a cash grab, with a price of around $5 USD deemed unrealistic given the game's defects and shortcomings, especially when compared to numerous free, higher-quality alternatives available on Steam.
“Towards the Stars has a completely unrealistic cash grab price of around $5 USD. It's not worth it given the defects and shortcomings of the product, especially considering the sheer number of completely free, much higher quality games on Steam.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems more focused on squeezing money from players rather than providing a fair gaming experience.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind a paywall, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, complementing its simple yet appealing graphics and effects. Players appreciate the quality of the soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience, alongside the developer's responsiveness to community feedback.
“While having simple graphics, it looks good and has nice effects, and the music is really good. On top of that, there is one dedicated developer who keeps taking community feedback and implementing it really fast.”
