Underspace

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Underspace is an open-world sandbox RPG with a Lovecraftian twist, described as the spiritual successor to Freelancer. It offers a rich plot, expansive gameplay, and stunning visuals with a multi- and single-player experience. However, it is plagued by optimization issues and bugs, despite its vast setting of 114 handcrafted star systems, 204 stations, and 533 quests to explore.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 220 reviews

story7 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

Captures the essence of Freelancer with familiar gameplay mechanics and controls.
Offers a unique blend of cosmic horror elements, enhancing the exploration experience.
Frequent updates and active developer engagement show promise for future improvements.

Currently suffers from performance issues, including low frame rates and graphical glitches.
Lacks polish in audio and voice acting, with many lines being AI-generated and jarring.
The user interface is clunky and can be confusing, making navigation and gameplay less intuitive.

story
70 mentions
10 % positive mentions
86 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is described as intriguing and engaging, featuring elements of Lovecraftian horror and cosmic calamities, though it suffers from unclear quest markers and numerous bugs that hinder progression. While players appreciate the atmosphere and potential for future expansions, many express frustration with incomplete voice acting and convoluted dialogue that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative has promise but requires significant refinement and polish to fully realize its potential.
- “The story is interesting, and the eldritch portion of the gameplay is very fun, with lots of staples from Lovecraftian horror for fans of things that go bump in the night.”
- “Echoing the way the setting paints its alien races, the campaign – and the protagonist's personal story – is just as much about great cosmic calamities as it is about an individual going against expectations and the 'destiny' he is apparently meant to fulfill.”
- “The plot never feels too gratuitous in the turns it takes, and while some of them are not wholly unexpected, others leave you surprised without feeling like you were being asked to believe something too improbable or outlandish.”
- “The story feels like a direct imitation of Freelancer, with some assets looking like lower quality copies rather than original content.”
- “The quest and mission logs are unclear, making it difficult to follow the storyline.”
- “The story is not engaging; it has elements with real potential, but cutting about 80% wouldn't change much.”
graphics
51 mentions
18 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are dated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles like Freelancer. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and charm, others criticize the low fidelity and graphical glitches, suggesting that improvements are needed as the game is still in early access. Overall, the visuals may not meet modern standards, but they contribute to a unique atmosphere that some players find appealing.
- “Although the graphical fidelity is not comparable to photorealistic UE5 masterpieces, it creates a certain aesthetic that feels natural – and one that is made all the more engrossing when you see the eldritch appendages and things beyond alien that lurk in the chaos of underspatial storms.”
- “The art style is definitely harkening back to pre-2005 3D games.”
- “If you played Freelancer back in the day and want something close, this is the game from the sounds to the graphics – just awesome. I've only played for about 45 minutes and it already brings back memories from the old days. I can see big things for this game in the future and can't wait to play more this week/months.”
- “I understand the placeholders, I understand the slightly muted graphics, it is early access after all, but it's just not there yet.”
- “At most it's a 2010 game in terms of graphics but with 2024 system demands.”
- “The graphics are quite poor even with everything on max settings, but as far as gameplay, ships, weapons, story, and overall world is quite good.”
gameplay
40 mentions
30 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Underspace is a nostalgic homage to Freelancer, featuring solid mechanics and engaging dogfights that require spatial awareness. While the game captures a unique cosmic horror aesthetic and offers a variety of activities, it suffers from some rough edges and a lack of polish, with certain mechanics feeling underdeveloped. Overall, players find the core gameplay enjoyable, though some aspects could benefit from further refinement and innovation.
- “There is already a lot to see and do in the game, and the core gameplay is a lot of fun.”
- “The gameplay feels like a faster-paced Freelancer, which may or may not be your cup of tea; personally, I'd like it to be a bit slower.”
- “The worldbuilding is strong, the flying mechanics are very well-done, and dogfights are surprisingly precise - to the point where you can't rely on targeting reticles on the screen alone and actually have to engage your brain's spatial thinking to predict enemy maneuvers.”
- “The game is so desperate to throw genre tropes at you that you stop noticing them after an hour or two and only view them in mundane mechanical terms ever after.”
- “There is little to no voice acting, some interiors are platforms floating in the void bereft of walls or collisions, every ship in each manufacturer’s line-up looks essentially the same, the 'records' area remains sadly static even as great revelations occur during the campaign, and some gameplay systems are merely foundations for future content (like ship customization, crafting, and bars).”
- “Gameplay feels like it's in alpha stage right now.”
music
30 mentions
13 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it either inappropriate or lacking in quality, often describing it as repetitive or placeholder. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements, others feel it fails to match the serious tone of the gameplay, leading to a disconnect that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, there is a consensus that the soundtrack needs significant improvement to enhance immersion and align better with the game's themes.
- “The music you get hit with at the menu screen is amazing.”
- “It is a low-demanding (can play on potato), fast-paced (you won't snooze) space dogfight with awesome music, great story, and just a huge amount of stuff to do.”
- “Personally, I like the music and it does fit the environment; there are times when I wish the music was a little bit more intense during situations with urgency or dire situations.”
- “The music is horrid though.”
- “The music just seems kinda placeholdery, and oh man the engine noise is just... let's just say I hope that's addressed in the future haha!”
- “It doesn't fit; it doesn't support any sort of atmosphere build-up; again: I understand music taste is subjective, but this is just bad... I'm sorry.”
optimization
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting severe frame rate drops, crashes, and overall poor performance, especially given its dated graphics. While some users note improvements over time and acknowledge the game's potential, many still find it plagued by bugs and suboptimal performance, particularly in its early access state. Overall, the consensus is that while there are signs of progress, the game requires substantial optimization work to become fully playable.
- “It's early access, the WIP voices are machine-generated but functional, and, like others have reported, there are some performance issues that'll take rounding out.”
- “Till now I've played a bit more than what the demo had to offer, so far performance has improved a lot from before.”
- “It is early access and there's a fair amount of bugs and unoptimizations but given that it's a single developer doing it, what's here is what you want if you want a full space sim.”
- “I've had this game on my wish list for a while now, it looks amazing in the videos here on Steam and the reviews have been mostly positive... but... it's so disappointing. For a game that pitches itself as a successor to Freelancer, I didn't even manage to get to space before giving up after the frame rate dropped to 5 fps and the game continually crashed. Like some of the other reviews are noting, the performance of something that looks this dated is incredible, and not in a good way.”
- “Hopefully patches are incoming that will make it playable, but for now, performance is terrible.”
- “Most of all, the performance is terrible for how ancient this game looks.”
atmosphere
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Underspace is widely praised for its immersive and dense world-building, enhanced by engaging lore, well-crafted storms, and a nostalgic early 2000s 3D aesthetic. While some players feel the soundscapes and soundtrack could be improved, the game's ability to evoke a sense of loneliness and awe in deep space exploration resonates strongly with fans of the genre, making it a compelling experience for those seeking a true successor to Freelancer.
- “The universe of Underspace has a great atmosphere, and it's fun to discover more and more of its lore through side quests, NPC dialogue, in-game news bulletins, and simple exploration.”
- “My favorite parts are the storms and the ancient gates. I haven't gotten far in the game yet, but every time I enter a storm or a nebula, the atmosphere is just amazing.”
- “The lonely, awe-inspiring atmosphere of cruising through a forgotten system with no infrastructure, and noticing a patrol route into a thickly dense, cloudy nebula that nobody returns from.”
- “For me, the atmosphere is still lacking in terms of soundscapes, like vocal voices, voices in space when ships are communicating with each other, and the soundtrack is not matching at all for a space sim.”
- “While admittedly unimpressive in terms of graphics, this game offers a really deep and respectable atmosphere of its world - conveyed even without proper voice acting.”
- “At the moment of writing, this is a relatively generous, yet not complete content offering, but the important thing here - man, is this dense with atmosphere.”
stability
9 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as mission failures and graphical issues. While some users acknowledge the potential for improvement and appreciate the creative content, the current early access state is described as largely unplayable and frustrating. Overall, many reviewers advise against purchasing the game until these stability issues are addressed.
- “Very buggy, very little documentation.”
- “In its current early access state, the game is largely pointless to play as it's full of glitches and bugs, such as missions not updating, mission objects not spawning, and missions not completing when they should.”
- “This game is buggy, janky, and clunky at the best of times, but it won't be for long and most problems I've faced are visual, UI, and quality of life based.”
humor
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its offbeat and clever writing, with players enjoying the absurdity of scenarios like a marauder's dramatic demise. The game's satirical take on traditional space exploration mechanics, such as the use of hotkeys to bypass tedious travel, adds to its comedic appeal. Overall, the humor effectively enhances the experience, making it both entertaining and engaging.
- “The writing is also surprisingly good and funny in an offbeat way, and the eldritch horrors in space is a fun twist.”
- “The hotkeys to warp around stations to key points is a hilarious slap in the face to the big-budget station designers who think walking endlessly through vast empty locations and riding trains to nowhere to talk to people who sound idiotic is something we'd actually want to do.”
- “A marauder screaming 'I have a family' while exploding is pretty funny.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional impact from the game's storm battles, feeling a profound sense of vulnerability and danger that enhances the overall experience. The unexpected intensity of these moments contributes to a deep emotional engagement with the game.
- “I was genuinely not expecting to be so unsettled by the first storm you actually fight in; it made me feel small and in great danger.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making their struggles feel personal and relatable.”
- “I found myself tearing up during key moments of the story; the writing and voice acting brought the characters' emotions to life.”