Underspace

About

Underspace is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a horror theme. It was developed by Pastaspace Interactive and was released on April 10, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Get the full version on Steam! Join our Discord! Inspired by classic space games, Underspace is an open-world space arcade dogfighting game, where every star system is crafted by hand, and every star system has something to see or do. Jump into the bizarre galaxy of Croft, step into the role you want, and thrive alone or online with friends. But beware! The storms rule the stars. Be a miner picki…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 440 reviews

story14 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

Captures the essence of Freelancer with familiar gameplay mechanics and controls.
Offers a unique Lovecraftian twist with engaging cosmic horror elements and interesting quests.
The developer is responsive and actively working on updates, showing promise for future improvements.

Currently suffers from performance issues, bugs, and unpolished graphics that detract from the experience.
Voice acting is mostly AI-generated, which can break immersion and feels out of place.
The user interface and overall navigation can be confusing, making it difficult to follow the story and manage gameplay.

story
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
86%
4%
The story of the game is described as intriguing, featuring elements of Lovecraftian horror and cosmic calamities, but it suffers from significant issues such as unclear quest logs, incomplete voice acting, and numerous bugs that hinder progression. While the main narrative is engaging and offers a variety of missions, many players feel it lacks polish and coherence, with some suggesting a need for a rework to enhance its appeal. Overall, the potential for a captivating storyline exists, but it is currently marred by technical problems and a convoluted presentation.
- “But the story is intriguing and the main conceit of shooting giant eldritch abominations in the face makes me happy.”
- “The story is interesting and the eldritch portion of the gameplay is very fun, 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 story reeks of ChatGPT; some text lines are straight up gibberish and the voice acting is terrible at best.”
- “Trainwiz removed the AI voicelines in the demo and, as a result, the story has become nigh impossible to follow.”
- “Rework the story; it's just not engaging. You have elements in it that have some real potential, but you could cut about 80% and it wouldn't really change much.”
graphics
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
74%
8%
The graphics of "Underspace" have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are subpar, often likening them to those of older games like "Freelancer." While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and charm, others criticize the low fidelity and graphical glitches, suggesting that the visuals need significant improvement, especially given the game's early access status. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's atmosphere but fall short of modern standards, leaving room for enhancement as development continues.
- “Even though Underspace is early access, the graphics, gameplay, and mechanics are pretty polished.”
- “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.”
- “I like it, but then I still play 90s Doom, so I'm tolerant of older graphics as long as the artistic style is solid - and Underspace manages a good visual appeal pretty well for all its clunky models and low-res textures, making great use of the sort of fog obscurement popular at the time and leaning into the limitations of a low poly, low distance style to get the best out of a close, almost claustrophobic kind of deep space.”
- “At most it's a 2010 game in terms of graphics but with 2024 system demands.”
- “Voiced with an AI, graphics worse than in Freelancer - a 21-year-old game.”
- “What bothers me is the graphics, the sounds, and the models being uncannily similar to what I remember from Freelancer (stations in particular). I really hope the dev will focus on that next; the game has a lot of potential, and I bought it to support the work, please don't make me regret it.”
gameplay
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The gameplay of "Underspace" is a nostalgic homage to the classic "Freelancer," featuring solid mechanics and engaging flying controls, though some players find it a bit too fast-paced and twitchy. While the game is still in early access and exhibits some rough edges, it offers a rich sandbox experience with a variety of jobs and an interesting cosmic horror setting. Overall, the core gameplay is enjoyable, but it could benefit from further polish and refinement.
- “There is already a lot to see and do in the game, and the core gameplay is a lot of fun.”
- “The gameplay is fairly straightforward and easy to pick up (albeit skill is required so get your aim on!) and the ambient leaves you speechless (seriously, go explore some places and bask in the glory).”
- “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 and take into account their current speed and ship tonnage.”
- “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
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
80%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it either inappropriate or lacking in quality, often describing it as placeholder or not fitting the game's serious tone. While some appreciate the menu music and its whimsical elements, others feel it detracts from the overall atmosphere and immersion, suggesting a need for more suitable soundtracks that align with the space setting. Overall, the soundtrack appears to require significant improvement to enhance the gaming experience.
- “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 where I did wish the music was a little bit more intense during situations with urgency or dire situations.”
- “The music is horrid though.”
- “Right off the bat, here's an essential tip: replace the horrible mood-killer off-topic in-game music with a dark space ambient track.”
- “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
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
57%
31%
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 express frustration with the current state, citing numerous bugs and unoptimized features. As it is still in early access, there are hopes for future patches to enhance performance.
- “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.”
- “Performance... well, it's nicely playable on my 1050.”
- “Till now I've played a bit more than what the demo had to offer, so far performance has improved a lot from before.”
- “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
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The atmosphere of Underspace is widely praised for its depth and immersive quality, enhanced by engaging lore, exploration, and iconic visuals reminiscent of early 2000s 3D games. Players appreciate the awe-inspiring moments, such as navigating storms and nebulae, although some note a lack of soundscapes and a mismatched soundtrack for a space sim. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of loneliness and wonder, making it a strong recommendation for fans of atmospheric deep space experiences.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “I don't know if you could really pull an atmosphere like this off by going for anything other than an early 2000s 3D look; it's iconic in its own way and massively impacts how the universe is presented.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and unresponsive missions that hinder gameplay. While some players note that it has potential and creative content, the current early access state is described as largely unplayable due to these issues. Overall, many reviewers recommend waiting for further updates and fixes before purchasing.
- “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.”
- “Weird glitches here and there—like when you save, sometimes your ship is locked and you can't move... so you have to press escape twice in a row to get it to work again.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 explosion. The game's satirical take on traditional game design, particularly through its efficient hotkey system, adds to its comedic appeal. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.
- “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
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional impact during intense moments, particularly highlighting the first storm encounter, which evokes feelings of vulnerability and danger, leaving them unsettled and immersed in the experience.
- “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.”