Unending Galaxy
- January 29, 2015
- Anarkis Gaming
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Unending Galaxy" is a space-sim and 4X strategy game set in a vast, dynamic universe with 10 factions and 90 ships. Explore, trade, build, and fight your way to carving out your own empire or become a powerful pirate. The game includes multiple hand-crafted and procedurally generated maps with hundreds of sectors and thousands of NPCs for sandbox gameplay. Control multiple ships and switch between them at will.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a promising concept of starting with one ship and building an empire, reminiscent of the X series, with a variety of gameplay styles including trading, piracy, and fleet management.
- The AI is commendable, providing a challenging experience, and the game allows for significant player agency with options for automation and different play styles.
- The graphics, while simple, are visually appealing, and the game has a lot of potential for modding, allowing players to customize their experience.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, which can severely disrupt gameplay and immersion, leading to frustration for players.
- The user interface is clunky and difficult to navigate, making it hard for players to manage their fleets and understand game mechanics, especially for newcomers.
- There is a steep learning curve due to a lack of comprehensive tutorials and documentation, leaving players feeling lost and overwhelmed at times.
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of impressive simulation elements and emergent mechanics, allowing players to choose between various playstyles, from solo piracy to managing a large empire. However, it suffers from significant bugs, including crashes and glitched menus, which can detract from the experience. While the game lacks polish and clarity in its mechanics, many players find it entertaining and engaging, especially if they are willing to explore and learn through trial and error.
“The simulation aspect and variance of scale of the gameplay (you can be a solo pirate or run a huge empire) is impressive. There are a lot of honestly quite trashy games that just throw completely independent systems at you and expect you to grind through them with each one being the same and having no interaction.”
“This game, while lacking polish, has that element of a real world to it. While neither its basic gameplay nor simulation is perfect, it entertained me for many hours.”
“To me, the game is great. I've had quite a bit of fun just trying out different starts and seeing what the gameplay has to offer both on the 4X end and the sim end.”
“Bugs include crashing, glitched menus, glitched sound, glitched gameplay.”
“Another issue is the UI takes some time to get the hang of, and finally the game lacks clarity on a lot of its mechanics which forced me to test a lot of stuff to figure out how exactly some of the game worked.”
“While for me personally, I felt it was fine and was able to easily figure out whatever was not answered in the tutorial simply by playing, I do understand that this is an issue for those not used to this type of gameplay.”
- story11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is characterized by a series of missions that often feel disconnected from the factions' diplomatic relationships, leading to a lack of clarity in mission progress. While there are well-crafted events and a rich universe that hints at deeper storytelling, players express a desire for more exploration and meaningful connections between missions and faction dynamics. Overall, the potential for a more engaging narrative is evident, but it remains underdeveloped in the current version.
“Events are well thought out, and provide good universe storytelling. I haven't seen all of them, but I hope there are more in future updates.”
“There is so much potential for exploration that the dev has not yet explored in the current version; scouting/exploration quests would be really nice.”
“Other reviews seem to tell the same story.”
“There is also a very in-depth weapons system, and quests for factions with real rewards and a multitude of ships to play with.”
“No connection between doing missions for a faction and their diplomatic feelings towards you.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and random freezes that detract from the overall experience. While some players find it moderately playable and appreciate the ongoing patches, the consensus is that the game remains too buggy for a strong recommendation. Players are advised to try the demo or older versions first, as they also exhibit similar issues.
“If the game was not so buggy, I would recommend it.”
“I like the game, but the random freezes just ruin it, and I don't think it will be fixed.”
“It's a neat idea, but it's too buggy and incomplete.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature simple 2D sprites that enhance clarity during gameplay, complemented by a recent content and graphical update that significantly improves its overall aesthetic. While the visuals may not be cutting-edge and rely on non-original assets, the variety in aesthetics across different races and the appealing design of planets contribute positively to the game's charm. Some players have experienced graphical issues, but using legacy modes can help mitigate these problems.
“Now is an especially good time to buy, seeing as there was just a big content update as well as a superb graphical update which really improves the overall look and feel of the game.”
“The aesthetics of the different races are also enjoyable, showing a remarkable amount of variety that you do not see with other games.”
“It doesn't have cutting edge 3D graphics, but the aesthetic still feels great; the art is smooth yet crisp.”
“The graphics are simple, 2D sprites, which can make it easier to clearly identify what is happening on the screen.”
“There is one thing to be aware of though, and that is the graphics.”
“If you experience a lot of crashes and graphical oddities like I did, try the DirectX 9 legacy mode; it helped me.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as beautiful and fitting for the adventure, though some players find it standard for an indie studio. While there are minor issues with sound effects, particularly ship firing noises, the overall soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience and is considered enjoyable by many.
“The music is incredible though...great beat to conquer the galaxy to.”
“I feel the music is standard for a small indie studio and I feel the sound effects could be better, but neither really detract from the gameplay and they are satisfactory.”
“However, there is never an issue with the music muffling firing sounds if they do work.”
“I feel the music is standard for a small indie studio, and I think the sound effects could be better, but neither really detracts from the gameplay; they are satisfactory.”
“Music is fine; I personally am not crazy about it, but I see its appeal.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and lacking in variety, with limited ship classes and bland maps contributing to a repetitive experience. The empire management and faction growth are seen as cumbersome, while the lack of upgrades and meaningful progression in roles like trader or bounty hunter diminishes the sense of achievement. Overall, the grinding feels more like a chore than an engaging part of gameplay.
“There are very few ship classes, and races usually fight late game with fleets of 5-15 ships apiece. The ships feel like paper, there is little variety in weapons, and no way to upgrade armor or thrusters (that I know of). Maps are kind of bland, and there is no way to join an existing faction. Growing your own faction is very tedious.”
“The empire management is very tedious when you start erecting stations.”
“Actually controlling your forces is tedious and feels wonky most of the time.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight the strong replayability of "Unending Galaxy" due to its diverse starting scenarios, handcrafted maps, and a procedural map generator, which together create a wide range of gameplay experiences. The challenging AI further enhances the game's replay value, making it enjoyable to revisit.
“Although the learning curve on this game is somewhat high due to a lack of current or complete documentation (still in development), I find Unending Galaxy (UG) to be a refreshing 4X game with a challenging AI, a broad spectrum of potential scenarios, and just plain fun to play.”
“There are 11 starting scenarios, 7 total handcrafted non-tutorial maps, a procedural map generator, and a faction customizer which ends up offering a lot of replayability.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the game offers good value for its price, players note that it requires significant optimization to run smoothly on older hardware.
“This game is well worth the nine dollars I paid for it; however, it could use some serious optimizations for older hardware.”
