Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls

About

Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls is a single-player space exploration and combat game. You are stranded in an abandoned space station and must navigate dangerous threats while trying to repair and escape. Featuring a dynamic narrative, resource management, and strategic combat, Zero Falls offers a rich and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls screenshot

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 606 reviews

story30 positive mentions

stability44 negative mentions

The game features a unique damage model that allows for detailed ship destruction and repair mechanics, enhancing the gameplay experience.
Ship customization is extensive, allowing players to design their ships piece by piece, which adds depth and creativity to the game.
The humor and personality of the AI companion provide an entertaining narrative element that keeps players engaged.

The game is still in early access and suffers from numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues that can hinder gameplay.
The user interface is often criticized for being unintuitive and difficult to navigate, making it challenging for new players to learn the game.
Progression can feel grindy and repetitive, with a lack of clear direction or content leading to frustration for some players.

story
206 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
77%
9%
The game's story is currently plagued by numerous bugs and incomplete quests, leading to frustrating experiences for players trying to progress. While some find the narrative engaging and humorous, many report that the quest system is broken and requires specific actions to avoid game-breaking issues. Overall, the story shows potential but is hindered by its early access state, making it more suitable for those interested in sandbox gameplay rather than a polished narrative experience.
- “The story seems interesting, and I really liked the style of humor presented.”
- “I enjoyed designing ships, refining designs over each battle, testing new systems and I found the storyline to be fairly interesting.”
- “The story is good and gives you some time to get accustomed to it all and the ship-editor, though definitely something they haven't had time to work over yet, still is nothing short of fantastic.”
- “The main issue is storyline bugs, but that is something I can kind of understand being in early access.”
- “There's multiple game-breaking bugs in the main story questline, some of them fixed by community mods... but they actually need to be fixed by community mods and there's no mechanism like a console to reset that kind of stuff.”
- “At the time of this review, the story is incomplete, and many of the missions are a bit buggy.”
gameplay
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
6%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics, such as ship repair and design, but is marred by numerous bugs, unfinished features, and a lack of depth in the overall experience. While some players find the core mechanics engaging and the shipbuilding system intricate, many express frustration over the game's unbalanced systems and repetitive nature. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant development to reach its full potential, making it a mixed experience for players at this stage.
- “I am personally enjoying the gameplay loop and the intricacy of the spaceship building system in this game.”
- “Despite that, the game already has a lot to offer and the core gameplay is complex and good fun once you get the hang of things.”
- “Once you look past the bugs and learn the intricacies of the combat mechanics and ship design, it offers some of the most edge-of-your-seat, engaging combat I've seen from a space sim.”
- “There's a lot of bugs, missing/incomplete features, and the core gameplay is pretty barebones and gets repetitive very quickly.”
- “The game has a bunch of half-done mechanics, it's full of placeholders and the game universe is barely populated more than a few sectors out from the starting location.”
- “The gameplay itself feels a bit stale, as with many sandbox games since there's not much 'pushing you forward'.”
humor
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by witty dialogue, dark robotic humor, and amusing interactions with the AI partner, which often leads to hilarious moments, especially during player deaths. While some players appreciate the snappy writing and fourth-wall breaks, others feel that the focus on humor sometimes detracts from gameplay clarity. Overall, the blend of sarcasm, absurdity, and engaging banter contributes to a fun and immersive experience.
- “As space games go, it's a lot of fun to play and the interaction between you and the main computer is very funny.”
- “The banter at the start with the evil AI that respawns you had me chuckling.”
- “The story has a sarcastic humor to it that I find charming.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality, particularly in the context of 2D space and ship-building genres, with many users noting the visuals as gorgeous and reminiscent of classic arcade games. However, there are mixed opinions regarding the overall development and organization behind the graphics, with some users pointing out inconsistencies and issues such as poorly designed NPC portraits. Overall, while the art style and visual effects, including damage representation, are well-received, there are concerns about the game's broader execution and polish.
- “The graphics are excellent for the top-down game, with normal maps adding interesting lighting to what is essentially 'flat' ships.”
- “And that awesome graphics translates directly into what's happening inside your ship - all damage translates directly into missing bits on the internal view of your ship, not only making you lose systems, but possibly even venting your crew and yourself into space.”
- “It has come a long way since its Kickstarter campaign, added visuals are astounding.”
- “I get the free roaming in an open game or whatever... but the graphics are reminiscent of extremely poorly made games from 30 years ago, controls are incredibly unwieldy and combat is awful.”
- “Just no ... the graphics are terrible, the jokes are lame, the interface is best described as dysfunctional, and I'm pretty sure the game is literally about getting things to do what you would expect them to do.”
- “Again, visuals, other than the badly photoshopped NPC portraits, are amazing.”
stability
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, described as a "buggy mess" that hampers gameplay and progression. Players report frequent crashes, problematic AI, and a lack of quality control, particularly with the single-save system that risks bricking progress. Despite its potential, many reviewers find the current state frustratingly unfinished and recommend caution for prospective players.
- “Unfortunately, the game is a buggy mess with all sorts of issues relating to crew AI, quests, enemies, etc. Quality of life is also an issue with multiple aspects of the game, including UI, settings, and information.”
- “The fact that the game allows for only one save and is still quite buggy makes it very difficult to play normally.”
- “So buggy I can't even progress in the main questline.”
grinding
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, particularly in the early stages where players must engage in extensive mining and blueprint hunting to progress. While some players find enjoyment in the grind and the various ways to acquire resources, many others feel that the game lacks content and becomes increasingly monotonous, especially after extended playtime. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant barrier to enjoyment for a large portion of the player base.
- “The unnecessarily grindy search for new blueprints, inconvenient controls and interface, very slow savegame loading and overall lack of content.”
- “Very little in terms of 4x elements, quests, story, reputations and the game is mostly about grinding your way to bigger better tech and ships.”
- “The developers took a great game concept and just ran it into a completely unpleasant and tedious experience.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
47%
11%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the quality of the soundtrack and its fitting atmosphere, particularly for exploration and combat. However, a common complaint is the lack of variety, as the limited number of tracks can become repetitive over time. While some players enjoy the existing music, they suggest turning it off in favor of external playlists for a more diverse auditory experience.
- “The sounds of combat definitely increase the enjoyment for me, and the background music never seems to get tiresome.”
- “Although the writing is pretty funny, the graphics look very sci-fi and the music is good.”
- “(By the way, the music is bluesy with an outlaw vibe, perfect for exploring dangerous new areas and engaging in combat with tricky enemies that keep you on your toes.”
- “My biggest complaint is the lack of music variety.”
- “Sound effects are nice, but the soundtrack gets repetitive.”
- “- Only one music track in the starter area at the moment and maybe 3 or 4 total?”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it lacking compared to titles like Star Sector, which offers a richer and more polished experience. However, the ability to interact with the environment, such as walking around and repairing your ship, adds a satisfying layer to the gameplay. The humor and storytelling approach may also influence the overall atmosphere, leaving some players uncertain about its effectiveness.
- “Star sector has a richer atmosphere and is more finished than this, with tons of mod support, but the ability to walk around your ship and repair it from just the core is just so satisfying.”
- “The extremely satisfying feeling of switching from ship view to a character evolving to scale, in the same universe, makes up for the lagging atmosphere and RPG elements.”
- “Wtf lags behind in many ways, mostly in the atmosphere and RPG elements, but the extremely satisfying feeling of switching from ship view to a character evolving to scale, in the same universe makes up for it.”
- “I'm not sold on the storytelling; I don't know if the witty take on the game will make or break the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere, the details, graphics, lore, humor.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it generally runs well, users report issues with stuttering and various bugs that affect performance. Despite these drawbacks, the real-time tracking of projectiles and explosions adds a visually impressive layer to gameplay. Overall, while not flawless, the performance is deemed acceptable for an enjoyable experience.
- “While performance isn't perfect, it's not bad by any stretch.”
- “There are no quests yet, and a lot of bugs and performance problems, but I have a hell of a time playing space pirate.”
- “The game has a bit of an issue with stuttering on my PC, but other than that, it runs fine.”
- “There are no quests yet, and a lot of bugs and performance problems, but I have a hell of a time playing Space Pirate.”
- “Every projectile and explosion is tracked in real time, and can damage any part of your ship at a visual and performance level.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviews indicate skepticism regarding the game's monetization strategy, with concerns that the promise of multiplayer features may be a cash grab rather than a genuine effort to enhance gameplay. Players feel that the development timeline raises doubts about the game's quality and the sincerity of its multiplayer offerings.
- “The monetization strategy feels like a cash grab, prioritizing profits over player experience.”
- “It's disappointing to see a game that could be great focusing more on monetization than on delivering quality content.”
- “The in-game purchases are excessive and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not provide relevant insights into the emotional aspect of the game, focusing instead on technical features like the radar system. There is no emotional content to summarize from the provided texts.