X: Beyond the Frontier

About

"X: Beyond the Frontier" is a space simulation game that allows players to explore the universe, trade goods, and complete missions. As a pilot in a massive open world, you'll encounter various alien races, manage resources, and upgrade your spacecraft while navigating the challenges of interstellar politics and warfare. Your goal is to survive and make a name for yourself among the stars.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 321 reviews

story22 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

X: Beyond the Frontier offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the X series, showcasing the origins of the franchise with a unique atmosphere.
The game allows for open-ended gameplay, where players can build a trading empire and explore a vast universe at their own pace.
Despite its age, the game provides a solid economic simulation and a sense of accomplishment as players progress from nothing to building their own space stations.

The controls are clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for newcomers to navigate and enjoy the game without extensive trial and error.
The game suffers from significant technical issues on modern systems, including resolution problems and unresponsive controls, which can make it nearly unplayable.
The lack of a proper tutorial and the cryptic nature of the gameplay can lead to frustration, as players often find themselves lost without clear guidance on objectives.

story
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
83%
2%
The game's story is generally considered light and sparse, with many players noting that it feels secondary to the gameplay, which focuses more on trading and exploration. While some appreciate the simple and meaningful narrative set in a detailed universe, others find it unengaging and recommend skipping it in favor of the sandbox elements. Overall, the story serves as a basic framework that allows players to progress at their own pace, but it lacks depth and compelling character development.
- “A perfectly polished, well-designed game that excels at economics and provides a decent fighter experience and a simple, yet meaningful storyline representing a vast, detailed setting.”
- “Although the graphics are outdated, the game still holds as a great space adventure, with a compelling and unique story.”
- “The plot story starts with this first game and is worth a play-through even today!”
- “The story in this game is extremely light, which can be fine, but you should know that you get one minor story point every five hours or so, with only three major ones after the introduction that I can recall.”
- “The plot in this game is pretty sparse and doesn't really feel like the main focus, but I decided I wanted to try and finish it anyway, and without anything else to do in the game, it was just... boring.”
- “There is a story to this game, but it can be covered in a small paragraph, and there are playthrough videos out there that accelerate to the important parts.”
graphics
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
68%
13%
The graphics of "X: Beyond the Frontier," released in 1999, are widely regarded as dated, resembling visuals from the Sega 32X or N64 era. While some players find the low-resolution graphics and clunky user interface challenging, others appreciate the nostalgia and the game's engaging space exploration and trading mechanics. Overall, the visuals may not meet modern standards, but they still hold a certain charm for those willing to overlook their age.
- “X: Beyond the Frontier may be difficult and it has its flaws, but with outstanding graphics, open-ended gameplay, and a dynamic economy, it makes X: Beyond the Frontier an underrated space trading and combat simulator that we remember.”
- “For some, the graphics might look dated, but look past this and it is a gem.”
- “Nevertheless, the world is quite interesting, the visuals are crisp - if dated - and the controls are fairly intuitive.”
- “Released in 1999, its visuals lie somewhere between Sega 32X and N64 level.”
- “Now first off: you have to deal with the low-res graphics that look like an N64 game.”
- “The graphics are too bad for me to tell the difference between the different types of stations.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
9%
The gameplay of "X: Beyond the Frontier" is described as polished yet slow-paced, leading some players to wish for a fast travel mechanic. While innovative for its time, it feels dated compared to modern titles, with awkward controls and a steep learning curve that may deter newcomers. Despite these flaws, the game offers solid core mechanics, an interesting universe, and a dynamic economy, making it a noteworthy space trading and combat simulator.
- “The perfectly polished gameplay is there for you to engage in it.”
- “X: Beyond the Frontier may be difficult and it has its flaws, but with outstanding graphics, open-ended gameplay, dynamic economy, etc., it makes X: Beyond the Frontier an underrated space trading and combat simulator that we remember.”
- “The core gameplay is solid and its universe is extremely interesting!”
- “Everything happens sooooo slooooooooowly that I found myself wishing the game had some type of fast travel mechanic, which really defeats the purpose of a space flight sim, I think.”
- “The next 20 minutes or so were mostly awkward, clumsy, and incredibly dated to the point of feeling abstract in controls and gameplay.”
- “I didn't like the controls and couldn't map them to something I would like. Also, I didn't really understand the options or what they meant and how they affected the gameplay.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, particularly when it comes to tasks like farming reputation and managing trades. While some appreciate the mindless nature of certain grinding activities, many feel that the overall experience is outdated and frustrating, especially in combat scenarios where manual flying becomes cumbersome. Despite these criticisms, some players still find enjoyment in the hours spent grinding.
- “To get support from every faction on the final quest, you need to max out the reputation of the split, which is very tedious; it took me about 2-3 hours of farming for them alone.”
- “Monotonous grinding, check.”
- “It is just too tedious and dated for me.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
13%
13%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its uniqueness and charm, standing out more than recent titles like X4 and Rebirth. Reviewers find it both addictive and immersive, with a particularly cute aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
- “The whole setting and atmosphere is unique.”
- “This one in particular is very atmospheric and cute; I love it a lot!”
- “Addictive and atmospheric.”
- “It has a bit more of an atmosphere than the more recent games (X4, Rebirth).”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game has been criticized for being significantly buggy, which has led some users to withhold recommendations despite high overall ratings. However, it is noted for its good performance on older hardware.
- “The game is affordable and runs smoothly on older machine specifications.”
- “The game is affordable and runs smoothly on older machine specifications.”
- “The main reason why I am not recommending this game is that it is buggy as hell.”
- “Overall 9.5/10 (-0.5 for being a bit buggy)”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty, contributing significantly to the overall experience and enhancing the compelling story. Many reviewers highlight it as one of the standout features, making the game memorable during its time.
- “In its day, it was the most gorgeous game around, with a beautiful soundtrack and a basic (though compelling) story to push you on (as well as getting more credits!).”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's initial system is well-optimized for players to begin their commercial journey, featuring valuable resources and essential facilities. However, some users report that the game requires further optimization, particularly for those using older operating systems like Windows 7, to ensure smooth performance.
- “Needs a bit of optimization before it can be run without any problems (I have Windows 7).”
- “The first system you land in is optimized to be the start of your commercial journey, containing a bunch of very nice asteroids, a full set of supporting trading stations, heavy defense, and a shipyard.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express disappointment in the replayability of the game, comparing it unfavorably to older titles like X-Wing and Wing Commander, which they found to be significantly more engaging and playable.
- “I played X-Wing, TIE Fighter, XVT, and Wing Commander back in the day, and although all of those came out earlier, they were significantly more replayable than this.”
- “I played X-Wing, TIE Fighter, XVT, and Wing Commander back in the day, and although all of those came out earlier, they were significantly more replayable than this.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players frequently highlight the emotional impact of the game's ending, with many expressing that it brought them to tears, indicating a strong connection to the narrative and characters.
- “Oh, and the ending made me cry.”