Info about Asteroids ++:

Official game description:
**Asteroids ++ is the best Asteroids clone you will ever play in your life.**
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**The Year is 2450.**
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Humanity has expanded their technology and improved in Rocketry. There was nothing out of the ordinary until disaster struck!  
A moon one light year away exploded and has spread asteroids all over our solar system, this is where YOU come in!  
You play as one of the captains who will control one of the spaceships! Go from planet to planet and get rid of the Asteroids!  
When starting the game, **you randomly generate sectors in planets based on set seed.**  
Inside the shop, expect to buy and customize parts for your spaceship. There are a bunch of weapons, abilities and unique utilities, which give over one million possible combinations for your loadout.  
**Each weapon is unique.**  
*   Shoot homing rockets that lock onto the biggest Asteroids, or have recruitments collect money instead of you doing it!  
*   Stop time with the Timestop ability or **DROP DOWN A F\_\_\_\_\_\_ NUKE**  
*   Upgrade your speed upgrade for the spaceship so you can be so fast that your spaceship pierces through Asteroids!
**In the game you'll face different types of enemies.**  
*   Yellow Asteroids split up into more smaller ones than usual  
*   UFOs mimic the player's weapons and will try to use them against you.  
*   A Triplet is a spinning triplet of big asteroids that sprrads out smaller asteroids!
**Contribute and trade in the steam market!**  
Gather dropped items in-game to be able to listen to songs, play additional campaigns, spawn owned asteroids from your inventory in Sandbox Mode, and more!  
This game uses the steam inventory and makes the items **MATTER**  
**There's loads of more content!**  
*   Seasonal Campaign Additions  
*   Weekly Planet Events  
*   Fun in-game Cheats  
*   Rich Story through Computer Logs you find  
*   Player Customization  
*   Frequent Free in-Game Updates
and so on...  
**This game is FREE TO PLAY!** If you think that you are ripping me off, well, of course you are! So, what are you waiting for!  
And remember, you can never end Asteroid genocide!

Release date: Jun 20, 2024

Categories: Arcade Shooter, Space Combat, Procedural Generation, Weapon Customization, Character Progression, Single-player, Free-to-Play, Leaderboards and Achievements


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $0.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: The community sentiment is mixed but leans toward a very low or zero price. One reviewer explicitly states the game is great for a 'free' price tag, implying that free or near-free is the expected value. Another positive review offers a strong recommendation but does not justify a higher price. Negative feedback calls it a lazy ripoff and criticizes repetitive grinding, which further supports a low price ceiling. Overall, the evidence suggests the fair base-game price should be minimal, likely free to a few dollars.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 4.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.3h
  - Endgame: 292.0h
  - Reasoning: Game completion is supported by two reviews explicitly stating the game takes 4 hours to beat. Session length is supported by a review recommending 10-15 minute play sessions, which we interpret as a typical session of 0.25 hours. Endgame is supported by a review reporting 292 total hours played, indicating extensive post-completion engagement. No specific story completion time was provided, so that metric remains null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game delivers immediate arcade fun but loses appeal as progression becomes repetitive and shallow, leading to a fun-then-drops experience.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Start of gameplay
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Tutorial bug: Z key does nothing; Basic controls feel too basic
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Players who enjoy arcade shooters and progression systems will find it fun; Players seeking narrative may not enjoy it; Players seeking engaging depth may lose interest; Lack of progression makes the game feel shallow
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Arcade Casual (buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and easy, mindless fun
    - Playstyle: Quick bursts of casual blasting, upgrading weapons
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Budget Value Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Getting good value for money (or free)
    - Playstyle: Casual play, likely short sessions
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Grind-Weary Critic (no buy)
    - Motivation: They wanted a good game but are disappointed; they don't keep playing
    - Playstyle: They played enough to experience the grind, likely more engaged initially
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Dev Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Supporting the developer and believing in the game's future
    - Playstyle: They play and invest in DLC
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Banana


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Free-to-play model praised (weight 0.59): Players appreciate the free-to-play structure, noting the game is fun and great for the price of free. The free version is considered awesome and lowers entry barriers.
- Overall positive reception (weight 0.51): Players describe the game as well done, good overall, and not the worst, indicating a generally favorable impression. It is also called an amazing game and extremely enjoyable.
- Fun and engaging gameplay (weight 0.51): The gameplay is fun, with players enjoying blasting rocks, clearing enemies, and the overall experience. It's a fun and fresh take on the arcade classic.
- Visual clarity and design (weight 0.47): Visuals support gameplay clarity, with attractive visual design, bright colors, and smooth animation. The pixel art is charming, and graphics are simple but effective.
- Sound and music quality (weight 0.45): The game's sound design and music are consistently praised as good, with a catchy soundtrack and acceptable quality. This contributes positively to the overall experience.
- Quick session friendly (weight 0.36): The game allows for quick games and is great to play in short sessions, making it ideal for casual play. Quick sessions are possible, and it's a good time killer.
- Nostalgic arcade feel (weight 0.36): The game evokes nostalgia for early console games and 80s arcade games, with a retro feel and old-school charm. This nostalgic element is a significant positive.
- Enemy variety and pacing (weight 0.35): Enemy variety contributes positively to pacing, with various enemy types and tough bosses. This keeps gameplay dynamic and challenging.
- Vast equipment combinations (weight 0.22): Players highlight over a million equipment combinations and possible weapon and utility combinations, offering immense variety. This is a major draw for replayability.
- Rich DLC catalog (weight 0.21): The game has a rich catalog of DLC campaigns and soundtrack packs, providing additional content for players. This expands the game's longevity and appeal.
- Accessibility and low requirements (weight 0.2): The game has low system requirements and supports Russian language, making it accessible to a wide audience. This broadens its appeal.
- Seasonal and weekly events (weight 0.12): The game has seasonal campaigns and weekly random events, providing ongoing content. This keeps the game fresh and encourages regular play.
- Leaderboard and competition (weight 0.12): The game has a leaderboard and the ability to compete with other players, adding a competitive element. This encourages replay and skill improvement.

Common complaints:
- Controls are problematic (weight 0.83): Controls are inconvenient, not customizable, and include issues like tank controls, reversed controller inputs, and mouse control that ignores the keyboard. These control problems make the game difficult to play.
- Bugs and crashes prevalent (weight 0.8): Multiple clusters report bugs, crashes, and save progression issues, including lost progress and a crash from a rare alert dialog. These technical problems significantly hinder the gameplay experience.
- Monetization and microtransactions (weight 0.48): The game features in-game purchases, ads, and a cash shop requiring large payments for basic systems, with many incentives to buy DLC and Steam items. This monetization is seen as excessive and intrusive.
- Poor UI and polish (weight 0.39): The UI is described as rough, unattractive, and in need of polish, with unpleasant fonts. This detracts from the overall presentation and usability of the game.
- Gameplay is repetitive (weight 0.39): The gameplay becomes monotonous over time, with repetitive missions, grinding for upgrades, and a lack of depth. This leads to a tedious experience, especially in later stages.
- High difficulty and chaos (weight 0.38): Later stages have high difficulty, with instant-kill bosses, overwhelming bullet and asteroid chaos, and movement speed that can make survival impossible. This creates frustration and eye strain.
- Balance issues in weapons (weight 0.3): Some weapons and builds are noticeably stronger than others, with direct upgrades for slightly higher costs, making certain options useless. This imbalance reduces strategic variety.
- Graphics and art outdated (weight 0.3): The retro-style graphics are seen as outdated and poorly drawn, with poor quality 2D art. This makes the game feel unpolished and less appealing.
- Lack of content and depth (weight 0.3): The game is short, can be beaten in 4 hours, and lacks depth with minimal upgrades and basic controls. This results in a shallow experience.
- Unclear mechanics (weight 0.28): Some mechanics are not immediately clear, such as the purpose of item drops and the tutorial's Z key not working. This confuses new players.
- Better alternatives exist (weight 0.28): Reviewers note that there are better games for Asteroids with upgrades, free games, and Steam item collection. This suggests the game is not competitive in its genre.
- Minimal effort game (weight 0.28): The game is described as minimal effort and a lazy ripoff of Asteroids, with average gameplay needing more polish. This reflects poorly on the developer's investment.
- Sandbox mode limitations (weight 0.22): Sandbox mode has limited content, with only 2 asteroids unlocked after completion and requiring Steam items to spawn enemies. This restricts the mode's utility.
- Effects overwhelm screen (weight 0.2): Abundant effects in combat make it hard to orient on screen, with bullets and asteroids quickly filling the view. This causes chaos and eye strain.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.12): The game does not support Chinese, limiting accessibility for non-English speakers. This is a significant barrier for a global audience.
- No exit option (weight 0.12): There is no way to back out of the game without forcing it to close, which is a basic usability flaw. This can lead to frustration and potential data loss.

Gameplay feedback:
- Classic arcade space shooter (weight 0.97): The game is consistently described as a space shooter with arcade roots, specifically an asteroid-destroying game. It is often compared to the classic Asteroids arcade game, with modern updates and reimaginings.
- Variety of weapons and abilities (weight 0.83): Players can choose from a wide range of weapons, skills, and abilities, which can be purchased or upgraded between battles. This adds strategic depth and customization to the gameplay.
- Progression and upgrade systems (weight 0.59): The game features progression systems, including level progression, upgrade systems, and skill trees. Players earn money to upgrade their ship and unlock new capabilities, enhancing the long-term engagement.
- Customization and loadouts (weight 0.51): Players can customize their ships and configure various loadouts, with deep customization options including over a million weapon and utility combinations. This allows for personalized playstyles.
- Additional features (weight 0.47): The game includes features like a leaderboard, auto-save, quick games, DLC campaigns, and item drops. These add extra value and replayability.
- Single-player experience (weight 0.43): The game is primarily a single-player experience, focusing on individual progression and gameplay. It includes a story mode and various missions.
- Multiple planets and zones (weight 0.43): The game features multiple planets, each consisting of multiple zones. Players liberate planets by winning all zones, providing a structured campaign.
- Controls and input options (weight 0.41): The game offers mouse and keyboard controls, as well as controller support. Some players note tank controls and that turning is not independent of momentum, affecting handling.
- Space setting and story (weight 0.28): The game is set in a future solar system where the player fights to save humanity. It has a main story and a narrative context for the gameplay.
- Procedural generation (weight 0.22): The game uses procedural generation for star system maps, providing varied environments and replayability. This adds unpredictability to the exploration and mission structure.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and bugs (weight 0.39): Multiple reviews report crashes, including startup crashes and a rare alert dialog that triggers a crash. These issues affect game stability and progression.
- Lag at round start (weight 0.12): Players experience lag at the beginning of rounds, which can disrupt gameplay and reduce overall satisfaction.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for arcade shooter fans (weight 0.4): Multiple clusters recommend the game to fans of arcade shooters, science fiction combat, and progression systems. It is also recommended for fans of classic arcades, roguelikes, and space shooters who value customization and dynamic combat.
- Worth trying despite issues (weight 0.29): The game is worth trying out, and it is recommended despite the progress loss. It may become repetitive for some due to limited stage variety, but it is still worth checking out.

Other player notes:
- Steam market trading (weight 0.22): The game supports Steam community market trading with random item drops that can be sold. This adds value for players.
- Long-term content updates (weight 0.22): The game has long-term free content updates and DLC content, indicating ongoing support and expansion.
- Small size and short length (weight 0.21): The game is small in size and has a short length, which may be a drawback for some players.
- Developer is Infiland (weight 0.2): The game is developed and published by Infiland. This is a straightforward fact mentioned by reviewers.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players find the combat engaging because encounters evolve with progression, and the game expands the original's simple joy into a rich, chaotic experience. The dynamic gameplay, fun music, and satisfying weapon upgrades contribute to an overall fun and exciting experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Frustration stems from control issues like momentum-dependent turning and unnatural controls, as well as technical problems such as lag, crashes, and a bug that reverts ship stats after dying on the final boss. The removal of shop levels on higher difficulties and the loss of progress due to resets also anger players.
- Disappointment (weight 0.13): Players are disappointed by the average gameplay, poor graphics, and technical defects, as well as the short length and lack of depth. Repetitive grinding for upgrades and planets, along with inconvenient controls and unpleasant fonts, further diminish the experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Excitement is driven by dramatic screen-filling weapon impacts, high difficulty for experienced players, and intense moments with huge asteroids and UFO barrages. The promise of meaningful item usage and the desire to support the developer by buying DLC also fuel enthusiasm.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction comes from the ability to adjust equipment and create strategies, giving reasons to revisit challenges, and from the game being fun, free, and easy. Seeing many asteroids explode, leveling up, and clearing enemies with upgraded weapons provide rewarding moments.
- Appreciation (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the love for the original game, meaningful progression, and customization, as well as the simple but effective retro graphics. The game being free and the developer's rare responsiveness in fixing issues quickly are also highly valued.
- Surprise (weight 0.06): Surprise arises from the developer still actively working on the game, the game exceeding expectations as a hidden gem, and the pleasant surprise of varied weapons, skills, and a skill tree. Discovering UFOs that shoot at the player also adds unexpected elements.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): The game evokes nostalgia by transporting players back to first console games and addictive 80s arcade experiences. The pixel art atmosphere and classic arcade charm reinforce this nostalgic feeling.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Confusion is caused by movement that is hard to understand and the unclear purpose of item drops, leaving players unsure about how to play effectively.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by unlockable content that steadily expands possibilities over time, creating a satisfying sense of advancement that keeps players invested.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed because the game is free and fun, and players want to support the developer for providing such an enjoyable experience.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is directed at the game being perceived as a lazy ripoff of Asteroids, compounded by the presence of a cash shop, which feels exploitative.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Approval is given because the developer added the original control style as a mechanic, showing respect for the classic gameplay and player preferences.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from the many incentives to buy DLC and spend money on Steam items, which feels pushy and detracts from the experience.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight is sparked by the charming pixel art and catchy soundtrack, which enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the game.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is driven by its power-ups and nostalgic feel, which resonate deeply with players and create a strong emotional connection.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is caused by losing progress due to an empty save folder, which is a frustrating and disheartening experience for players.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.01): Mild disappointment results from some bugs and a bad UI, which detract from the overall experience but do not completely ruin it.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is expressed for the game being a beautiful addition to a classic, successfully enhancing the original concept.
- Eye strain (weight 0.01): Eye strain is caused by the screen quickly filling with bullets and asteroids, making it visually overwhelming and tiring to play.}