Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime Review Summary

While excellent co-op for couples and friends, the lack of online multiplayer, short length, poor solo experience, and limited weapon and gem variety hold it back.

Excellent cooperative gameplay: Many reviews highlight the game as a superb co-op experience, whether played locally, online, or with family. Players find it fun, engaging, and highly entertaining with friends.

Overall game quality praised: Positive feedback consistently describes the game as very good, enjoyable, and brilliant. It appeals to a wide range of players, from casual to more skilled gamers, and is considered worthwhile.

Great for couples: Several reviews specifically mention that the game is excellent for playing as a couple, whether with a partner or a non-gamer spouse. It offers a fun shared experience in a two-player setup.

Fun with friends and family: The game is highly recommended for playing with friends and family, providing entertainment for all ages. It works well as a family game night option and is easy for non-gamers to pick up.

Engaging and fun gameplay: Players find the gameplay engaging, fun, and challenging without being boring. The game's interesting mechanics and colorful presentation are frequently mentioned as highlights.

Lack of online multiplayer: The absence of online multiplayer or co-op is the most common complaint, preventing play with distant friends and reducing fun. This is mentioned across multiple clusters.

Game too short: The campaign is short, often completed in under four hours, and lacks content relative to its price. This reduces replay value and satisfaction.

Single-player AI companions ineffective: AI buddies are limited to one, cannot shoot effectively, and are unreliable, making solo play frustrating. This impacts the experience for players without a partner.

Repetitive gameplay: The gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and minimal progression. This lowers long-term engagement and replay value.

Solo play not enjoyable: Playing alone is complicated and overwhelming, often requiring controlling multiple tasks or characters. The game is clearly designed for multiple players, making solo mode unsatisfying.

Local co-op focus: The game is designed as a local cooperative multiplayer title, supporting up to four players on the same screen. It emphasizes same-screen co-op with no online play by default.

Cooperative multiplayer support: The game supports cooperative play with friends, including local co-op for up to four players. It is a cooperative title that encourages teamwork and coordination.

Spaceship control stations: Gameplay revolves around controlling a spaceship with multiple stations, including shields, weapons, engines, and special attacks. Players must move between stations to manage ship functions.

Single-player with AI companion: A solo mode is available, featuring an AI companion that assists the player. This companion is semi-controlled and may fail at certain tasks, but enables single-player play.

Teamwork and communication: The game requires significant coordination and communication among players. Effective teamwork is essential to overcome challenges and complete missions.

Good performance on various systems: The game runs well on Ubuntu with low graphical requirements, and maintains 60 FPS on capable machines without FPS drops even with many enemies on screen. This indicates solid optimization across different hardware.

Low latency with good connection: Latency around 120ms is acceptable, and input lag is not significant with a decent connection. Players generally find the online experience responsive enough for play.

Controller input duplication issue: Xbox controllers are duplicated and appear as two controllers during player selection, making the game unplayable with a controller. This is a significant bug that affects core gameplay for controller users.

Non-standard controller management: Controller management does not work like other games, causing confusion and likely contributing to controller input problems. Players expect typical controller handling, but this game deviates, leading to frustration.

Lack of super ultrawide support: The game does not support super ultrawide resolutions like 32x9, limiting the experience for users with such monitors. This is a niche but valid complaint about missing resolution options.

Best with friends: Multiple reviews strongly recommend the game when played with friends, emphasizing the social and cooperative experience. The game is seen as especially enjoyable with a group of friends or family members, with some noting it's essential for the full experience.

Great for co-op: The game is frequently recommended for both couch co-op and online co-op play, highlighting its value as a cooperative multiplayer title. It is described as a must-have for co-op fans, whether playing locally or via remote play.

Needs 3-4 players: Many reviewers suggest playing with at least three players for optimal enjoyment, ideally three to four. The game appears to be designed for a group size that allows for dynamic interactions and coordinated play.

Not for solo: Several reviews advise against playing the game solo, emphasizing that it is primarily a multiplayer experience. Single-player gamers may not find the game enjoyable or worthwhile, as it seems to lack the engaging cooperative element.

Worth full price: A few reviewers assert that the game is worth its full price, emphasizing its value and quality. Despite some minor criticisms, the overall sentiment is that the game delivers a worthwhile experience.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 22.0h.

Story completion: 4.0h.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is consistently reported as fun from the start, especially in co-op, with a smooth tutorial and accessible mechanics that immediately engage players.

Friction: Tutorial can be challenging for very young or inexperienced players; Controls are intentionally difficult for all players, potentially frustrating solo.

Local Co-op Enthusiast: Cooperative, communication-heavy, and dynamic role-switching between ship stations to handle chaos as a team. Motivation: Shared fun and teamwork, enjoying the frantic coordination and emergent moments with a partner. Stance: buy.

Online Multiplayer Advocate: Cooperative but constrained by the lack of online multiplayer, often forced to use workarounds like Steam Remote Play. Motivation: Playing with friends who are not physically present, seeking a shared online experience. Stance: no buy.

Solo Challenger: Strategic, managing the AI companion and switching between ship stations to multitask effectively alone. Motivation: Mastering the solo challenge through multitasking and personal skill improvement. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The game has controller issues that are resolvable by selecting Proton 9.0.4, but control inversion bugs persist and some players prefer using Remote Play with an Xbox controller for better performance. Overall, it is playable after configuration, but not seamless.

Linux and Proton: Based on a single review, the game runs on Linux/Proton with a minor tweak: selecting Proton 9.0.4 fixes controller trouble. The reviewer also mentions online play via Steam Remote Play works well. There is no evidence of major friction or broken functionality.

Short game length: The game is frequently described as short, with completion times ranging from 1.5 to 10 hours and estimated 5-10 hours for full completion. This affects its perceived value, especially for solo players.

No online multiplayer support: Multiple reviews consistently note the game lacks online multiplayer, offering only local co-op. This is a significant limitation for players wanting to play with friends remotely.

Works via Steam Remote Play: Players can use Steam Remote Play Together to play online with friends, and it works well. Only the host needs to own the game, and it functions smoothly, but it requires Steam friends.

Chinese localization available: The game supports Chinese language, which is positively noted by reviewers. This makes it accessible to Chinese-speaking players.

Comparable to Overcooked: Reviewers compare the game to Overcooked, noting it is different but still requires coordination. Some find it less chaotic but still enjoyable.