- Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- Beautiful art style and relaxing atmosphere
- Enhanced fun in multiplayer co-op
- Prevalence of game-breaking bugs
- Poor onboarding and UI/UX
- Insufficient content and depth
Emotions
Players feel satisfied by the game's enjoyable core gameplay loop, which includes exploration, resource gathering, crafting, and especially automation and base building. The sense of progression, achievement completion, and the game's overall quality, including graphics, sound design, and developer support, contribute significantly to this emotion. The game's relaxing nature and suitability for both solo and co-op play also enhance the feeling of satisfaction.
Frustration primarily stems from numerous bugs, technical issues (crashes, desynchronization, disappearing items), and a steep or unclear learning curve due to poor tutorials and unintuitive UI. Players also express frustration with repetitive late-game tasks, tedious resource grinding, and clunky controls or camera issues. Loss of progress due to bugs or lack of auto-save is a significant cause of this negative emotion.
Joy is frequently experienced through the game's fun and engaging gameplay, particularly when playing with friends in co-op mode. The freedom to explore, build, and create, along with the game's quirky, cute, and relaxing atmosphere, contributes to a sense of delight. Discovering new things and the overall positive and addictive nature of the game also evoke joy.
Excitement is driven by the game's addictive and engaging gameplay, the thrill of exploration and discovery, and the potential for endless creations and possibilities. Players are excited by new content, updates, and DLCs, as well as the overall quality and unique concept of the game. The anticipation of future improvements and the ability to play with friends also contribute to this feeling.
Players enjoy the game's peaceful yet engaging gameplay, which combines exploration, survival, crafting, and automation. The game's addictive nature, appealing sandbox elements, and the ability to play both solo and with friends contribute to a highly entertaining experience. The overall atmosphere, graphics, and sound design further enhance the enjoyment.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 88% · Negative 12%. Score: 12 / 100
Positives:
- Players consistently praise the game for its highly addictive and engaging gameplay loop, often leading to hundreds of hours of playtime. Many consider it a unique masterpiece and one of their favorite games, frequently returning to it due to its enduring appeal and relaxing nature.
- The game is widely lauded for its beautiful, unique, and colorful low-poly art style, which creates a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. Players appreciate the distinct visual character of each planet and the soothing ambient soundtrack that enhances the overall immersive experience.
- The multiplayer and co-op modes are a significant highlight, with players reporting that the game is much more fun and engaging when played with friends. It fosters teamwork, shared exploration, and humorous moments, though it remains enjoyable for solo play as well.
- The game excels as a sandbox experience, offering immense freedom for creativity, exploration, and base building. Players enjoy the ability to terraform planets, design intricate systems, and experiment without strict limitations, making it a unique take on the space survival genre.
- The game features a satisfying and intuitive crafting system, which, combined with automation capabilities, allows players to streamline resource gathering and production. This aspect appeals to those who enjoy building and optimizing complex industrial setups.
Negatives:
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, ranging from minor annoyances to game-breaking issues. Common problems include items and vehicles falling through terrain, save file corruption, and significant desynchronization in multiplayer, severely impacting the player experience and leading to loss of progress.
- New players frequently struggle with the game's steep learning curve due to a lack of comprehensive tutorials and unclear in-game explanations. The UI and controls are often described as unintuitive, forcing players to rely on external wikis or guides to understand basic mechanics and progression.
- Players feel there is a significant lack of meaningful content, especially in the late game and with DLCs. The game is criticized for not evolving beyond its initial mechanics, offering limited depth, and failing to introduce new challenges or objectives, leading to a perception of being 'undercooked' or not worth its price.
- Many players find the game's core loop repetitive and grindy, especially in the mid to late game. This leads to a lack of engagement and a feeling of tedium, with some players noting a quick loss of interest or limited replayability.
- The camera system is a consistent source of frustration for players, often described as clunky, slow, and prone to erratic behavior. Issues include unwanted zooming, clipping through objects, and difficulty maintaining a desired view, negatively impacting gameplay flow and immersion.
Gameplay:
- A significant aspect of the game is multi-planetary exploration, with 7 distinct planets, each offering unique resources and challenges. Players travel between these planets to gather specific materials, activate gateway engines, and colonize new worlds.
- The core gameplay loop revolves around extensive base building, crafting various items, and terraforming the environment. Players gather resources, refine them, and use printers to construct structures, vehicles, and automated systems, allowing for creative expression in base design.
- The game is often compared to titles like Minecraft, Factorio, and No Man's Sky, blending elements of space exploration, factory automation, and survival crafting. It offers a generally calm and unhurried experience, focusing on creativity rather than combat.
- Exploration is facilitated by a variety of transport options, including rovers, trains, and rockets. These vehicles are crucial for traversing vast landscapes, transporting resources, and traveling between planets, enhancing the adventure and efficiency of exploration.
- The game features a unique terrain manipulation tool for digging and shaping the landscape. While there's no explicit tutorial, an in-game encyclopedia (Astropedia) provides information on mechanics, resources, and controls, aiding players in understanding the game's systems.
Performance:
- Players report a variety of bugs, including crashes, objects falling through terrain, fall damage from small heights, vehicle-related glitches, UI issues, and server lag. While some bugs are minor, others significantly impact gameplay and stability.
- Player feedback on performance is mixed, with some reporting good optimization and low requirements, while others experience lag or frame drops, especially on older hardware or as bases develop. This suggests inconsistent performance across different setups.
- Players generally find the game's installation size to be small and manageable, describing it as 'workable' or 'takes up almost nothing'.
- One player mentioned that the game has 'wonky controls', indicating a potential area for improvement in user input responsiveness or design.
- A user confirmed that the game functions well when run through Proton, which is relevant for Linux users.
Recommendations:
- Players consistently highlight the game's relaxing and chill atmosphere, making it ideal for unwinding. It appeals to those who enjoy exploration, building, and creative freedom without intense combat or pressure. It's often compared to games like Minecraft or No Man's Sky for its sandbox and exploration elements.
- The game is highly recommended by a large majority of players, often receiving high ratings (8-10/10). Many find it worth the price, especially when on sale, and express a desire to continue playing or revisit it. It's seen as a valuable addition to a game library.
- The game is frequently recommended for cooperative play with friends, enhancing the overall experience. While it can be played solo, many reviews suggest that playing with others significantly improves enjoyment and engagement.
- Some players report encountering numerous bugs and glitches, which can detract from the experience and lead to frustration. These issues, particularly vehicle glitches, are cited as reasons for not recommending the game or for stopping play.
- A portion of the player base finds the game's progression tedious due to repetitive resource gathering and grinding. This aspect might not appeal to all players, especially those who prefer less repetitive gameplay loops.
Miscellaneous:
- Players have invested significant time into the game, often across multiple platforms and over several years, indicating strong long-term engagement. Many express a desire for continued development, including new content, DLC, and even a sequel, highlighting their commitment and hope for the game's future.
- The game is widely perceived as family-friendly and suitable for a broad audience, including children, teenagers, and adults. Its lighthearted, optimistic, and peaceful exploration theme makes it an accessible and enjoyable experience for various age groups.
- Players are eager for more content, specifically suggesting new planets, resources, technologies (like nuclear reactors), and expanded gameplay mechanics such as customizable space stations and asteroid mining. These suggestions indicate a desire for deeper exploration and progression.
- The game is frequently compared to Minecraft and No Man's Sky, being described as a low-poly, space-themed survival and exploration sandbox. While similar in genre, players note its unique 'Zen mode' and distinct vibe.
- Players are looking for improvements and expansions to the base building system. Specific suggestions include easier ground leveling, a grid system for precision, more advanced construction features, and additional building content to enhance creative expression.
