Spacebase Startopia Reviews
When it comes to management simulations there's no question that the pickings on the Switch are pretty slim, indeed, so when any new ones come along I have no doubt genre fans are immediately curious for details...
An interesting experiment gone horribly wrong, Spacebase Startopia is plagued with dull RTS mechanics, a grind heavy campaign, and bad writing.
Spacebase Startopia is a pretty complex space base builder that’s marred by poor tutorials. If you can manage without the tutorial and dive right in you might get on fine. Overall, Spacebase Startopia is an enjoyable game once you give it time and get into it. One thing in particular I enjoyed doing was watching the visitors go about their business and having a great time on the fun deck. Kinda made me wish I could join them!
A game for fans of the original who want to experience the classic in a modern way. With many strengths but also very many weaknesses of the original - and some that have been newly added.
Review in German | Read full review
When I see Kalypso Media stamped onto a game, I immediately think of strategy titles such as Tropico, Port Royale, Dungeons and Commandos 2. They have a huge catalogue of amazing RTS experiences which span several years so I was delighted when Starbase Startopia emerged onto the scene. Developed by Realmforge Studios and launched at the back end of March 2021, you can acquire the game on PC, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch.
Simulation and management games are never simple and intuitive and often the gaming experience improves with knowledge of the same. In this case, in Startopia, by combining more fields - economic management and RTS - the difficulty increases, but also the enjoyment of the game itself. With the graphic and sound aspect, which are really detailed and cared for and a detailed and fun setting, the result is a satisfying game from many points of view. Although the descriptions are really numerous and accurate, I would undoubtedly improve the explanations of the missions or add a summary of the resources or production methods to the main menu, even if only for those who want to waste time reading all the curiosities. Absolutely useful for those who, like me, have no idea what to do or how to do it. Therefore, Spacebase Startopia is absolutely worth playing. Lose yourself in the clubs and kitten cafes, clear the bridge of uncivilized alien waste and fight crime with advanced space technology! And let's hope that, for once, VAL changes its mind about the forms of carbon!
Review in Italian | Read full review
Spacebase Startopia is a fairly standard strategy/simulation game at its core, with the balancing of resources, happiness and a bit of light RTS combat mixed in. Some technical concerns around the camera, balky control scheme and less-than-stellar AI diminish the overall experience, however. There is plenty of micromanaging fun to be had here for fans of the genre, but Spacebase Startopia is not among the best in the genre either.
Relax among the stars in this enjoyable starbase management sim.
For a remake of a 20-year-old game, Spacebase: Startopia looks and feels very modern, providing hours of strategic entertainment with its resource management and economic simulation. The game may look complicated and overwhelming but, as long as you play the tutorials first, the controls and mechanics make it very easy to play on the console. You can play the campaign solo or with online friends, as well as lose many hours in the Free Play mode (again, solo or online). I’m disappointed the trophies weren’t more creative, and with the performance within the native PS5 version upon launch, but considering these were my only complaints and they didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game, it’s not a big deal for me.
A unique and complex gem, Spacebase Startopia is an engaging and constantly interesting take on the management genre. The Sims in space is selling it very short, because it is much much more. On console however, it’s intricacy and scope are its undoing, causing severe slowdown, frame-rate issues and regular crashes. Its campaign is a fun set of tests, but free mode (just running your station without parameters) is easy to get completely engrossed in.
Even after a dedicated tutorial and several early missions that function as another tutorial, figuring out Spacebase Startopia often feels like playing an obtusely old-school game without the benefit of a manual. That underlying complexity is also its greatest strength, however, because it allows the game to have a sense of constant discovery. At one point, I screwed up my early construction and left no room for the teleporter you need to move your hardier security mechs between decks, which came back to bite me when some bug-like creatures on another deck attacked. Around the same time, however, religious extremists planted a bomb, so I grabbed it and dropped it next to the bugs. This wouldn’t have eliminated them in most games. It worked here.
Spacebase Startopia is a remarkable game and a good successor to the 2001 version. But perhaps it lacks dynamism in its games, where we will spend many minutes throughout the game just waiting for the objectives of the level to be completed. But whoever wants to find a game with a good sense of humor, challenging on several occasions and with a campaign of several hours, can calmly enter the Startopia space station.
Review in Spanish | Read full review