Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Fresh, Fun Exploration
Solid Space Gameplay
Derivative and Repetitive
While the game can feel repetitive at times, and the toys-to-life implementation feel unnecessary, Starlink: Battle for Atlas has a gem of true entertainment captured within its refreshing open world and space exploration gameplay.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas: Gameplay Walkthrough | Ubisoft [NA]
Starlink: Battle for Atlas: Gamescom 2018 The Worlds of Atlas Gameplay Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]
Starlink: Battle for Atlas: E3 2018 Gameplay Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]
Ubisoft's late-stage toys-to-life entry is pretty, derivative and slightly lacking in charm.
The toys are unnecessary, but Starlink: Battle for Atlas is still an enjoyable space adventure.
At its core, Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a fantastic space exploration game, with solid flights, fights and enemies, but can be a complicated toys-to-life proposition to recommend, and understand.
An engaging entry point into space combat and exploration, with just enough sophistication to be attractive to some veteran pilots
Starlink is a fun, albeit repetitive, game of space combat and exploration--but the digital version of the game is the way to go if you're on a budget.
There's no other title with quite the same approach as Starlink has taken and it's easily the best integration of toys to life that has been done so far.
With its exclusive use of some substantial Star Fox content, you're getting the best version of Starlink: Battle for Atlas on Nintendo Switch. And with a more accessible and ultimately enjoyable version of No Man's Sky's gameplay mechanics and Mass Effect's original vision, you're getting one of the best dogfighting/space exploration games you can buy outside of Elite: Dangerous. Its gameplay loop does run out of steam after a while thanks to the required grind, but with a surprisingly ungreedy approach to content access and toys-to-life integration, Starlink really could be the spark that reignites the genre's renaissance.
