Starlink: Battle for Atlas Reviews
As frustrating as the experience can be, there's a lot of enjoyment — and potential — to actually be had..
Part No Man's Sky with a heavy helping of toys to life, Starlink: Battle for Atlas is an interesting addition to the planetary and space exploration genre. Admittedly, it can get repetitive and the implementation of toy functionality between digital and physical copies is a bit imbalanced. At the same time, it does a good job of layering in some fun combat and diverse weapon customization on top of its exploration, resulting in a more well-rounded game. It's basically what No Man's Sky should have been at launch — a complete gaming experience.
Ultimately the toys-to-life aspect feels like it gets in the way a bit of an otherwise competent and fun space shooter that's packed to the brim with things to do. Flying ships feels great and the occasional difficulty spikes rarely take away from the excitement of tearing through the atmosphere onto a new planet's surface. But not all platforms are created equally, with the Switch's Star Fox content shining as a bright point.
Starlink's beautiful worlds invoke the wonder of heading into the deep unknown, and it's one of the best implementations of the toys-to-life genre we've seen so far. Shallow mission and exploration structure can make the game seem repetitive, but exhilarating space combat while being able to customize your ship at any time helps stave off the boredom that might come from ferrying your 20th helium diffuser. While it's not perfect, Starlink is a fantastic base for a new wave of toys-to-life games, innovating on the genre in a special way that further connects players with both the toys and the experience. And even when the game is off, for this 30-year old gamer at least, the spaceships are still fun to play with.
Overall, Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a solid foundation if Ubisoft wants to make this into an ongoing franchise. Allowing you to play with or without the toys was a smart call, especially since if you're playing on the Switch and don't want to bring a bunch of toys with you. The world and characters they've created are intriguing enough for me to want to see more of it. If there was just a bit more variety, Starlink could be a fantastic franchise for both kids and adults alike.
I think this game can be easily enjoyed by adults and kids alike. The unique worlds are chock full of unique flora and fauna as well as enemies and allies to observe, battle and aid in a constant struggle against the forces of evil.
Overall Starlink: Battle for Atlas is pretty enjoyable experience and gets a thumbs up from me its fun to play through and has some great touches throughout the 20-30 hour storyline, with plenty of content to keep you coming back for more after the story is complete, I’m just not sure how much the toys are really necessary.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas despite its simplicity and humbleness is a great and enjoyable game at its core, but unfortunately it makes lots of mistakes. if we were in 6th or 7th generation of video games, optimistically we could expect a better sequel for it, but unfortunately for now Starlink is a good game that we can't predict a better future for it anytime soon.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is an incredible experience providing a seamless transition of space and planet exploration.
Starlink marks a bold and intriguing return for the toys-to-life genre. An engrossing even if ultimately flawed space journey.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While the overarching plot isn't exactly high drama and the gameplay can feel limited by artificial busywork, Starlink: Battle For Atlas is the kind of game I've been craving for a while.
I feel like Starlink: Battle For Atlas has been overlooked, and very much underappreciated. It offers a fantastic space arcade experience whether you’re on a planet or in space, and the smooth transitions between each is ever so satisfying. I do consider the PC version the best and definitive way to play the game, with the exception of the Star Fox content you’d find on the Switch. It is also otherwise in full parity with the other console versions to include the support of the physical toys if you wish to go down that route. Starlink: Battle For Atlas is great for all ages, and has no shortage of content or enjoyment.
"Starlink: Battle for Atlas" skilfully takes up the Toys-to-Life concept and offers a space adventure with many strengths and small weaknesses. The exploration of the colorful worlds as well as the completion of numerous secondary tasks is not only enormous fun, but keeps the motivation on a constantly high level. Even though the accessible game system proves to be the clear strength of the title, the uniformity of the missions quickly makes the game monotonous. Overall, "Starlink: Battle for Atlas" is a solid Toys-to-Life game, which doesn't fully exploit its potential, though, and is therefore more in the good midfield.
Review in German | Read full review
Ubisoft bring toys-back-to-life in stunning space epic
Just when you thought Toys to Life was dead, Starlink: Battle for Atlas cleans the mud off for a grand old space adventure. Even the Star Fox story doesn't feel forced or cringe-inducing. But if you want to save money, buy the $80 edition.
The game’s story is lacking in places, is repetitive and lacks more variations of enemies so bear this in mind but remember it’s still fun. Starfox does seem like an afterthought and I would have loved to have seen this game as a pure Starfox game but Ubisoft and Nintendo clearly opted for something else. The planets are gorgeous and well-designed but sometimes do feel barren and unloved by wildlife. There is plenty to do, as the game should give you around 20 to 25hrs worth of playtime. Everything is voiced acted so there is no need to read anything, and there is so much depth to this game just like many other Ubisoft games, so there is plenty to dig into.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a surprise hit for Nintendo Switch. Furthermore, embedding Star Fox in was a masterstroke. From a surprisingly good score and audio cues from characters, to stunning vistas and scenery, there are many positives to be had. There will be many who appreciate the large number of tasks to do, but others will be deterred by the repetitiveness of them, although these are largely optional. The main issue is essentially asking what point of sale is the best value for money as no option is cheap. In fact, to enjoy all of Starlink's content can be a costly affair but even jumping in with the Standard edition or Starter pack is still £20 more than other AAA titles. Unfortunately, these barriers to entry can ruin the enjoyment for those who opt for lesser packages.
With a gorgeous visual design – even on Nintendo Switch, it's a striking-looking game – an enjoyable gameplay loop, fantastic audio design, and a lively cast of characters, there's plenty to like in Starlink: Battle for Atlas. It's a game I can see myself coming back to for a long time yet.
Once you put aside Starlink's somewhat confused nature and design, what you're left with is a genuinely enjoyable open space adventure.
While Starlink shot for the moon and missed, it still managed to lands amongst the stars.