Rating
Spacebase Startopia
Spacebase Startopia captivates with its original mixture of economic simulation and empire building strategy paired with classic RTS skirmishes and a good dose of humor. In addition to the challenging single player Campaign and the versatile battle mode, there are also competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes for up to four players. And as if ...
Details
- Released
- March 25, 2021
- Developer
- Realmforge Studios
- Publisher
- Kalypso Media
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Spacebase Startopia Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
I've been looking forward to playing Spacebase Startopia for quite some time and now that I have, I must say that I'm impressed.
Spacebase Startopia is an original mixture of economic simulation and empire-building strategy paired with classic RTS skirmishes and a good dose of humour dashed throughout. The game is an updated version of the 2001 original which simply went by the name “Startopia”. Is this a space base you should jump over the moon to join, or are you better off staying down on earth and missing it?
Spacebase Startopia is a reasonably fun management/strategy game, slightly too complex to play with a controller. Though genre veterans will not find much challenge here, Spacebase Startopia is unique and cheerful enough to make it worth a look.
That’s not to say Spacebase Startopia is a bad game, it’s just something of a disappointment. At best, it feels like a remake that makes a few missteps. It’s a forgery at worst. If you really want more Startopia but can’t stand to look at its dated graphics, there’s definitely something for you here. Otherwise, you’re better off docking with a different donut.
Nostalgia can be blinding, a sentiment I echoed throughout my time with Spacebase Startopia (or Starbase Spacetopia as I've called it for the last couple of
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 management simulator based on Startopia, released way back in 2001 on PC. Much like in the original, you're put in charge of a series of doughnut-shaped bases that you’ll need to turn into fun places for aliens to live, work, and play. Every visitor has a wallet filled with Energy that you’ll need to tempt them into spending by keeping them entertained and fulfilling all their needs.
Spacebase Startopia has cutesy and cartoony xenos milling around, but that’s all it has going for it. From questionable mission objectives and monotonous micromanagement, to audio hiccups, technical woes, and a lack of direction, it’s a simulation of the doldrums of alien life.
Spacebase Startopia feels a bit too basic for a management game and is not something you could really spend hours cultivating once you have the station set up. What it offers is rather simplistic, and is marred by regular crashes on console and an AI advisor that you'll grow to hate.
A spiritual sequel to a much-loved space station management sim from the noughties, Spacebase Startopia does exactly what it needs to do - and well.
Spacebase Startopia is not completely without merit, but it does lack in charm and depth, and simulators need one or the other (and preferably both) else they’re in big trouble. With that being said there is a very specific audience for this game; it works as a competitive simulator where you learn the perfect order for doing things and then execute on that to cruise through to easy victories. In almost any other context, however, Spacebase Startopia lacks the creative whimsy and data-driven depth that we usually expect from a great simulator.