ORION: Prelude

This was a great game in it's time, but I last played it nearly a decade ago I think. It's probably dead now.

I liked it for the intended gameplay, but I'll never forget playing this game with a friend and we kept accidentally joining the myriad dino-sex role playing servers lol

pretty cool cheap game

Good

An over ambitious broken heap of a game but it works. its fun, its cheap as chips

No one is on and the bots are brain dead.
Idea is fun but not for solo players

dinoraurs

it's fun playing with friends, me and my friend finished it once and had a fun time

its fun

SOLID Game to play with friends you really cant beat 99 cents I love it!

Rating: 6/10

Overview: ORION: Prelude is a first-person shooter and survival game developed by Spiral Game Studios. Set in a sci-fi universe, the game offers players the chance to fight off waves of enemies, mine for resources, and explore alien landscapes. As the "Prelude" in the title suggests, this is part of a larger series that focuses on cooperative survival and exploration. Players can engage in solo or multiplayer modes, with the game offering various environments and enemies to battle.

Gameplay: At its core, ORION: Prelude is a mix of survival, exploration, and action. The game features dynamic combat, where players fight off hordes of enemies with a variety of weapons and tools. Players can also mine resources to improve their weapons, build turrets, and upgrade their defenses.

The game supports both solo and multiplayer modes, with the co-op experience being a major highlight. In multiplayer, players can team up to face increasingly difficult waves of enemies. This cooperative play adds a layer of strategy, as players need to work together to survive the onslaught.

The combat itself is relatively standard for a first-person shooter, with a variety of weapons available, including guns, explosives, and melee tools. However, the AI can sometimes feel lackluster, and the enemy design doesn’t offer much variety or challenge in the long run.

Graphics and Performance: ORION: Prelude features fairly basic graphics for a modern first-person shooter. The environments are passable but not particularly impressive, with alien landscapes that can feel repetitive. The textures and character models are simple, and while they’re functional, they don't stand out visually. The game’s visual style is somewhat dated, even by the standards of games released around its time.

In terms of performance, ORION: Prelude runs decently on most systems, but it can struggle with optimization at times. Some players report frame rate drops or occasional stuttering, especially in more intense combat scenarios or when there are many enemies on screen. While the game isn't demanding on hardware, the performance can still be inconsistent, which may detract from the experience.

Audio Design: The audio in ORION: Prelude is serviceable but not remarkable. The sound effects for weapons, explosions, and enemies are decent but don’t have a strong impact. The soundtrack is fairly generic, with ambient sci-fi tunes that don’t add much to the atmosphere. While the audio isn't distracting, it doesn’t elevate the experience either. There’s no significant voice acting, which could have added personality and immersion to the game’s characters and story.

Challenges: ORION: Prelude offers a moderate challenge, especially in survival mode. As players progress through waves of enemies, the difficulty increases, requiring players to manage resources, defend positions, and upgrade their gear. However, the lack of diverse enemy types or complex AI behavior can make the game feel repetitive over time.

The game can become quite grindy, as players need to farm resources, mine, and continuously upgrade their weapons and defenses. While this can be fun for a while, it may begin to feel monotonous, especially if playing solo.

Final Thoughts: ORION: Prelude is an ambitious, yet somewhat flawed, survival shooter. While the cooperative gameplay and resource management offer some fun, the overall experience can feel repetitive and lacks the depth needed to keep players fully engaged. The game’s dated graphics, lack of enemy variety, and inconsistent performance hold it back from being a standout title in the genre.

Pros:

Fun cooperative multiplayer with friends
Resource management and upgrading add strategic elements
Some decent combat mechanics
Fairly easy to jump into for casual play
Cons:

Dated graphics and repetitive environments
Weak AI and lackluster enemy variety
Performance issues, including frame drops and stuttering
Lack of story or deep character development
Can become grindy and repetitive over time
ORION: Prelude offers a decent co-op survival experience but struggles to stand out in the crowded first-person shooter market. It’s enjoyable for short sessions with friends, but the lack of long-term depth and technical issues may prevent it from becoming a lasting favorite.

This is the cheapest way to have a blast on steam and its great when you have no internet because you can still play you defend a generator in ever increasing in difficulty dino waves with weapons you unlock yes there are vehicles like tanks bot and chopper and even a speed cycle

Worth every penny.

110 minutes on record.

Engaging, rewarding and easy to master.

I'd say I got a dollar's worth of fun out of it.

I own all your games. This is my favorite. The graphics are outdated, the dino ai is kinda wonky and the vehicles are hard to control. I LOVE this game.
Do I recommend this? Yes. Why? its $0.99. If you have fun for like...5 minutes, it's worth it. I have purchased this for anyone in my family or friends who even consider playing.

I have one request, I realize this doesn't make much sense, but if I had one single wish, it would be to allow offline LAN multiplayer. That would be AMAZING. Yes, the game is old. But it is a GREAT game for LAN Parties. (And yes, to all of you who think LAN parties are dead, some people still have LAN parties. LOL, And offline LAN games are just far easier to set up due to not having to share my slow interwebs connection)
**Okay second request, a mod kit would be awesome...

So YES, spend the 99 cents on this game because its fun. And sometimes it goes on sale for 49 cents. Like, a can of Red Bull costs like $5. But mainly, the game is fun, its wacky, it does NOT take itself seriously and that is totally okay.
PLAY WITH FRIENDS. It is fun and funny. Also, look for the hidden stuff in each map.

Don't buy this. It's super buggy, not very fun, and the developers have a shady history afaik.

I love you mr disonours

well... its not very good, i guess. i wont deny i had fun playing with my friends, but if my friends got drafted, i would go to war with them and we'd find ways to enjoy it, so i think its hardly saying much.
its old though. nobody else plays it anymore. ill let it die.

Tried everything yet it doesn't ******* start on windows 11

⠀

When all is said and done... nah.

Great game when youre bored of all of ur games that you already beat, and this might just be better than guardians of orion phase 2

Shooting dinosaurs, usually with rocket launchers, if I have my way. Good times.

dd

Goated game

It is as chaotic and fun as Helldivers 2 but came out years prior. Achievement hunting is fun as well. Highly recommended.

Pretty dumb game overall!

норм

It truly can't get any better than dinosaurs and guns

It's worth it. Do it. Kill the dinos.

For a dollar, it's stupid fun.

its fun to me

A pretty meh game. Lot's of glitches that should've been fixed by now after almost 22 years. But I heard this guy got in a big lawsuit because he stole a bunch of assets from Call of Duty.

best gaem ever

Dinos!

Oddly enjoyable and playable in a good way

Was supposed to be so much more, still sad to not see what it should've been, still a good time.

Extremely janky game that was a good bit of fun with friends.

very nice

The game is not immaculate. Flying dinos can get stuck, the vita/hacking kit doesn't seem to function, several achievements rely on having playercounts that simply aren't there and grind times you probably won't invest.

But unlike a lot of newer $40-$70 games it's fun to play. It's fun solo, it's fun with randoms, and it's fun with friends. Playing it reminds me of those goofy games in arcades with the gun controllers.

Been playing this game with a group of friends with a dedicated server for years, just a session here and there when the mood is right. Solid gameplay, unique ideas, overall just a good game. Played some Guardians of Orion P2 as well, would say the same for it.