Starbound

It could have been the best game ever... sad. Still recommend thanks to the mod community

this is a great game though it could use improvements like not sharing the the story with every character but it has insane potential

GREAT GAME
but sadly it was left behind before it could become AMAZING

played when it was still picks and drills.... great game. good music and down right under rated. would recommend

I liked it. If Terraria absolutely disgusts you, but you still want to play "a Minecraft clone but in 2D", then pick this up. The story is terrible and there's not much depth, but it's still fun.

Well made game, progressing through the story is a little bit tedious IMO

The treasures in sandbox games provide players with the opportunity to explore the vast universe. Each planet is unique with different biological communities, environments, and missions, making every new world you discover fresh and exciting. The combat system is both extensive and beneficial, offering a variety of weapons such as swords, guns, and staffs.
As you explore new worlds, music also changes, and you will discover more powerful items and resources, which will encourage you to further explore and expand your character's abilities.
If you enjoy exploring vast worlds and discovering hidden treasures, Starbound will immerse you for hours.

The base game is really a skeleton. Luckily the developers made a pretty robust modding system so people are able to make quality content even today. FrackinUniverse is a must, after that there's tons of mods to add an incredible amount of diversity to the game. IMO the best game to ever be prematurely abandoned.

Rating: 10/10
I’m really enjoying Starbound—honestly, I like it even more than Terraria! There’s so much more to do in this game. One of my favorite features is having your own ship and the ability to travel to different planets.

Another thing I really love is upgrading your Matter Manipulator (M.M.), which is your main tool for mining and interacting with the world. The upgrade system adds a nice sense of progression.

Starbound also gives me strong Necesse vibes—if you’ve ever played that game, you’ll probably enjoy this one just as much. I highly recommend Starbound to anyone who likes exploration, crafting, and sandbox-style gameplay.

I really enjoy this game, the modding scene is active and frankly incredible but MAN the base game sucks.... buy at your own risk + also game was made with slaves dont ask

Lot's of room for creativity, and the pixel art is bomb!

I adore Starbound. I've played it since I was in middle school (back before its full release) and have slowly seen the game evolve into something really great. Though it has a story, there's tons of things to do outside of the story, and the game almost has a sandbox feel. It's a little between Stardew Valley and Terraria. Each civilization has great worldbuilding and charmingly unique architecture and culture, and depending on which species you play as, you also have a wealth of fun flavor text for everything! This game was a major source of inspiration for my own creations and worlds, and I always end up wanting to come back to it.

Highly recommend! :D

Not the game that was marketed and promised in alpha, it is still decent and has good music but the company is full of shitheads. A few of their controversies are taking advantage of interns and railroading the game from a true sandbox into a linear story with an open world.

Great game with an amazing modding community and a nice art style.

Starbound is ultimately a sandbox for both you and for the extensive modding community to play in. An engine for running dreams that have long-exceeded the original visions of what is objectively a game abandoned by those who made it. Get OpenStarbound to smooth your experience a bit more, and try out some mod collections. It'll either click or not.

Has more biomes than Terraria, better story if you care about that, lots of spelunking and adventuring, good game after Terraria or play Terraria after this, both have their own charm.

I never really 'got' Terraria so I don't really care that Starbound is a clone of it because it does a lot of what I want out of a game a lot better. The construction is more intuitive, the omni-tool is way easier to use than an axe, shovel or anything else. The combat is simple but I don't mind, that's not really what I focus on when playing crafting games. I want straightforward mining, building and farming and those things Starbound delivers very well.

An incredibly solid base and structure for the mechanics of a survival sandbox, unfortunately that's ultimately ruined by poor and cheap ways of implementing challenge.
it may be partly due to item loss, but every death has felt cheap nonetheless. overtime combat ability and stats haven't improved very quickly and just existing is frustrating because enemies are scattered everywhere to overwhelm you, the baseline difficulty is just anxiety inducing and i didn't sign up to play this as a survival horror.
Losing all items on death, amplified with losing more important ones like your healing and your upgrade items, its yet another game that falls into this dumb gameplay loop of trying to retrieve lost items and dying over and over again, the horror of dying is that death can cost half an hour or more if you're unlucky, not to mention if you die from the core of the planet those items are just gone forever (which i learned the hard way).
Its made a lot worse because you can easily die on the other side of a planet from which you even spawn, and you're not fast. any game you can compare this one to handles movement a lot better, someone in this dev team really had the idea that you cant double jump while sprinting.
Also... by god... the fall damage
At least half of my deaths haven't even been from actual obstacles and have been from fall damage. within 12 hours of gameplay i haven't seen any proper fall damage protection like other sandbox survival games have had, the most you get is a well timed double jump (when you unlock it), but this game more than any others makes maps with incredibly steep hills, cascading caverns, and enemy SKYSCRAPERS for NO GODDAMN REASON in a game where the screen is zoomed the fuck in and you fall too fast to even tell when you're about to land. if you compare this to Terraria the difference is absurd, that game has an incredibly outstretched screen and a decently low fall speed cap, you could easily land a double jump under those conditions and even then, fall damage is noticeably less of an issue, early game items remove it and dying on the base difficulty doesn't create such a t e r r i b l e g a m e p l a y l o o p . in this game you don't even get rope for your hellevator so you have to place platforms and repeatedly press and let go of down to not splatter at the bottom at mach speed.

I'm so distraught because like, I reeaally want to like this game, i'm thinking of looking at mods to see what I can improve here, but when i'm already ditching base game there's clearly something wrong.
At the end of the day, I've gotten nowhere near where I should be at from how much I've put into the game and playing it is just starting to piss me off.

Genuinely an amazing game when you invest the time into it. It definitely needs the Frackin' universe mod pack to have the complete and fleshed out Starbound experience, but overall the amount of love and creativity that's clearly gone into the development of this game is astounding. This game will forever hold a place in my heart now. The characters you make in this game really grow on you. You'll likely stick with just one character for a long while if you're anything like me. Well anyway, please give this game an earnest shot, it deserves it

Great game that never got as much recognition as it should have.

It's okay. Not the best but I have a friend who keeps dragging me back to it.

Personally it's not my thing but mods help.

우주탐험 플랫포머의 정석, 유기되버린 고전명작
- 어느 정도 연차가 있는 작품임에도 불구하고 다양한 즐길거리를 선보임, 행성 간 우주탐험과 각 행성마다의 고유한 환경요소 등 가격에 비해 나름 알찬 요소들이 많음
- 나름 디테일한 도트 그래픽이 매력적이며 테라리아 등 클래식 플랫포머류 어드벤처 rpg의 영향을 많이 받은 듯한 요소가 관찰됨
- 영감을 받은 작품들과 마찬가지로 컨텐츠를 보려면 어느정도 장기적인 플레이를 요구, 혼자 하면 중후반부 즈음에 게임의 박자감이 조금 뒤쳐진다는 느낌이 듬
- 조작감과 난이도는 초반에는 약간 이질적이지만 하다 보면 곧 적응될 정도, 문제 삼을 수준은 아님, 우주선 꾸미기 시스템과 선원 선별 등 소소한 커스터마이징 요소가 존재
- 장르가 장르인 만큼 웬만하면 실패하지 않는 고봉밥같은 작품, 특별히 깔 것은 없지만 개발진들에게 유기된지 한참 된 작품이니 수명은 이미 다 한 듯 함, 무난무난하게 즐기기에는 나쁘지 않음

총평: 6.5/10

Leaving aside issues involving the dev(s) and shady practices, the game itself is... fine. It's a lot of fun if you're into zen experiences where you can just gather materials and build a nice base, but it also has a lot of tedious annoyances that really get in the way of that type of run.

Enemies are the main issue. They'll beeline it to you the moment they spot you, then rapidly run through you, back and forth, until you die. Jumping around like a pogo stick and firing rockets at them works to a degree, and using some of the upgrades like the dash (which provides a brief I-frame) can help, but it doesn't change the fact that enemies are a chore to fight, especially early game when you're weak and don't have a good ranged weapon.

Mechs sound cool, but in practice are largely pointless and continue the theme of enemy tedium, with some really nasty ones later on that can kill you in a couple of seconds flat.

The story is about as rote and generic as it gets, and the missions again continue the theme of tedium. Do it once to unlock a couple of new shops, then ignore the story stuff for any future runs.

Honestly, activating admin mode for invincibility to deal with enemies without the frustration is probably the best way to play, then deactive it again when the annoyance is dealt with.

If you can get past the wonky combat and annoying enemies, there's a lot to enjoy if you're into the zen building experience, so overall it's a recommend, but probably wait for a while.

Oh, Starbound... I've been following this game since early access and I can safely say that do I not look up to it nearly the same as I used to, from the lack of content in the base game, numerous bugs and hodgepodge requirement of mods to have some semblance of fun and substance, It's just... I mean, It's not a bad game but I wouldn't say it's great either. I still recommend this game to people who want what is essentially the Terraria to No Man's Skys Minecraft, otherwise, your money is better spent elsewhere.

Very good game with great potential, but the developer had abandoned it a long time ago

For me this game feels like a better version of Terraria: different locations, pretty good story and gameplay. But after 20+ hours you'll feeling the monotony of what’s happening and it’s tiring.

6,5/10

game is pretty ok on its own if a little boring and repetitive . HOWEVER when you play with mods it is a lot better, NEVER play this game vanilla unless you're playing the game for a first time or if you hate having fun
i would recommend visiting the funny pirate website instead of paying for this game or waiting for a sale, this game is not worth the full price

If you like Minecraft or Terraria, you'll probably like Starbound as well.

For cons, the system is not as intuitive as it could be (comparing to Terraria, which does a lot of the stuff better), and some things are definitely clunky (like the pixel printer once you start gaining blueprints, LAG!).

Also, Chucklefish has had issues with treating staff poorly, so that might turn you away from it.

Pretty fun gameplay, but the story is like a 2/10, which is ok as long as you're not here for it.

Very good game in my opinion, might need mods to be worth playing for a lot of people though.

Terraria in space, cool game, sad there is no more updates

Been a long time since ive played, but this game was good. Its sad how it was abandoned and doesnt get updated nor was it ever finished. I recommend it but i also know it will never be finished so unless you use mod's you'll never get a full experience.

Game's alright vanilla, but it's actually LIT with mods! There's already some really good, game changing mods out there. With the Source Code being released to the public in Internet Archive: things will only get more wild from here. Here's to hoping we get Cataclysm: In Space, am I right?

I would only recommend this game with the addition of mods. Its fine with vanilla, but mods makes it more enjoyable

extremely shallow, the modded fan content is the only saving grace to this game. disappointing :/

Basically, it's terria in space. It's like you combined terria and no mans sky and smashed them together. That is the only correlation to other games, its all original. Play this game.

I purchased this as my first Steam game, and actually my first computer game ever (I grew up playing only Nintendo, but finally decided to try computer gaming). I have really been enjoying it! The combat is fun, and there seems to be endless exploration. Additionally, the story is woven into the game. Rather than a separate free-play and story mode, they are intertwined in the form of missions. This may also be its downfall for some who prefer to explore freely without being held back by missions, however. Overall I really like it and recommend it for people who grew up playing Terraria and highly enjoyed it.

Do you like Stardew Valley? Have you ever wished it was in space? Do you like Terraria? Did you ever wish there was "more space"? This is that. A few years a go, Starbound was kind of an unfinished game, but now with Fracking Universe its basically a whole new thing! Explore, mine, craft, collect, quest, build, decorate, buy, sell, kill, and save...but in space and on other planets!

The game was a lot better in early access. Progress is way slow and the new quest they added are completely TERRIBLE. Most of them are explained very poorly what you actually need to do or just completely wrong, requiring googling. Other are just insanely tedious. The actual fun progression part of the game was slowed WAY down.

Game was promising but devs got lazy and half-assed finishing the game.

Base game kinda sucks and is pretty easy, not to mention the plotholes in the main storyline. HOWEVER the modding community for this game is absolutely amazing and has created some very wonderful content. Shellguard and RPG Growth alongside Project 45 and Arcana come to mind mainly. On the flipside of the modding community though, avoid anything to do with Frackin Universe. A large portion of that mod contains stolen work and the mod itself was made intentionally incompatable with mods that the creator doesn't like. Not to mention the insane number of mods it's unintentionally incompatable with, which is intentionally not being fixed because the mod is perfect as is, which is kinda true from an unaware player's perspective because the mod itself is great in concept, but it was so poorly executed (the whole stealing thing, along with bad code in general) that it's not worth using.

Starbound itself can be beaten in probably a day if you know what you are doing. It's kinda like terraria but in space and with a lot less going on. There are 7 main bosses you have to defeat to beat the main story, and while there is still a tiny bit of content past that, it's not worth it without mods.

Shellguard is a masterpiece. A fully fleshed out campaign, more bosses than the main game, interesting concepts and missions, and a modular weapon system that is not only fun and easy, but also well balanced (in my opinion). Highly recommend this mod, as it gives you a good reason to keep playing past the main story.

RPG Growth changes the whole game. It adds new ways to play, a leveling system, optional enemy scaling, stat upgrades, specializations, professions and so much more. I think there is also some kind of magic system but I've not gotten into that myself. I like this mod because it makes it so that no matter how much you play, how many extra stories you run through, you still feel like you are progressing and gaining power.

Project 45 is kinda like Shellguard's little sibling. It focuses on giving you a more in-depth gun system, with reloading mechanics, recoil, and it's own upgrade system. This mod can get extremely unbalanced VERY quickly, so long as you have enough money.

Arcana seems like a very interesting mod aswell, though I've only found it more recently so I can't say too much about it. 4 new races to pick from, all with custom ships, is a pretty good start though. It seems like they all have their own fleshed out lore and the mod also adds a TON of new dungeons and planets to explore.

Something else I need to mention is an alternate version of the main game called OpenStarBound (OSB). It's in my opinion a very necessary upgrade that I can't enjoy the game without because it's a project that has been worked on by some of the biggest and most liked modders to puzzle together and upgrade leaked source code. Starbound on it's own can lag, so it's no wonder that adding mods into the mix can kill the game pretty quick. Even just with Shellguard. But with the upgrades and optimizations of OSB, I can run all of these major mods listed, and more, alongside a TON of smaller mods, with minimal to no lag at all. Not to mention the QoL features of OSB including custom keybind support for mods, a better lighting system, and overall more possibilities for modders to do what they want to do (because the base game code is actually a total spaghetti mess that often makes no sense (and in some cases done in the worst way possible)).

TLDR : If you plan on buying the game to play the base content, don't. It's not worth it. If you want to get into the amazing mods people have created, please do and go install OSB while you are at it, and avoid anything to do with Frackin Universe.

The fact this game was abandoned does indeed lend credence to the fact there is no god, and if they do exist- they hate us.

"It's not 2D Star field, but Starfield is 3D starbound instead."

This game is old, and therefore, precedes all your expectation (I myself first played it in high school 10+years ago as of beta ver. release in 2013).
If you just stumble on this old af game yesterday and complains why there's no live updates anymore....
I suggest you rethink the reason again.... (-_-a)

Is it good?, YES.
Is it perfect?, NO.
Is it worth the price?, ABSOLUTELY.

I only play this with Frakin's universe as its like 10 times more the game with 10 times more the fun. Good game as is, but advised to add the mod.

9.2/10

Has a huge and really good modding scene. I do not recommend vanilla (my only issue is the combat sucks) but if you like mods, space, and 2D games you'll like this game.

I used to LOVE this game. It used to be so much fun. But when i tried to go back to it, i didn't have fun. Like any at all. It was a chore. One long boring chore. Nothing much has changed for the game, really, so i guess *I* must have changed, and grown apart.

I try to restart this game from time to time and I have found that it is almost unplayable without mods. There is no real point to anything unless you install Frackin. And even that loses its edge pretty fast. Try it on game pass.

I really liked this game and wanted to play more, but it got abandoned by the devs which really pisses me off.

An extremely great Terraria meets No Man's Sky RPG with great base building and story. Sadly, the game has been effectively finished or abandoned by the devs which means no new effective bug fixes or updates for base vanilla. Mods hold this game afloat and there are a ton of them from adding additional races to entirely new storylines and revamps of the game itself, the amount you'll find is near endless. It's definitely single player oriented with all the mods at your disposal and is more akin to Minecraft in that you install mods and go on a weeks long play session before you put it down until the feeling comes back. Is base vanilla good? yes, but you'll do way better with mods helping cut down on the grind and allow freer exploration.

great game may have some friends to play alongside at a later point so i know mostly how to play also have friends to play with at same time. slowlly building a base up but gonna beautify it with telleporter eventually

It's space Terraria, and to be fair, it's very good at being that. However, there are a number of compounding issues that make this game not worth it: the game is woefully under-optimized; the gameplay loop following the final boss is quite bland; many of the achievements, while technically possible, are rng-based and statistically not accomplishable in any reasonable amount of time. Unfortuneately, this game is essentially abandonware, so none of these issues will be fixed.

- animals/creatures drop money instead of food, making you the richest man to starve to death

- the ui, crafting menu, buttons are just WAY to small, and i have a big monitor and im wearing glasses, i dont know if im just getting old or what, but everything is way too small and difficult to see even when you using the UI zoom in setting

- reading simulator in the worst font style possible that even books wouldn't do