Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

Starbound (PC) artwork

Starbound (PC) review


"...it seems to me Chucklefish asked and answered a lot of “what if” questions."

For the longest time, I laboured under the impression that Starbound was in Early Access, and I even insisted that I wouldn't review it if that were the case. I was wrong, but it does concern me somewhat. Early Access and Beta releases have blurred the lines of our expectations, and I'm joining voices like Jimquisition and TotalBiscuit (do yourself a favour and look them up). Still, it piques my perspective as I tell you how much fun this game is.

For want of a more clever comparison, it is the natural progression of lessons learned by the Chucklefish development team. We need to give more credit to people who do a job well, and I insist that more than a paycheque is required. Not much more, but… here it is Some gratitude. Terraria garnered industry attention, critical success and the relentless tides of player amusement and discontent.

Chucklefish pressed on and did what game developers do best: Entertain us with new, refined ideas. Refinement, a principle of this review, makes Starbound a pleasure. The science fiction setting is appropriate because Chucklefish asked and answered many "what if" questions.

Imagine yourself in a future where you possess a multi-tool capable of transforming and storing matter. This is the essence of the Matter Manipulator, a unique tool in Starbound. It's not just a tool, it's your answer to every situation. Whether you need to chop down trees, break apart buildings, or illuminate dark caves, the Matter Manipulator is there for you. And it doesn't stop there, it's upgradable, offering functions like liquid manipulation, electronics wiring, and object colouring.

Starbound is a game that respects your choices. It's set in the far-flung future, where you assume the role of a lone surviving Protector. Your mission is to find a way to survive in a vast, pixel-drawn universe. As the Starbound Steam store page promises, 'there's no wrong way to play.' This freedom of gameplay is a key feature that sets Starbound apart.

Starbound offers a rich character creation process. At the start, you'll choose from one of seven available races, each with its own unique traits and abilities. Whether you prefer the medieval robot Glitches, the western gas-based Novakids, or the nomadic – and carnivorous – plant Florans, the choice is yours. You'll also have the freedom to customize your character's appearance, clothes, and gender. Once you've created your character, the universe is yours to explore.

Once you've acquired the necessary backstory and equipment, you'll have to wrestle with being a lone survivor in space. Your damaged spaceship could take you elsewhere if its Faster Than Light drive wasn't depleted of fuel and an important piece of hardware. SAIL, your onboard AI, insists that hope lies on the planet around which you orbit. Nothing left to do but teleport on down and take your chances!

Truth be told, you're left to your own devices once you've gotten all the basics of how the game works, and while we're on the topic, Terraria put a special emphasis on transportation, and the tradition continues in this 'successor.' Chucklefish decided, since this is a science fiction-based game and a platformer, that you might as well have access to the most iconic abilities of the genre.

After completing a short quest, your jump and dash abilities can be augmented in one of three ways. You're granted Samus' morph ball in a daring – and perhaps obvious – move. It has three versions, but you'll most likely want the spike version since you can climb nearly any surface without aid. I found that augmenting the dash function can be thrown to the bottom of the "must haves" list because there isn't a lot of flat ground to run across.

Tutorial mode concludes when you have gained access to Starbound's hub world, the Outpost and Ark and completed the first "real" mission to repair your ship's FTL drive. Here, you can buy what you need and begin the lore-pursuing quests that will take you through the built-in storyline. I hasten to add that it has an appropriate orchestral range to support its epic reach.

The rest is literally up to you. Playing solo is fun for a while, but the NPCs and story need to mesh better to give you the ethos you need to play for long. I recommend creating or joining a multiplayer server and finding some people to play with. If you want to fly around the universe and collect upgrades for your Matter Manipulator and ship, that's not a bad option.

In fact, if you want to gain a good understanding of just what's going on, you should run a solo character in addition to your multiplayer games. That way, you've got a little more time to ponder the things your friends don't want to hang around to investigate. There is a deep, intricate lore, rich with contributions from Kickstarter backers and forum-goers, waiting to be discovered. You might consider that book you picked up trash, but it's recorded in your character's record and can make for some fascinating reading, adding depth and immersion to your gaming experience.

The Environmental Protection Pack opens doors to some classic science fiction concept worlds. Like an abandoned penal colony under water, a swamp-mired tribal village, robot-populated castles in steampunk style and more. You needn't be violent, either; quests will ask you to mine ores, deliver goods and grow food as often as they will ask you to protect a village or individual. There is an equal balance of all these types.

Of course, you can also massacre every person who lives in that village but don't assume there will be no consequences. Larger villages have guards who can quickly send an inexperienced madman back to his respawn point. Depending on the difficulty setting, that can be a costly measure, as well, penalizing you anywhere from 10% of your "pixels" to dropped items or permadeath.

In the pedigree of Chucklefish's games, you can construct your own colony and be your landlord. Of course, if you want to get into space, the mech may be your machine. You can navigate to small unexplored space zones and collect valuable upgrade loot. Just keep an eye on the locals; you are an intruder until you find that venerable security control panel.

For as much a survival game as this is, some user-centric mechanics elevate it from its tedious genre cousins. Teleportation is "always on"; you can craft flags to bookmark your location for future visits. Death is temporary, and if friends aren't available, crewmates are all too happy to join you on your "away" missions. If you're cautious, you have five inventory bags, and you can craft enough to survive anything that comes long.

I didn't commit to playing this game until my nephew recommended it, and our multiplayer adventures have been absolutely stellar. However, the idea of Early Access made me apprehensive about its future. In fact, even in its current state, NPC quests have noticeable flaws, and they only sometimes work as advertised. However, this is the glitch I could discern in what is otherwise a very polished product.

Starbound is also extremely popular, and the fact that the developers take feedback so well makes this a valuable addition to your library, especially considering that Steam Workshop gives you access to mods that can expand its universe into something you can explore for hundreds of hours. At full price, it is a bargain. So, what will you do in your space adventure?


If you enjoy Simon Woodington's work, please consider showing your appreciation by sharing and/or with a tip via PayPal, Ko-Fi, or Patreon. Your support would mean a lot to them!

PayPal

hastypixels's avatar
Community review by hastypixels (June 27, 2017)

Wisdom comes from effort and mistakes.

More Reviews by hastypixels [+]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (Switch) artwork
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (Switch)

Everything you could ask for except the deep dish pizza.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (Switch) artwork
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (Switch)

The irony of anatomically incorrect sexy android ninjas.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch) artwork

Feedback

If you enjoyed this Starbound review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!

You must be signed into an HonestGamers user account to leave feedback on this review.

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Starbound is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Starbound, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.