It’s a bright and humorous strategy game which gives a lot of freedom with a lot of depth. Spacebase Startopia was a pleasant deviation from getting destroyed repeatedly in Demon Souls on my PlayStation 5. Fortunately the only bugs or glitches I ran into were intentionally added as part of the game. I was able to hear them loud and clear blaring from my speakers. I was also pleased with the voice acting as I didn’t have to read VAL’s snide remarks. The music worked well with Spacebase as it played in the background. The soundtrack made good use of sci fi effects and fit with the overall setting. This was a great way to see at a glance what you could quickly improve on. There are a fair amount of icons that float above to clue you in if needs aren’t being met. It was a fun endeavor zooming in on the aliens and watching them go about their busy days vacationing on the station. The art style in Startopia is just as campy as the tongue-in-cheek commentary with a bright cartoony side.

Likewise, the buttons to call up different prompts took time to get used to. I accidentally zoomed into the floor more times than I can count. The camera movement was finicky a lot of the time.

The biggest drawback I ran into was the control scheme. This is an engrossing game which will keep you busy for a long time. Spacebase Startopia has several modes with multiplayer and sandbox. Aside from constructing a magnificent base and dealing with baddies, you’ll construct towering mech units for combat and negotiate trade. There’s a lot of depth in this deep space strategy sim. Failure to deal with these impact your rating. You’ll be attacked by enemy forces and subjected to trash bombs. Most of which, VAL will promptly remind you of your inadequacy. Pop ups draw your attention allowing you to assign perks and make decisions. Finally is the Bio Deck where you can terraform different environments to create supplies like oxygen and minerals. You construct a variety of rooms to entertain your guests. The Fun Deck is exactly what it sounds like. This ranges from medical rooms, living quarters and ice cream vending machines. The main deck is where you place the majority of buildings to keep your station operational and provide the essentials for the visiting aliens. Where you choose to place buildings on each one is solely at your discretion. There are three decks on the station and each serves a unique purpose. Since there are so many different alien species, catering to them all comes down to careful planning and a bit of micromanaging. To do this you need to budget your energy and balance a variety of needs. Your goal is to build a successful space station which attracts various beings from across the galaxy. Spacebase Startopia is a strategy game but you could also call it a business simulator. It was a nice change of pace to be insulted by my game instead of praised for following simple commands. VAL was dynamic and surprised me with comments about decisions I made which took me by surprise.

Success was laughed off with patronizing comments. Any mistake I made was met with cruel criticism. I didn’t think artificial intelligence was capable of sarcasm but boy was I wrong.

VAL, the AI who guides your career in rebuilding Startopia is programmed with enough sass to put Alexa and Siri to shame. And hey, if you make some energy (the game’s currency) while you’re at it, who’s to turn a nose up at that? But the main goal is to provide a sanctuary to the various alien lifeforms who too often war with another over simple cultural misunderstandings. Having been vacant for seventeen years, it’s going to take a lot of work to remedy past problems. It’s nothing too serious as you are essentially the only carbon based lifeform capable of taking control of an abandoned spacebase. There is a story which frames many of the scenarios and tutorials for Spacebase Startopia. Now having been officially inducted into the Monument of Shame, I can proudly say the humor is strong in this reimagined Startopia. One thing I didn’t remember from the original Startopia was the tongue-in-cheek humor. How does this new rendition fare on the likes of the PlayStation 5? Continue reading to find out. Fast forward twenty years to when strategy giant, Kalypso Media, reboots the franchise for modern consoles. The original entry as Startopia back in 2001 was met with favorable reviews but pittered out and didn’t see any subsequent releases in the series. Having been a long time fan of the strategy genre, I was excited to see what this modern rendition of Startopia brought to the table. Spacebase Startopia is the first strategy game I’ve had the pleasure of doing a review for on my PlayStation 5.

Spacebase startopia original