Starcom: Unknown Space

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4.6/5

( 81 Reviews )

4.6

81 Reviews

English & 6 more

Overall most helpful review

Posted on: September 3, 2024

MischiefMaker

Verified owner

Games: 819 Reviews: 66

The modern Star Control we deserved.

Sequel to Starcom Nexus, but with a different storyline, Starcom: Unknown Space is a 2D overhead action RPG about exploring a semi-randomly generated universe in a modular custom ship. Powerful Star Trek vibes! The basic loop is you entering an unexplored system and fighting off hostile ships that can be broken apart piece-by-piece. Once there are no hostiles, you scan the surrounding planets and send down away teams. Away team missions play out as short text adventures, sometimes with puzzle elements. You are rewarded with research points and materials that can be cashed in at your home space station. Research points are spent to unlock and improve ship components from a tech tree that wouldn't look out of place in a 4X. Materials are used to build new ship components that are installed to your custom ship hex-by-hex. Exploration is the main focus of this game. Mission-critical locations are in the same place every run, but side mission star systems are randomly placed each new game. Don't expect Starsector-style fleet combat, it's just your one custom ship against the galaxy. Expect a lot of flying through space listening to ambient new age music until stumbling across new planets and space hulks. If you played Nexus, not only is the game prettier, but they added an autopilot! Ctrl-click any location on the map and your ship will go there at best speed making use of any fast-travel wormhole gates and flingers along the way! If I'm ambivalent about anything, it's that Unknown Space gets you into the thick of it much faster than Nexus and loses some of that sense of being lost and alone far from home. Nexus was a diamond in the rough and Unknown Space has polished that diamond to a shining gleam. If it's a Star Trek exploration game you want, this is highly recommended!

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Posted on: September 3, 2024

x64nop

Games: 1140 Reviews: 8

Great game.

I own this game on Steam and I've been playing it since early alpha-versions. I fully agree with MischiefMaker's review. I loved Star Control I and II when they were released (yes, I'm that old) and poured countless hours in them. And I've been waiting for a proper continuation for them. For example Star Control: Origins is a fine game but it still feels lacking in many points. The game is released only for Windows but it works great on Linux using wine/proton.

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Posted on: September 12, 2024

DoomFruit

Verified owner

Games: 890 Reviews: 16

They took out the Wave Motion Gun

Comparing to its predecessor, Starcom Nexus: the worldbuilding isn't as good (the universe feels smaller and less desolate, and there aren't any enemies as creepy as the Phage), but the exploration itself is still just as engaging. Some quality of life improvements, but a few downsides (namely that landing on a planet basically mandates save scumming). Combat? There's one good change: you now have a button which automatically fires your plasma turrets at the nearest enemy, including target leading. But the rest of the combat changes are bad. Flak is now basically useless because it needs to build up "charges" which you manually activate, instead of just shooting at any incoming missiles on its own. And then it'll waste its shots firing in all directions instead of at the ordnance which you want to destroy. Missiles, in turn, do less damage and aren't as fun to use. The biggest crime is the removal of the Wave Motion Gun (or to use its proper name, the Axial Ultragun). That was the single most satisfying weapon in the entire game and it's gone. Its "replacement", the forward fixed cannons, are weak and weedy in comparison. Purely because of that, Unknown Space has less replayability for me than Nexus. The space battles are less fun. I'd still recommend this game, but not as much as the first one.

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Posted on: October 24, 2024

Chawasun

Verified owner

Games: 106 Reviews: 2

Great to scratch your exploration itch

This game doesn't overwhelm you with too much to do like most modern open world and allows content to naturally come up as you explore new star systems. Missions and planetary events are not time sensitive (at least I haven't encountered any at 15 hours in the game) so you can always level up your crew before attempting ones with higher skill checks. As with other RPGs, you can decide if you wish to specialize in a couple of skills or distribute your skill points evenly. The story is interesting and the lines are generally well-written. The banter between crew members makes the game feel a little more alive. There are also a number of factions so it is fun to explore their backgrounds. One of my favorite features is that I can freely mark the map with my own notes. It allows me to keep track of things in my own way. It's a small feature but it just makes the game so much more user-friendly. The ship-building aspect is also designed quite nicely with an intuitive interface. There's a planning mode so that you can plan your ideal ship so you can eventually build it when resources are available. Overall, it's one of the best random finds I had over the last few years and I'll definitely keep an eye on this developer. If you do play this game, do yourself a favor and NOT look up any guides and just explore at your pace.

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Posted on: September 4, 2024

MadnerKami

Verified owner

Games: 1148 Reviews: 4

Surprisingly captivating

I'm not certain what exactly I expected beyond some not-too-involved and complex fun and distraction and found myself playing way past my planned bed-time pretty much whenever I started the game.

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