Starbound
In Starbound, you create your own story – there’s no wrong way to play! You may choose to save the universe from the forces that destroyed your home, uncovering greater galactic mysteries in the process, or you may wish to forego a heroic journey entirely in favor of colonizing uncharted planets. You’ve fled your home, only to find yourself lost in space with a damaged ship. Your only option is to beam down to the planet below and gather the resources you need to repair your ship and set off to explore the vast, infinite universe… Settle down and farm the land, become an intergalactic landlord, hop from planet to planet collecting rare creatures, or delve into dangerous dungeons and lay claim to extraordinary treasures. Discover ancient temples and modern metropolises, trees with eyes and mischievous penguins. Make use of hundreds of materials and over two thousand objects to build a sleepy secluded cabin in the woods, a medieval castle, or an underwater arcade. Starbound has been built from the ground up to be multiplayer and easily moddable. You have the tools to make the universe your own and modify the game to suit your play style – add new races, biomes, dungeons, and quests – the possibilities are limitless.
Starbound Review
Starbound handles the now-traditional routine of mining, refining, and crafting as well as any of its peers, and even allows you to group up with friends. The early game is a bit slow paced, as your handheld matter manipulator takes a while to bust through tougher materials until you upgrade it, and even the weaker enemies can get the better of you before you’ve found the right rare resources to craft some half-decent gear. What truly elevates this open-ended crafting sandbox above others like it, though, is the diversity.
Other than gathering resources, the main way you interact with these places is by killing their inhabitants. The side-scrolling combat, whether you prefer a melee weapon or slightly more thematically appropriate firearms, is tactical, responsive, and at times intensely challenging. Diverse enemies and fighting styles allow experimentation and prevent battles from becoming stagnant and repetitive. Meanwhile each weapon type has a specific niche and encourages a different style of fighting, to the point that switching from a sniper rifle to a sword and shield made me feel like I was almost playing a different game.
A major highlight of the story quests was a full-on castle siege, in which my NPC crew and I had to defend a batty nobleman’s destructible keep from waves of enemies armed with catapults. I also really enjoyed the chapter dungeon for the super-smart primate Apex species, in which I infiltrated an underground facility run by their Big Brother-esque government to open the way for friendly rebels fighting a real-time battle, which was visible on the surface above me. It’s clear the level designers weren’t afraid to push the boundaries of what a side-scrolling dungeon can be, and it paid off beautifully.
Small, personal outposts can grow into full-blown colonies, as you purchase charters that allow NPCs to move into the makeshift neighborhoods you’ve created. They’ll even pay you rent for your trouble, and more elaborate and embellished settlements will attract higher-paying clients. This creates a compelling reward loop for what would otherwise just be a freeform decorating minigame.
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