Spacebase Startopia is best described as Roller Coaster Tycoon meets Starcraft, only with GLaDOS guiding your theme park. Developed by Kalypso Media – makers of games like Port Royale 4, Tropico 6, and Railway Empire – Spacebase Startopia features a 10-level campaign and a multiplayer mode, as well as a ‘Free Play’ skirmish mode.
Imprecise Human Controls
Spacebase Startopia puts you in control of an orbital base – a sort of rest stop for aliens of all species. The base contains three different decks, each with a different purpose, but all of which are necessary for the smooth operation of your space station. Although much of the game revolves around keeping your visitors happy, there are some threats that can only be answered in force – like space cockroaches.
Of course, the best answer to a space insect is a giant mech suit loaded with a flamethrower and other weapons. You have to love the smell of napalm in the morning. Of course, there are other ways to handle threats, but they aren’t as fun as a mech suit.
Your visitors will leave a Rating that shows their satisfaction with your base. The goal is to meet their hierarchy of needs, whether that be food and water, fun, or handling homesickness. The three separate decks help with that. The Sub Deck is where visitors can find sleep and sustenance, while the Fun Deck is all about entertainment–games, dancing, and so much more. The Bio Deck is a collection of different landscapes that you can terraform at will to give visitors a taste of home, whether that be a watery biome or a rainforest suffused with odd flora.
Space Play
The gameplay is intriguing, with just enough challenge (and three difficulty modes) to keep you coming back. The game falls a bit short on the control front, however. Spacebase Startopia is absolutely a title designed for play on a keyboard–the controller is not cut out for the job. The in-game tutorial teaches you how to win, but does little to explain exactly how to control the game itself. That required a bit of Google-Fu to figure out.
Once you move past the controller learning curve, however, the game is a lot of fun to play. Even if it did feel like I had to refer back to what each button did numerous times.
Advanced Graphics Beyond Human Vision
There is just something about watching a multi-legged alien with eye stalks dance around a disco floor that delights the heart. Spacebase Startopia’s cartoonish graphics are a perfect fit for the game’s attitude and tone.
The bright colors and goofy aliens will entertain you for hours as they toddle across the base to complete tasks, but you have to give out awards for the dancing. These aliens bring a whole new meaning to Dancing With The Stars.
26th-Century Tunes
Spacebase Startopia’s acerbic sense of wit is most clearly seen in the audio. The narrator is less than impressed that a mere human has been placed in charge of the base, and she makes it clear in every one of her interactions that you do not live up to the standards she has put forth. Think of it like the most deliciously abusive relationship you’ve ever been in. Despite the pain, you keep coming back.
The background music is a mix of down-tempo electronic music and ambient sounds, but it fits the game well. It fades into the background as you play, but without it the gameplay would feel empty. The beeps of the robots and chirps of the aliens fill in the rest, as does your narrator’s commentary on your performance.
There are three different voices to choose from, each of which is a fitting reference: GLaWIN, Robot, and VAL 9000. Oddly enough, VAL 9000 is the only male narrator voice – we found ourselves wishing VAL 9000 was a valley girl AI with an attitude.
All in all, Spacebase Startopia is a fun little romp through a foreign galaxy. The game does a lot of things right, and its attitude and sense of humor will keep gamers interested for hours on end. That said, it rides on that humor and wit – the gameplay is fine, but doesn’t feel like it does anything new or groundbreaking. Spacebase Startopia‘s controls are its major obstacle. Once you learn how to handle the game on a controller, you’ll have a blast.