| Starcom: Unknown Space | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Starcom: Unknown Space is a sci-fi RPG set in the vast reaches of space, where alien planets, cultures, trade, and combat await. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Starcom: Unknown Space Review Overview
What is Starcom: Unknown Space?
Starcom: Unknown Space is an action-packed sci-fi space exploration RPG by Wx3 Labs that puts you at the helm of your very own starship on the frontier of a newly discovered multiverse. Thrust into a top-secret military mission to explore a wormhole leading to an entirely new universe, you and your crew must navigate the mysteries of the unknown, scanning alien worlds, researching strange phenomena, and battling hostile forces—all in the name of science and discovery. Customize and build the starship of your dreams, and uncover worlds at the farthest reaches of space in Starcom: Unknown Space.
Starcom: Unknown Space features:
⚫︎ Hex-based space ship-building mechanics
⚫︎ Expansive tech tree for ship and crew upgrades
⚫︎ Intergalactic trade, exploration, and combat
⚫︎ Unfolding story about a newly discovered multiverse
⚫︎ 2D shooter combat
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
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| $24.99 |
Starcom: Unknown Space Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Incredibly Expansive Tech Tree Semi-realistic Space Travel |
Combat is Fun but Too Simple Too Much Downtime |
Starcom: Unknown Space Overall Score - 74/100
Starcom: Unknown Space is a great pick for sci-fi enthusiasts and space odyssey fans, offering a bite-sized slice of the universe to explore. The gameplay is generally smooth and well-executed, though the ship combat can get a bit monotonous. The story is easy to follow yet thoughtfully crafted, providing a solid narrative backbone to the adventure. Visually, the game shines with stunning graphics that capture the beauty of the cosmos. However, the price point may be slightly higher than some might expect for what's on offer. Still, if you’re craving some sci-fi action without the deep commitment of something like Stellaris, this game could be the perfect appetizer you’re looking for.
Starcom: Unknown Space Story - 8/10
Starcom: Unknown Space offers a straightforward yet captivating story, filled with intriguing alien races, mysterious ruins, and countless tales scattered across the cosmos. While the game focuses heavily on exploration, it balances this with a satisfying dose of exposition in each mission, allowing you to immerse yourself in a space odyssey that, while somewhat brief, is undeniably enjoyable.
Starcom: Unknown Space Gameplay - 7/10
The gameplay of Starcom: Unknown Space feels like a bite-sized version of what fans of Stellaris have come to love. It packs in intergalactic trade, orbital scanning, intersystem wormhole travel, and space combat, all streamlined for a more accessible and digestible experience. The ship-building system is particularly enjoyable and offers a good amount of customization, but the combat can feel a bit too simplistic, even with the vast arsenal at your disposal. Additionally, while exploration starts off strong, it can become tedious and monotonous over time. Still, for those looking for a more compact space exploration experience, Starcom: Unknown Space is a solid and enjoyable choice.
Starcom: Unknown Space Visuals - 9/10
I was pleasantly surprised by the stunning quality of the renders in Starcom: Unknown Space, especially for a title that hasn't received much attention. The game boasts some of the most convincing models for planets, stars, wormholes, and alien ruins I’ve seen in a sci-fi game—and that’s coming from someone who’s played Stellaris! The visuals are absolutely breathtaking, and not just in the context of the vacuum of space.
Starcom: Unknown Space Audio - 7/10
While the audio in Starcom: Unknown Space is competent, it lacks the depth and memorability that could’ve potentially elevated the overall experience. The game does capture the silent vastness of space, which adds a certain atmosphere, but this choice doesn't necessarily enhance gameplay immersion. A bit more variety in the audio design could go a long way. Some voice acting—even if minimal—could also add richness to the game’s storytelling.
Starcom: Unknown Space Value for Money - 6/10
While Starcom: Unknown Space certainly looks polished and visually appealing, the $25 price tag feels a bit steep given the highs and lows of its gameplay. There’s no denying the quality and effort put into the game, but when compared to other more engaging titles available at the same price, it’s hard to justify the cost. A slightly lower asking price would make it a more attractive option for players, especially when considering the variety of experiences offered in the current gaming landscape.
Starcom: Unknown Space Review: Bite-Sized Space Odyssey
From the moment I started playing Starcom: Unknown Space, I felt an unmistakable pull—an itch at the back of my mind urging me to scan just one more planet, to see what secrets might unfold. It took a while to pinpoint exactly why it felt so familiar, but then it hit me: it was the same thrill of exploration I’d experienced in the early game of Stellaris, where scanning planets and uncovering hidden wonders is the heart of the adventure.
With that realization, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes open for other similarities between Starcom: Unknown Space and Stellaris. To my delight, I found plenty of connections. Though these two games have their differences, Stellaris serves as a perfect lens to showcase what makes Starcom: Unknown Space tick, given its wider recognition.
So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s dive into the mechanics of Starcom: Unknown Space and explore why it feels like a delightful, bite-sized version of Stellaris.
Let’s start with the gameplay, which is where Starcom: Unknown Space truly shines. At its core, Starcom: Unknown Space is a sci-fi RPG centered around exploration and straightforward 2D combat. If you’ve ever played classics like Space Invaders or Asteroids, you’ll have a pretty good sense of Starcom: Unknown Space’s combat, though there are some unique twists. While the game’s perspective is top-down, it’s not a true 2D game; instead, it cleverly uses hierarchical layers of depth, allowing your ship to pass over some objects while colliding with others. Stars and planets usually form the backdrop, while enemy ships, asteroids, and other interactable elements share the foreground with your vessel.
Exploration is the heart of Starcom: Unknown Space. As you journey through space, you’ll encounter planets that can be scanned for anomalies, triggering opportunities to send a research crew down and initiate random events. These events might reward you with resources, research points, or valuable artifacts—or they might prompt skill checks reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3, determining your crew’s success based on their abilities. While many of the main story missions hinge on these scanning activities, which can feel repetitive, the true excitement lies in what you discover along the way. There’s always the chance of stumbling upon scannable planets, space debris, trade ships, or hostile entities that keep your journey unpredictable and engaging.
When you do encounter hostile entities, combat is straightforward: simply turn your ship to face your enemies and unleash your weapons. However, there’s a bit of strategy involved—you’ll need to manage your energy reserves to keep your assault going while skillfully maneuvering to dodge incoming fire. Different weapons demand varying levels of precision and skill, especially those non-turret, directional weapons that require you to align your ship with the target. Combat performance is heavily influenced by your ship’s loadout. Bulkheads and deflectors enhance your defenses, thrusters boost your mobility, and an array of weapons form your offensive arsenal. Beyond that, auxiliary gadgets add layers of utility, offering benefits like increased scanner range or enhanced resource collection.
This brings us to Starcom: Unknown Space’s hex-based ship-building system, arguably the most enjoyable feature of the game. In a nutshell, you’ll use gathered resources to assemble your ship from hexagonal modules, each with its own unique function. The beauty of this system lies in its flexibility—parts can be recycled with 100% efficiency, encouraging you to mix, match, and rebuild your ship as needed to adapt to different challenges.
However, while customization is key, there’s a strategic layer to consider. Slapping on parts haphazardly isn’t advisable, as clustering too many similar components can cause your ship to overheat, severely limiting the effectiveness of certain systems. Your ship’s body is also limited to a certain size, preventing you from making too big a vessel unless you have th prerequisite research unlocked, forcing you to make do with what space you have.
Overall, Starcom: Unknown Space’s gameplay is engaging and well-crafted, with every feature thoughtfully designed to deliver a compelling sci-fi RPG experience. The systems work seamlessly together, and the game never feels disjointed or lacking in purpose. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. Despite the creative freedom in ship-building, combat often feels repetitive and flat, ultimately boiling down to a numbers game rather than an engaging tactical challenge. This isn’t Stellaris’ dynamic 3D ship combat, but rather a simpler, scaled-down version more suited to Starcom’s design constraints—so while it’s not a flaw in game design, it is a limitation of the medium.
Progression is another area where the game struggles. It moves at a crawl, bottlenecked by the limited research points you can collect and how quickly you can access new areas. Additionally, the frequent dice rolls that determine your success can be frustrating, often stalling your progress and making the game feel more like a gamble than a steady journey of improvement.
Despite its slow progression, Starcom: Unknown Space more than redeems itself with its compelling story and knockout visuals. The narrative is tightly woven and straightforward, featuring well-written characters and a story that unfolds naturally without wasting words on unnecessary details. It’s hard to complain about an efficient sci-fi tale, especially when it’s paired with the fun of sandbox exploration and Asteroids-style combat.
Visually, the game shines just as brightly. High-quality renders of ships, celestial bodies, and tactical UIs are brought to life with stylish details like J.J. Abrams-inspired lens flares and dynamic shadows. The aesthetics perfectly complement the game’s polished presentation, creating an immersive experience that’s as enjoyable to watch as it is to play.
Overall, Starcom: Unknown Space is a well-crafted game that stumbles slightly with its repetitive gameplay. The heart and hard work poured into this game are evident, and it has the potential to become a classic in its genre given a bit more time to refine its formula. However, its core limitations are hard to overlook, especially when they’re so tightly woven into the gameplay experience. All of that said, it’s still an impressive title, and I can easily see myself using it as a warm-up before diving into a 48-hour Stellaris session. Not quite Stellaris yet, but maybe Stellar-ish.
Pros of Starcom: Unknown Space
| Things Starcom: Unknown Space Got Right |
|---|
|
Incredibly Expansive Tech Tree Semi-realistic Space Travel |
Incredibly Expansive Tech Tree
Although research acts as one of Starcom: Unknown Space’s early-game bottlenecks, the tech tree itself is impressively vast, with over a hundred nodes offering upgrades that span the game’s extensive arsenal of ship parts. Unlike the minor incremental boosts found in other RPGs like Path of Exile 2 or Enshrouded, each upgrade in Starcom: Unknown Space provides a meaningful improvement to your ship’s capabilities.
Some nodes unlock entirely new tiers of ship parts, while others deliver significant boosts, like doubling key stats. I can see why research comes at such a cost in the early stages now. If the developers can balance the game’s tech tree better, we may be able to see better progression yet for Starcom.
Semi-realistic Space Travel
This particular detail doesn’t contribute to Starcom: Unknown Space’s gameplay, visuals, or audio, but it stands out for its contribution to the game’s immersion. Simply put, Starcom doesn’t just depict realistic space travel, it goes the extra mile by providing in-universe explanations for what might seem like unrealistic elements, such as its UI.
In simpler terms, the game's portrayal of interplanetary travel—where journeys that would take an eternity in real life are dramatically shortened, even with lightspeed technology—is actually an artistic interpretation of what’s happening in the universe.
The developers liken it to a "Mercator Projection in space," where distances are distorted to fit a 2D plane. It’s a clever touch that many other games overlook, often brushing off shortened space travel times with vague mentions of advanced technology or simply for gameplay convenience.
Cons of Starcom: Unknown Space
| Things That Starcom: Unknown Space Can Improve |
|---|
|
Combat is Fun but Too Simple Too Much Downtime |
Combat is Fun but Too Simple
Don't get me wrong—Starcom: Unknown Space’s combat gameplay is a blast, but I just wish the excitement lasted longer. The initial thrill of twin-stick space battles, filled with lasers and explosions, is undeniably fun. However, after a few encounters, every battle starts to feel the same, unless you happen to unlock a new weapon or ship design. Even then, the core experience remains largely unchanged.
This repetition is partly due to the game's 2D perspective, which limits variety. But there’s potential for more dynamic elements, like ship passives, boss fights, or activatable abilities, to spice things up. This is where games like FTL truly shined—their randomness kept things fresh while still demanding player skill. Adding a similar level of unpredictability to Starcom could elevate the experience, though I imagine it won’t be that simple. Considering what the game’s developer has accomplished with the game so far, I think it can be done.
Too Much Downtime
As it stands, the game suffers from too much downtime. This is the downside of Starcom: Unknown Space’s commitment to realistic space travel—the aspect that most developers try to sidestep. The vast distances between major points of interest on the game’s map can be so extensive that you might find yourself tabbing out to do something else while your ship is in transit.
Unfortunately, there’s no real fix for this without compromising the game’s immersive take on space travel. If this sounds like a deal breaker for you, consider yourself forewarned. On the bright side, at least the game offers an autopilot feature, so your fingers won’t wear down from the long journeys.
Is Starcom: Unknown Space Worth It?
A Bit Pricey For What It Is
Starcom: Unknown Space is a solid game that deserves recognition, but not at its current $25 price tag. At that price, there are plenty of other games offering more value and a higher caliber of experience. Right now, Starcom is asking for more than it’s worth—perhaps more than it will be worth even once fully realized. A price closer to $20 would be more appropriate. However, if you’re really craving that sci-fi feel, this isn’t the worst purchase you could make, just not the most optimal one.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
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| $24.99 |
Starcom: Unknown Space FAQ
How Is Starcom: Unknown Space Related to Starcom: Nexus?
According to the game’s developer, although both games initially start in the same universe, both games also continue their story in a different, newly discovered universe. There may be a number of references and Easter Eggs related to Nexus, but players will not be expected to be familiar with the Nexus storyline. The characters, lore, and aliens are all new.
What Languages Will Starcom: Unknown Space Be Available In?
Starcom: Unknown Space will only be available in English for the game’s Early Access run. As the game nears full release, other languages may be added.
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Starcom: Unknown Space Product Information
 | |
| Title | STARCOM: UNKNOWN SPACE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 2, 2024 |
| Developer | Wx3 Labs |
| Publisher | Wx3 Labs |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | RPG, Action, Adventure, Simulator, Strategy |
| Number of Players | Single-System (1) |
| Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Starcom: Unknown Space Official Website |
