Recent reviews by Val

It's a MOBA that plays like a Battle Royale and so far it's really good. Elluna is OP.

Can't even get into the main menu, the confirm button doesn't work.

Stars End is a game with a long and rocky history. Initially released in Early Access with ambitious promises, the game attempted to blend space exploration, base-building, and survival mechanics into one cohesive experience. Unfortunately, many of these mechanics have remained broken or incomplete for years, leaving players like myself frustrated and disillusioned.

For much of its life cycle Stars End struggled to meet the expectations set by its own ambitious premise. From clunky controls to frequent bugs and poorly optimized performance, the game seemed perpetually stuck in development hell. Yet, for all its faults, the community stuck around, hoping that the developers would eventually deliver on their promises. This hope was reignited when the team announced a major rework of the game engine. This update promised to address many of the long-standing issues that had plagued the game's servers, offering not just improved performance but also the offline and co-op experiences that players had been asking for since day one. Against all odds, this monumental update was delivered, and for the first time, it felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The reworked engine brought several much-needed improvements, breathing new life into a game that many had all but written off. Performance was noticeably better, and the addition of offline and co-op modes made the game far more accessible and enjoyable, particularly for players who wanted to explore its expansive world with friends or on their own terms. The potential that had always been buried beneath Stars End's flaws finally began to shine through.

And then, just as things were looking up, the main developer decided to skip town. This abrupt departure has left the game’s future in limbo, with no clear road map or leadership to guide it forward. The betrayal felt by the community is palpable. After years of sticking it out through thick and thin, the rug was pulled out from under them just as progress was being made. Without its main developer Stars End will officially been abandoned with no further updates to come.

What’s most heartbreaking is that Stars End is a game that could have been truly special. The potential for an engaging, immersive Sci-Fi survival experience is still there, buried beneath its troubled history and uncertain future, masked by what appears to be a No Man's Sky clone. But potential alone is not enough. Without consistent development and a team committed to seeing it through, Stars End may remain a cautionary tale, a reminder of what happens when ambition outpaces execution.

For those considering diving into Stars End today, it’s a mixed bag. There’s something to be said for the improved gameplay brought by the engine rework, and for some players, that might be enough to justify giving it a shot. But buyer beware, the game’s future is clear: There will be no further updates and what you see is what you get.

Better with friends, look up Nitrox

It's like Planet Crafters but feels a bit better to play, especially with friends. The game's concept is basically reverse Eco, transform a toxic planet to one that can be inhabited.

The game is terribly optimized and devours ~8GB of VRAM on the main menu for no apparent reason, but otherwise runs fine. The real problem is the gameplay. It's the same loop over and over where there are no changes from round to round other than what types of enemies spawn where. The AI is brain dead and won't notice you unless they're not already doing something. Everything is a bullet sponge, but it doesn't matter because there's no incentive to ever shoot your gun. I love extraction shooters but this is just not even fun.

Forcing people to pay for mods is going to be the nail in the coffin for these companies who think they can bully their way into user-space.

Played during the initial release >10 years ago. Bought it yesterday to see if it was alive. Launched the game, didn't work, lobbies are dead. Started a refund request. Steam denied it 3x times because I have >2 hours of play time from a free weekend ALMOST FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Actually predatory behavior. Don't waste your money buying this game if you've played it before and think you'll get your money back, because you won't.

If Cultist Simulator and Stacklands had a baby this would be the result. As of the time of writing this review there is only just shy of 2 hours worth of content, or less if you're really REALLY good at managing your time, but even with that said you could still easily waste hours playing this game and feel pressured if you don't pause it. There are hints at automation being possible, but there's no reason to do so in its current stage, and you don't unlock the ability to do so until right before you run out of additional content to explore.

Old review:
Sony rug pulled everyone in regions that don't support PSN and tried to gaslight everyone by saying having a PSN account was already required but delayed due to technical reasons. The wayback machine shows this is a blatant lie. They have had multiple data breaches in the last 15 years that affected both their players and employees. Never buy anything published by Sony ever again!

New review:
Sony listened and backpedaled saying it would remain optional. Take this recommendation with a grain of salt, however, as the CEO of Arrowhead stated himself that he knew this change would come 6 months prior to launch and made an informed decision to NOT tell anyone, have the store page edited at the last minute and then act like it always said it would, and their team acting like they had absolutely no idea this was coming until the outrage happened.