ASTRONEER

ASTRONEER is a vibrant and creatively designed space exploration and base-building game that combines elements of survival, crafting, and automation. Players enjoy the freedom to explore colorful planets, deform terrain, and construct intricate bases with various vehicles and automated systems. The game offers a calming yet engaging atmosphere, with a charming art style and relaxing gameplay loop that appeals to both solo players and groups of friends. Despite its approachable mechanics, the game includes some complexity in resource management and automation that rewards experimentation.

However, players often encounter frustrations with the game's controls, which are described as fiddly and inconsistent across modes, as well as occasional glitches such as objects clipping through terrain or erratic vehicle behavior. The storyline is minimal and mostly delivered through text-based objectives, offering little narrative depth. Some users also criticize the lack of crossplay support and note that the gameplay can become repetitive over time. Nonetheless, the active development team continues to update the game, and many players find it addictively fun and worth the investment.

Highlights

Players praise ASTRONEER for its unique terrain deformation mechanic and the satisfying base-building and automation systems. The colorful, simple yet beautiful graphics and relaxing vibe create an inviting atmosphere. Exploration across diverse planets and the freedom to approach objectives in various ways add to its charm. The multiplayer experience is highlighted as especially enjoyable, enhancing the cooperative fun. The game’s continuous updates and developer support are also appreciated, maintaining player interest.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include fiddly and poorly explained controls that detract from the experience. Optimization issues and bugs such as clipping, erratic vehicle physics, and occasional game crashes frustrate players. The minimal and somewhat disjointed storyline fails to engage those seeking narrative depth. The gameplay loop can feel repetitive, especially after progressing through several planets. Lack of direct crossplay and reliance on server hosting for multiplayer are seen as inconvenient. Some players also feel the microtransaction cosmetics are unnecessary.