Lodestar

Sorry - had to refund this. Put simply they are hitting the wrong price bracket for this game in its current state (note if it had only been around £10 I would have kept it in case it flourishes into something better). I know it's early access but what is there...just is not that great or it has been seen before. Didn't like the grappling mechanics at all - should be able to grapple almost anywhere, not just at points. Shooting was tedious, I yawned so hard I fell out of my chair. On a plus I did, kind of like the atmosphere of the game and therefore I will revisit at some point in the future.

Unfortunately, nothing really special here. Low quality graphics, basic game play, droning music. I'll check back in a few years.

Very early access. Responsive dev team in discord. More of an authored experience than I've seen in a lot of these games - whether that's good or bad is up to you. Think designed levels, not procgen. Game systems somewhat cryptic & opaque - like ok mining go up - what does that do? Faster mining? More resource per time spent mining? Less total time per node? It's also not super clear to me how to progress past first planet; I get that there's a boss but I can't figure out how to damage it. Interesting to check out, if you want to be part of early access for an authored space explorer/crafter then def check it out. I'll probably give it more time to bake before I check in again.

Lodestar is everything that it promised to be in trailers and screenshots. It's a game that has clearly taken inspiration from successful predecessors, mashing together many features familiar to other titles without delving to deeply into any one of them. There's mechanics like mining & resource gathering, 3rd person-shooting, RPG upgrading, workbench-style crafting, some space flight, and boss fights that make me reminiscent of the good ol' PS2 days. It includes all of these without burdening the player with overly intricate systems and the result is a tight-feeling sci-fi metroidvania experience. Lodestar feels beatable. I would critique the tag "open-world" because the playable areas are closed experiences with set resource nodes, enemy spawns, and boss fights that re-spawn when you come back after visiting another planet. From what I can tell, you can collect enough resources to make returning to a planet unnecessary after you've discovered all its secrets using tools gained from later planets. Lodestar scratches that completionist itch in me to get all the collectibles and 100% each planet. I have not played with friends, so I cannot speak to the mechanics of multiplayer. From what I can tell, multiplayer was always the focus and you can feel it a little bit in single-player mode, but not in a way that hinders the experience. You can buff yourself with food at a table for four, you travel to planets in a drop-pod meant for four, etc. I've only played 2.8 hours as of this review, but I can say that I really with the space flight systems were expanded upon. They're really only used for gathering resources from what I can tell so far. I'll update my review as I play. This is an Early Access game. It's not perfect and there are bugs here and there, and features that I wish were there. However, there is a discord that the developers are constantly on and they respond the player feedback pretty quickly. The game is ripe for expansion with new planets, materials, upgrades, etc. and I'm hopeful that once the wrinkles are ironed out, they'll expand the game. At $30, I'd rate this game at a 7/10. I definitely think it's worth the price point with the expectation that it only gets better from here.

Not really worth the money at the moment, I know game development takes a lot of effort but this seems playable but not really enjoyable. Give the game a bit of time. I followed and will check out the Progress. The basic issue I got is, The game feels a bit too static. The drop pod is a short quick animation. The grappling hook sadly doesn't work on any type of surface which I can get behind, Players would find ways to cheese the map. An open world would be interesting. Where you can jump from planet to planet with a travel time to each planet. Not like a level select. I am sorry, I give it some time!

So far so good! Can't wait to see what they add next. Was able to play with 4 friends on the same server with no disconnects. The two worlds we explored were full of jump and grapple hook puzzles to unlock skins and upgrades. The first boss battle was challenging but we got through it. Very fun even in early access.

Played with a couple friends and Lodestar shows a lot of promise for an early access game. Runs well and I didn't encounter any game breaking issues. The ship-to-planet gameplay is unique and there are an endless streams of upgrades to chase. Quests provide a backing structure to guide you through the experience so you're never at a loss to do unlike some survival games. It'll be neat to see more of what's left in this version of the game and the improvements to come in the future.

good for the first bit of gameplay but gets repetitive very quickly, grind, find loot, get upgrades, repeat. if you are getting the game get it on sale, it likely isnt going to be good value for time as it has no replayability.

I am quite enjoying this game! I love me some mining/crafting/shooting combination games. The models and environment are beautiful. The music suits the planets well, although a bit repetitive if you're trying to "100%" a planet or area. Controls are simple enough to pick up on. The personal space craft is a bit wonky to maneuver with mouse and keyboard. I plan to give it a go with a controller as I continue playing. (I don't necessarily think this has anything to do with the game itself. I have do the same thing for No Man's Sky.) I've only played solo, so I can't attest to the multiplayer experience. That's how I prefer getting into a game at first so I can discover the things at my own pace. I definitely see myself putting a lot of time into this wonderful game. Looking forward to future content! <3

I enjoyed the gathering mechanics and grappling around. Building/crafting was simple and intuitive. I cannot wait to see what other stuff gets added.