STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions

TL;DR Not worth playing in early access. Unfortunately not fun gameplay loop. You know, its happened time and time again where I play a game--A game I am overly excited for mind you, and it turns out once again that the Developers really don't understand what players want or how to push content into a playable, enjoyable form. System Era has metaphorical gold in the form of the Astroneer IP, a sandbox-space-exploration-lego whatever you want to call it genre that appeals to a large amount of casual gamers. But for years that continued to put out BAD DLC after BAD DLC and then decided to make this game? They didn't listen to what their mistakes were telling them, all they listened to is what they could profit from. STARSEEKER is no exception on a failure to provide for their players. Yeah, i get it. It's "not done", but that's no excuse. Even now they're doing community events over and over instead of ADDING MEANINFUL GAMEPLAY CONTENT. I wanted so bad to like this game. I really got excited and it really sparked the autistic child in my brain that wanted more space legos. Unfortunately, this game just feels bad to play and not 'fulfilling' just having the only purpose of running missions to fill my storages with junk to make more junk to do more missions to get more junk. Constructive feedback: This live-service format isn't working for you and most players don't enjoy the timer. So my first advice would be extend the timer or make a planet with no timer. Having the planet exist for 'let's say' 3 hours before a storm engulfs the planet, doing damage or impeding the player's gameplay to encourage them to return to the station. Maybe the storm could be the start of the return timer? It's an idea. Second, a "live service" game exists by encouraging players to spend money on things you provide them that they want, whether that's DLC, cosmetics, in-game upgrades... but when the game's not worth playing, everything else falls off. So really in order for live service to work, you need to work on the game itself first. The "LIVE" part of the services come later.

This game is dead (steamdb charts show less than 80 active players in 24 hours) and makes no sense on who the target audience is for. Is it for children, teens, adults? It makes no sense for any range group. The game has "co-op" but zero Chat or Mic options to actually talk to your group or even try to get players to join your group. I really tried to like this game, but nothing keeps you interested for more than a couple of missions. Then its grind for hours upon hours doing the same thing over and over for little to no enjoyable gameplay. Do not waste time with this one.

First of all, there are some things SES has said, but not loudly enough: - This is NOT Astroneer 2, it is a new game that I might call friendly extraction. - It is NOT single-player. You can play mostly by yourself, but there will be other people around; sometimes you will help each other, sometimes you will get in each other's way. The main design target is small squads. The game is early access, and for me hasn't quite come together yet. (I also don't play other extraction games, so I might not be the main target audience) It has some very interesting design goals and a lot of mechanics. Climb, roll, dash, or dig through varied environments. You can pick up all kinds of objects with unique properties to be used, thrown, or interact with other things. Use objects, tools, or deform terrain to accomplish missions or creatively solve problems. Maybe bumble into some creatures that aggressively defend their territory. Or seek them out because you have a mission to do something to them. Fighting creatures can be especially challenging because there is a lot in the UI. Controls seem to be controller-first, including two overloaded radial menus that require a tertiary button to change between 2 modes each. The main game menu (inventory etc) has tabs and subtabs. Overall controller seems a bit better, but has a common problem with many games where the right thumb is heavily overloaded between camera and primary action buttons, and after years of gaming this setup isn't comfortable for me. Another piece of early access jank is the camera. You start climbing by walking into a wall, which works reasonable well in open areas. If you get into a tight space, the camera basically goes into first person and you lose all reference to what your character is doing, including climbing, which changes how controls respond. The game environments can't be designed around this because digging small tunnels is a common or even core mechanic. Overall I still have places to explore and things to try, but the UI and camera are regularly getting in the way.

The first Astroneer was so much fun. But this one was a totally let down like it was cool to be able to fight monsters and have it an open world where random ppl could join. But to take building completely out of the game was the most heartbreaking i have ever felt in a game and i've played Ark Survival. like you could have made a private world where you have friends join to build kinda like Trove. Just heartbreaking

If you are looking at this game because you want Astroneer 2, do not buy this. There is no base building, or automation. There is no lonely feeling. A lot of the reviews seem to be based on the idea that this game is bad because it is a bad sequel to Astroneer. This is because it's not trying to be a sequel to Astroneer. If you played Astroneer and were disappointed you couldn't/ weren't rewarded for roaming aimlessly off into the distance, you will probably like Starseeker. You go on extraction type expeditions to explore the world, and collect resources to complete missions, craft buffs and get cosmetics. If you like that kind of thing you will like Starseeker. I think the team nailed what they were going for, and while they are still sorting out bugs and such, I've had a lot of fun playing :)

[b]👍 Visual style:[/b] Great [b]👍 Astroneer universe:[/b] Still charming [b]👍 Cooperative concept:[/b] Has potential [b]👎 Confusing systems[/b] [b]👎 Unclear progression[/b] [b]👎 Difficult onboarding/tutorial[/b] [b]👎 Hard to understand what you're supposed to be doing[/b] [b]👎 Unclear target audience[/b] [h1]I REALLY didn't want to give this game a negative review.[/h1] Let me start by saying something important: [b]I know this is NOT Astroneer 2.[/b] System Era Softworks has been very clear about that from the beginning. STARSEEKER is a different game set in the Astroneer universe, designed around cooperative expeditions rather than being a direct continuation of the original Astroneer. I understand that. I respect that. And I wasn't expecting the developers to simply copy Astroneer and call it a sequel. I am writing this as someone who played Astroneer for a long time, going all the way back to its earlier days. I remember some of the wonderfully ridiculous old moments, including tornadoes throwing random objects and flying squares around that could constantly knock you out. :D It was chaotic. It was sometimes broken. But damn, it was fun. That is why giving STARSEEKER a negative review honestly feels disappointing to me. [b]I wanted to like this game.[/b] [h1]So what is the problem?[/h1] The best way I can describe it is this: [b]STARSEEKER feels like a game that doesn't know how to introduce itself to its own players.[/b] There are many systems, mechanics, resources, upgrades and objectives, but the game often expects you to understand what you should be doing before you have naturally learned how everything works. There were multiple moments where I found myself asking: [b]"Okay... but what exactly am I supposed to be doing right now?"[/b] Not because the game is necessarily too difficult. Not because I want everything explained with giant arrows pointing at the screen. But because the game doesn't always communicate its systems in a natural and intuitive way. You are expected to read a lot, remember a lot, understand a lot of different mechanics, and somehow connect everything together. And for me, it simply doesn't flow naturally. [h1]The biggest question: Who is this game actually for?[/h1] This is where I become genuinely confused. Is it designed for old Astroneer players? Honestly... I'm not sure. Many longtime Astroneer players already understand that STARSEEKER is not supposed to be Astroneer 2, yet they still struggle to adapt to its gameplay loop. And I think the problem is often misunderstood. The criticism isn't always: [b]"Why isn't this Astroneer?"[/b] The criticism is more: [b]"Why is it so difficult to understand and naturally get into?"[/b] Those are two very different complaints. STARSEEKER may be intentionally different from Astroneer, but being different doesn't automatically make confusing design easier to accept. [h1]Okay, then maybe it's for new players?[/h1] But that creates another problem. Visually, STARSEEKER has the same colorful, playful and charming style that could easily appeal to younger players. However, the actual game is built around a surprisingly large number of systems and mechanics. There is a lot of reading, a lot of information, and a lot of things you are apparently expected to understand. So I genuinely don't know who the ideal audience is supposed to be. It looks accessible. But sometimes it doesn't feel accessible. It looks like something that could appeal to children and teenagers. But the amount of information and systems can feel more complicated than the visual presentation suggests. It is an incredibly strange combination. [h1]Where I think Astroneer was much stronger[/h1] Astroneer allowed you to learn naturally. You explored. You experimented. You made mistakes. You discovered something. You figured out how things worked. And gradually, without necessarily feeling overwhelmed, you understood more and more about the game. STARSEEKER feels different. Instead of naturally discovering and understanding the game, I often feel like I am being introduced to systems that I am supposed to understand before I have had enough time to actually become comfortable with them. That difference is extremely important. [b]A game can have complex systems without feeling complicated.[/b] Unfortunately, for me, STARSEEKER currently has complex systems [b]and also feels complicated.[/b] [h1]The strange part is that I can understand why some people like it[/h1] There are players who genuinely enjoy STARSEEKER as a cooperative expedition-style game. The concept of going on expeditions, working with other players and contributing toward larger objectives absolutely has potential. And honestly? [b]I can see the game underneath the confusion.[/b] I can see the idea. I can see what the developers are trying to build. I just don't think the current experience does a good enough job of making that game enjoyable and understandable for everyone. And that is exactly why I think the game is currently in such a strange position. [b]It is clearly not Astroneer.[/b] But it also seems to struggle to clearly establish its own identity for players who are unfamiliar with this particular type of cooperative experience. [h1]I don't want Astroneer 2[/h1] This is probably the most important part of my review. I am [b]NOT[/b] asking System Era Softworks to turn STARSEEKER into Astroneer. I don't want them to suddenly add traditional Astroneer base building just because some old fans are unhappy. I understand that STARSEEKER was created to explore a different type of cooperative experience. That is completely fine. What I would like to see is the game becoming: [b]Easier to understand without becoming simpler.[/b] Those are not the same thing. Keep the systems. Keep the complexity. Keep the cooperative expedition concept. But make the progression, objectives and mechanics feel more natural and intuitive. Let players gradually understand the game instead of making them feel like they are constantly trying to figure out what the game expects from them. [h1]Final thoughts[/h1] I genuinely didn't want to leave a negative review. I like the Astroneer universe. I like the visual style. I respect the developers for wanting to create something new instead of simply making Astroneer again. And I genuinely hope STARSEEKER improves over time. But right now, I simply can't recommend it. Not because it isn't Astroneer 2. Not because I expected a copy of the original. But because, as someone who wanted to enjoy what STARSEEKER is trying to become, [b]I currently find the experience too confusing, too unclear and too difficult to naturally get into.[/b] The biggest problem for me is that I still cannot confidently answer the question: [b]Who is STARSEEKER actually designed for?[/b] Old Astroneer fans seem to struggle to adapt. New players may struggle to understand the game's many systems. And somewhere in between, the game seems to have lost the natural sense of discovery and accessibility that made Astroneer so easy to fall in love with. I really hope the developers continue improving the onboarding, tutorials, UI, progression and overall clarity. Because I don't hate this game. Honestly, I think that is why this negative review disappoints me so much. [b]I can see the potential.[/b] [b]I can see the game I want to enjoy.[/b] But unfortunately, right now, I am spending more time being confused by STARSEEKER than actually being pulled into it. [b]Negative — reluctantly.[/b]

I really enjoyed Astroneer and the dlc and have finished both, even getting all achievements so when i heard that they were making a new game, starseekers, i was really hyped for more content and especially a new game! So on launch day i bought this game and played it for a solid 2 hours and giving it a fair chance, i didnt like it at first but i continued, hoping it would improve. but it didnt. i have since refunded the game as i was simply disappointed.

Literally finished the tutorial and immediately upon getting my first mission i talk to an npc and right next to the npc is a store with a bunch of gay pride crap, get your pedo grooming crap out of our video games. comments disabled because of pronoun queerdos trying to assuming I'm projecting, if you have pronouns your opinion is irrelevant when i stated my opinion on a mechanic you're punched in the face with.

There is going to be a ton of quality of life updates and other things added to this or this game will go no where. after playing this I am not trying to be negative but I really dont see a future for this game.