Stellar Tactics is a baffling game. I remember when it first launched in Early Access back in 2017, but I’ve only recently been playing it. It left Early Access a few weeks ago, and a full release is usually the best time to dig into things. For such a small dev team and largely the work of a single guy (Don Wilkins), it is a pretty impressive project.
I also appreciate games that take risks, and Stellar Tactics is the definition of that, covering a gigantic procedural galaxy mixing old-school RPG mechanics and space combat together. Ambitious is putting it mildly, and the result is what you might expect. While I have many issues with the game, I still appreciate my time with it so far. There is something about Stellar Tactics that sucks me in, warts and all.
Let me start with what I like. Stellar Tactics does a few things rather well, such as the scope and the atmosphere. I have rarely seen AAA budget games try anything like this, let alone a small indie title. Mixing up space exploration, piracy, ship management, tactical combat, and trade into one big bowl of soup is pretty hard to pull off. While the mechanics aren’t as deep as I would have liked, there is a lot to do in Stellar Tactics. It is hard to think of how best to describe the game. A space Fallout 2 is one way to go with it. In terms of similar ambition, I would actually go with a CRPG/Space version of Kenshi, although both games are very different.
Either way, I appreciate what there is to do in the game. Few indie RPGs attempt to integrate so many interconnected systems. You can recruit mercenaries, customize ships, mine asteroids, board enemy vessels, trade commodities across star systems, craft gear, explore caves and ruins, or simply wander the galaxy, ignoring the main storyline. There are tons of perks that allow for experimentation in squad loadouts, and the turn-based combat, while it has issues, is solid enough. I also enjoy the atmosphere at Stellar Tactics. There’s something about exploring this Wild West, grungy frontier in a spaceship, roleplaying as a group of mercenaries. It’s rather intriguing, despite the story not doing much to hold my attention. The beginning covers some weird zombie-esque plague on a spaceship, but with the non-linear game design, I quickly got distracted and ran off on a happy journey.
However, the very ambition that makes Stellar Tactics intriguing comes with compromises. It tries to be so many games at the same time. The attempt at being a tactical RPG, a space sim, a procedural exploration game, a crafting system, a trading sim, and a faction sandbox all at once is commendable, but these systems can lack depth.
Space combat, from what I have tried, feels a little simplistic, and the procedural generated space exploration comes with the same pitfalls that all games with procedural generation: repetition. In itself, it is not a dealbreaker given everything else, but I recommend playing the game in shorter bursts rather than trying everything at once and getting burned out. The writing and presentation are also a mixed bag. The story is centered on genetic engineering, typical space opera politics, and that space plague. It is intriguing stuff, but I couldn’t get into the characters very well. The interface is also a molten stew of clunky boxes and old-fashioned presentation. Despite UI scaling, don’t expect to play this game on any handheld devices. The font is something I had problems reading, even on a bigger screen, and I also ran into a few physics glitches. Even now, it’s out of Early Access, and things still feel a little unpolished.
After so many years in Early Access, having a full release still being very rough around the edges can be disappointing. Stellar Tactics does feel like a big, sloppy space kebab in design and content. There’s a lot of it, and I’m enjoying myself immensely, but I know I will be punished later on the toilet. Despite the negatives, I can recommend the game if you’re in the mood for a giant, space sandbox that has a bunch of toys to tinker with. For $19.99, you can do a lot worse, although I recommend looking elsewhere if you want something with better storytelling and polish.
