Starbound: Explore Procedurally Generated Universes
A 2D sandbox game where you explore planets, collect resources, craft items, build structures, and combat enemies across an expansive universe.
What is Starbound?
Starbound is a 2D sandbox game with procedurally generated worlds that can be explored by players. It was developed and published by Chucklefish and released in 2016 after extensive early access testing. Inspired by games like Terraria and Minecraft, Starbound has a similar pixelated art style and focus on crafting, building, and exploration.
In Starbound, players spawn on a space station and must collect resources to repair their damaged spacecraft. This leads them on a journey across the stars to randomly generated planets filled with unique creatures and materials to discover. Each world has different environments like lush forests, arid deserts, frozen tundra, and volcanic zones. Players can catalog animal species they encounter and may choose to join one of six available races like humans, apex predators, ghosts, and more.
A key aspect of Starbound is its enormous breadth of craftable weapons, armor sets, furniture, structures, farms, and other objects. By harvesting materials on planets like wood and ore, advanced building schematics can be unlocked. Players can create towns, bases, and colonies to house NPC characters they meet on their travels. Defensive works are important at night when monsters emerge across the landscape.
While 2D, Starbound's graphics and physics create an illusion of depth. Gravity affects movement and battles take place on multiple platforms. A permadeath mode exists for increased challenge, while mod support allows the community to build custom content. An overarching story exists in which players must battle an ancient cult as they journey towards the game's center of the universe.
Starbound Features
Features
- Procedurally generated open universe with planets, biomes, dungeons, and creatures
- Crafting system to build structures, furniture, weapons, armor, etc
- Quests and storylines
- Multiplayer support for cooperative and competitive play
- Mod support to customize gameplay experience
- Survival mechanics like hunger, temperature effects, and damage
Pricing
- One-time Purchase
Pros
Near infinite exploration possibilities
Great freedom to play as you want - builder, fighter, explorer, etc
Constant new content and surprises with procedural generation
Active modding community expands gameplay exponentially
Multiplayer allows for cooperative and competitive fun with friends
Cons
Can feel repetitive and grindy at times
Procedural generation can result in samey planets and creatures
Complex crafting system has a learning curve
Story and quests are secondary to sandbox gameplay
Performance issues and bugs
Official Links
The Best Starbound Alternatives
Top Games and Sandbox and other similar apps like Starbound
Here are some alternatives to Starbound:
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