Have you ever had the dream of colonizing an international space doughnut? Of course, you have! “Spacebase Startopia” is here to scratch that itch, that is until Elon Musk, inevitably launches his own international space doughnut that is open to the public. That may take a while, but Kalypso’s “Spacebase Startopia” is officially out now on Playstation 4/5, Xbox One, and the Series X/S. This review will focus on the Xbox Series X version and my experiences with building a space station on a controller.

Whether you have previously played this series or not, there is a nostalgic charm to the art style and world design. The sub-level is sleek and professional, while the fun level is brightly coloured and loud. Character models are so unique and friendly in nature that they could easily make a plush toy for each race and have a formidable market. A handy little feature called “Spacespitter” would allow your visitors a platform to voice their opinions, letting you know how much fun they are having, or how stinky your ship is in real-time.

It was a fun way to give the characters a bit of personality while conveying helpful tips on what to focus on. I wish I could say the music was as unique as the level and character designs, but it honestly felt like there was only one track on loop per level. It was akin to being on a never-ending elevator ride. The Dance floors did break it up a little bit with its own pumping music, but that is only when they are in use and you are close enough to inspect it.

Watching your base slowly develop and evolve is a completely different kind of euphoria than getting a kill streak in Call of Duty. Hordes of unique aliens flock to your space base to freely explore and it makes the place feel alive. The Skirmish mode is, by far, the best way to play, as it allows you to set your own parameters and goals to work towards, keeping the game feeling fresh. Light RTS elements may require you to input multiple commands in a short period of time, such as a garbage bomb being planted in your base or an attack you must stifle.

Using the controller to navigate the multiple menus was manageable, and with practice, you will be able to speed up the process. Managing the camera was a little less intuitive and could be frustrating at times trying to focus on exactly what you want.

A new addition to the “Startopia” series is a multiplayer experience, both co-op and competitive are on offer with bot functionality as well. Having four players load into the same doughnut-shaped hub adds a sense of urgency not found in the Campaign or the Skirmish modes. There are limited sections available to expand your base so you will need to be more deliberate with your planning. Sacrificing your visitor’s happiness to earn a bit of extra energy, which you can then use to open the next bulkhead and limit your opponent could be a make or break move. Depending on what goals you are working towards, each game could span from half an hour to well over 4 hours at a time.

More than once I conceded simply due to time constraints in my real life, though while playing against bots, I could save my progress. If it was against real-life people, however, the last two hours of work may be thrown out completely if I had to leave. Many hours of gameplay have passed since my preview was posted, some good and some not-so-great hours were had. In saying that, all of this is par for the course with any city builder sim, as they require a lot of time and dedication.

The campaign is a shiny example of some good and some not-so-great hours spent in-game. There are 10 “missions” in total that slowly open up the gameplay loop, but the early missions feel throttled and far too slow-paced to draw in any newcomers. Considering there are 5 lengthy tutorial modules that are available, it seemed redundant to make the first 3-4 missions feel like another set of tutorials.

Overall, I can safely say that I enjoyed my experience, even with the added challenges of managing my base with a controller. It may not be a game you can pick up and play in short bursts, but it is widely accessible and deeply satisfying to feel your skillset grow with each base.

Written by: Shane Fletcher