Spacebase Startopia is a strategy game but you could also call it a business simulator. It was a nice change of pace to be insulted by my game instead of praised for following simple commands. VAL was dynamic and surprised me with comments about decisions I made which took me by surprise. Success was laughed off with patronizing comments. Any mistake I made was met with cruel criticism. I didn’t think artificial intelligence was capable of sarcasm but boy was I wrong. VAL, the AI who guides your career in rebuilding Startopia is programmed with enough sass to put Alexa and Siri to shame. And hey, if you make some energy (the game’s currency) while you’re at it, who’s to turn a nose up at that? But the main goal is to provide a sanctuary to the various alien lifeforms who too often war with another over simple cultural misunderstandings. Having been vacant for seventeen years, it’s going to take a lot of work to remedy past problems. It’s nothing too serious as you are essentially the only carbon based lifeform capable of taking control of an abandoned spacebase. There is a story which frames many of the scenarios and tutorials for Spacebase Startopia. Now having been officially inducted into the Monument of Shame, I can proudly say the humor is strong in this reimagined Startopia. One thing I didn’t remember from the original Startopia was the tongue-in-cheek humor. How does this new rendition fare on the likes of the PlayStation 5? Continue reading to find out. Fast forward twenty years to when strategy giant, Kalypso Media, reboots the franchise for modern consoles.

The original entry as Startopia back in 2001 was met with favorable reviews but pittered out and didn’t see any subsequent releases in the series. Having been a long time fan of the strategy genre, I was excited to see what this modern rendition of Startopia brought to the table. Spacebase Startopia is the first strategy game I’ve had the pleasure of doing a review for on my PlayStation 5.

Spacebase startopia ps5