STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions Review

I, like many people, love Astroneer. It is relaxing, wholesome, and fulfils that exploration itch that hides in us all. Accordingly, when STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions was announced, I was extremely happy. It offers the excitement of an extraction game with the foundations of its much-loved resource-gathering title. Therefore, in theory, it’ll appeal to many gamers. However, there is one minor catch. The short timer may undermine the core relaxing nature of Astroneer. As such, it may be less desirable to that audience.

System Era Softworks has developed this single-player and online sci-fi experience. There is a hub to visit, blueprints to unlock, and plenty of weird and wonderful locations to explore. Additionally, the timer adds a sense of tension that is missing from its popular counterpart. This worked exceptionally well for me, but I’d understand why this pressure would cause issues. Moreover, a lack of freedom to explore newfound areas may be a sticking point.

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions offers familiar story tones.

A sandbox experience leaves a lot to the imagination. However, STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions takes a more direct route. I loved this drive and focus as it gave me something to work towards. The wholesome and often amusing titbits of information created different quests and goals for you to follow. Each crew interaction guides you towards different areas and realms of each alien world.

This story design was fantastic while still leaving plenty of moments open to your imagination. Moreover, there are loads of biomes to explore with the familiar resource gathering, special items, and space-related restrictions. Although danger and despair are at a premium, the wholesome and amusing writing is a standout element. This was one factor that smoothed over the sense of tension and may win over hardcore fans of the sandbox alternative.

Single-player or teamwork.

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions shines as an online team-building activity. The ability to specialise in certain roles and become an essential cog in the machine was fascinating. Furthermore, observing victories and failures in regular occurrences was oddly addictive. Rare resources, defending your base, and other moments must be experienced as the timer inevitably ticks down to zero. Therefore, you must plan your extraction while maximising every opportunity. Do you wander over that hill for rare elements, or do you stay safe and keep everything you have? Either way, you must work out what is best for your team and complete your goal.

I spent a fair amount of time tackling this alone. Sadly, it wasn’t as thrilling, even though I found the gameplay to be fascinating and the options to be interesting. When you play alone, you lose that sense of bravado and the ability to brag about the run long after the dust has settled. In short, it retains all the charm and gameplay mechanics, but if you have no one to share it with, did it really happen?

Balanced gameplay.

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions offers exceptionally balanced gameplay. There is a small layer of combat and dangerous plants to deal with. Although these form a minor layer in your exploration considerations, you are aware of the sense of trepidation. This is complemented by layout experimentation and a gentle stream of new equipment.

This design is ideal as things are nicely explained, and nothing feels overwhelming. Furthermore, the more you experiment with your loadout, the less stress you’ll feel as you try new tools. This worked particularly well when each team member had special jobs to execute. Defending the base, scouting the area, and resource gathering excelled consequently.

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions looks great.

I’ve always enjoyed the colourful, cartoon world of this franchise. Each alien location pops and feels alive because of the vibrant colours and unusual landscape. The use of Unreal Engine 5 delivers some exceptional lighting and performance measures that can’t be missed. Moreover, some of the expeditions are hectic, and the game never falters. Subsequently, this performs exceptionally well. The audio has a hollow and strange edge that matches the alien theme. There are ambient sounds and a calm sense of drama that complements the tension.

The controls work well with a gamepad. The tutorial and hub world set you on your way, and the only experimentation comes with each altered loadout. Although this takes minor practice, competent gamers will not struggle as they explore each alien world. Replay value relies on a love of extraction mechanics. If you feel under pressure and prefer something more relaxed, this won’t be the game for you. However, if you want a change of pace, STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions will tick many boxes.

STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions isn’t Astroneer, but it is fantastic.

I’m extremely excited to see how this game develops. Its current build is fantastic, and I can see it going from strength to strength. With a strong audience, interesting ideas, and wonderful quests to complete, this is an amazing game. Accordingly, I recommend grabbing a copy here!