Beebom Score
In the vast cosmos of gaming, where AAA titles often resemble intergalactic warfare and esports reign supreme, sometimes you just crave something…chill. Enter Astronomics, a game that blends the strategic depth of Factorio with the exploratory spirit of No Man’s Sky but with a distinctly relaxed vibe. As you can tell, a combination like that naturally excited me. Thanks to a copy provided by Numizmatic Games, I decided to sink in 12+ hours into the game and build my own world. With that, here’s my Astronimics review for you to travel through.
A Simple Expedition With Lack of Motivation
Let me get this out of the way first: the story is not the best thing you seek in Astronomics. The game relies heavily on other aspects than the story. Yes, you are stranded in space, looking your way back to Earth. And that’s pretty much it.
The game is set in a future world where living on Earth requires a hefty price. Your pseudo-employment contract with Cube Corporation, along with the guidance of their motivational representative CUBO, provides a guaranteed path to profit in the asteroid belt. You must command your customizable starship and assemble a loyal crew of bots as you work towards your ultimate goal. Yes, earning enough cubes to buy a ticket to Earth and finally experience your true home for the very first time.
While the concept heavily makes the players toward one true goal, the lack of side quests can sometimes feel a little bland. Maybe in a world where you must pay for hours of grind to stay on Earth, it makes sense. However, I slowly lost motivation in the early stages as the game did not give me enough to hang on to. That was until I got going with the gameplay loop.
Exceptional Automation After A Slow Start
The gameplay loop in Astronomics is not simple, and new players who have never played the strategic management genre will struggle. But at the same time, the loop feels crisp and exciting from top to bottom.
Visiting Asteroids Reminded Me of Space Invaders
For starters, you must fly to nearby asteroids and land on them. While this part could have been a simple base to asteroid jump, the developers have turned the explore part into a minigame. This means you must drive your spaceship around the meteors and land safely before you can start your farming.
I don’t mind this part, but the lack of action in space can feel a little boring during this minigame. Yes, while I get a throwback of old games like Space Invaders from the roaming and navigation as there was no proper fallout from this mini-sequence.
Customize Bots and Use Them for Farming
Once you reach the asteroid, your goal is to explore passing asteroids and gather as many resources as you can. However, you are not the one who will be doing these expeditions. Enter, the bots. You must purchase different bots for different work. You control the Command Bot and make sure your mining goes the right way. Starting with a simple laser gun and tether arms, the bot helps you control the operations.
However, that is not where it stops as you can switch between the bot and yourself. Using the Worker Bot, you can manually pick up the farmed items from the ground. There is also a Mining Bot that you can place in front of the stronger ores for faster farming. But whatever you farm, the Worker Bot is the key to gathering them around.
Whether forging or manufacturing, the bots are always your allies in this lonely space expedition. You can even set up a worksite to automate things effortlessly. However, upgrading bots and items and managing resources is a must.
Upgrade Items and Manage Them
Yes, upgrading is the key to enjoying Astronomics. While the early game feels a little slow, the more you start evolving the bots, the more fun you will have. I personally loved the customization for bots. You can unlock new bots and their skills and utilize them for faster mining. Once you are slowly reaching higher upgrades, you can automate everything.
From mining to picking up the loot, everything is done by the bots. But to reach that level, you need a higher level of resources. And for that, you can upgrade your shaft and increase your range of mining.
Defend Yourself Against Space Pirates
Although fighting is not the goal of your game, starting to get rich comes with consequences. In the huge asteroid belts, you travel through many other occupied areas, and some of them do not like your presence. The space pirates are enemies who love to loot you and your resources. But do not worry, your bots are equipped for that as well.
Put defense bots and tackle the enemies who try to invade your space. You can also equip your command bot with stronger upgrades. As long as you are vigilant, the enemy intrusion will feel like a small hiccup in an otherwise calm experience.
The gameplay can feel a little repetitive until the bots are doing everything by themselves, and you are just collecting revenue and enjoying the atmosphere. Using cranes, defense turrets, and other automated items will make things fun and feel great. That takes us to another great part of the game.
A True Aesthetic View of Space
Although I do not like strategy games easily, I was curious about Astronomics for one reason. I am a big Astrophile! The game is not a modern AAA cluster-blunder of space. Despite being from an independent studio, Astronomics delivers on the experience. There is no glory graphics system or high-fidelity scenery.
Astronomics excels by elegantly blending simple art and music. Surprisingly, it became a source of unexpected stress relief for me. I initially played casually on weekends without high expectations. However, the game charmed me with its mesmerizing visual transformations of each asteroid, fluid animations, and calming soundtrack.
This combination of elements created a truly euphoric experience. But how do the visuals feel when you actually start playing it for a while, especially regarding performance?
Steady Smooth Sailing Among The Stars
Performance and UI are important parts of any modern game. Given how unoptimized most games are on the market, you would not want to waste a penny on a product you cannot experience. Luckily, Astronomics delivered on both.
My Setup:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @4.20 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Super
RAM: 16 GB (2×8) DDR4 @3200MHz
SSD: Adata XPG GAMMIX D30
Monitor: 1080p @165Hz
Let us start with the performance of Astronomics, and well, it is a no-brainer optimized game. I did not witness a single stutter throughout my game time, even in high settings. The FPS itself was maxed out on my 165Hz monitor.
As the game gives you a top-down view with simple art, you expect the game to run flawlessly on almost any modern device. Speaking of modern devices, Astronomics is available on Steam Deck, which is a big positive for such a chill, laid-back game.
On the other hand, the UI is clean, and you don’t get distracted by much of what is happening on the screen. However, sometimes you will feel lost in the headquarters. This happens due to the game’s camera limitations. I agree the bird’s view was a decision, but I think the game could be more fun with a lot of customizable controls such as better zoom out, camera pan, or lock camera. Well, this part slightly detracts from the almost perfect gameplay loop by introducing an early struggle with the hectic grind.
Verdict: Is Astronomics the Most Addictive Space Mining Game Ever?
Astronomics is a breath of fresh (space) air in a crowded market, offering a compelling loop of mining, upgrading, and bot management as you chart a course back to Earth. While the rest of the industry is busy building digital battlefields, Astronomics is content to let you build…well, everything. And it does so with a surprisingly calming aesthetic, a welcome change of pace in the often frenetic world of video games.
This is a game that lets you explore the quiet hum of a mining laser, the satisfaction of a perfectly automated bot, and the long, slow burn of progress. The grind can get overwhelming with some UI limitations. But the quest to Earth will not disappoint when chilling back and relaxing is your goal. It also doesn’t hurt that the game is playable on Steam Deck.
So, if you love the sit back and enjoy the vibes, Astronomics offers more than what you expect. With some quality visuals, simple yet soothing music, and fun gameplay progress mechanics, the game will feel addictive once you get the hang of it. If you are tired of serious video gaming, this chill experience is a perfect getaway for both casual and veteran gamers.
Sagnik Das Gupta
