Infinite Space

 DS
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 16, 2010
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
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  1. NTSC-uk
    50
    So, to summarise, Mugen Kouro is an odd and unique mix of elements. The story holds the interest of the player even if the mundane battles don't. The customisation aspects provide a refreshing break and a more immediate goal. And the spaceships almost look like they're straight out of Star Wars! [JPN Import]
  2. IGN
    70
    Infinite Space offers dozens of hours of deep space exploration and storytelling, but the overall package is clunky and inconvenient.
  3. GameSpot
    65
    There's a ton of space butt to kick with your pimped-out fleet of starships, but be prepared to take a beating.
  5. Eurogamer
    70
    At 60-80 hours in length, and given the fittingly near-infinite customisability of your fleet, Infinite Space offers a massive chunk of fun for those who can forgive its foibles, but many will find the barriers to real enjoyment too high due to poor usability. A solid game for many rainy afternoons, then, but be prepared to work for your reward.
  6. games(TM)
    60
    If you long to command your own ship (and its admittedly well characterized crew) then there's fun to be had here. Just don't expect an easy, or thrilling, ride. [Apr 2010, p.108]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. VideoGamer
    70
    A few flaws hold the game back from greatness, but JRPG fans with a penchant for space-opera would be wise to check this one out.
  8. AceGamez
    72
    Infinite Space is a good idea, and it does what it sets out to achieve.
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Gamestyle
    70
    The battles are entertaining, and the ship customisation is excellent. It's marred by monotonous journeys back and forth between planets with little character, and speaking to the same people over and over and over again.
  10. GamePro
    60
    The question, then, is how much you're willing to suffer through in order to get to know your party.
  11. Gaming Age
    67
    My biggest complaint about Infinite Space is that while the game gives you tons of options when it comes to customization, and provides a pretty unique battle set-up, it does an awful job of explaining any of these elements to you.
  12. Metro GameCentral
    60
    This starship sim never reaches escape velocity from the cloying traditions of Japanese RPGs.
  13. Worth Playing
    70
    While there's a good deal to love about Infinite Space, there are an equal number of things to hate about it as well.
  14. Multiplayer.it
    70
    Infinite Space delivers an extremely rich plot and numbers that stand out, but while playing we often had the impression that all interactive phases are a mere side dish to a sort of (slightly) interactive cartoon. In short, this is an adventure that RPG fans will love, but in terms of fun it doesn't offer anything special.
  15. GameShark
    58
    When it clicks, it really clicks, it just makes you work to get to that point.
  16. Pocket Gamer UK
    60
    Infinite Space's strong story and clever upgrade system manage to just about keep the ship afloat against the poor battle mechanics and torturous learning curve.
  17. Gamer.no
    70
    A fun romp through space and various science-fiction cliches. There is also plenty of customization and stats for number-crunching RPG fans. Some archaic design decisions may test your patience though.
  18. PALGN
    65
    Infinite Space wonderfully replicates being in command of a fleet of spaceships, but is lessened by poor path-finding and unforgiving and prolonged battle mechanics.
  19. GameZone
    70
    I am a stat-junky, so Infinite Space instantly struck a chord with me. I desperately want to love it. It has a likable cast of characters, an amazing amount of gear to play with, and a story with just enough intrigue to lure you forward.
  20. Everyeye.it
    72
    Infinite Space is an ambitious title, with a great story and an impressive amount of location to explore. Anyway, even if the battles are well structured, the gameplay is strongly iterative and texts always overwhelm images, to the detriment of cut scenes of more epic narrative solutions.
  21. Eurogamer Spain
    70
    It takes a lot of time to learn all the options and mechanics of this RPG, but when this point is reached the experience is quite rewarding and fun.

Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best DS Game of 2010
20
#20 Most Discussed DS Game of 2010
7
#7 Most Shared DS Game of 2010

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 69 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 69
  3. Negative: 10 out of 69
  1. GabrielBelmont
    Aug 30, 2010
    10
    I don't often post reviews but after reading what has been said on this game, I feel that I have to somewhat rectify how it's perceived. As anI don't often post reviews but after reading what has been said on this game, I feel that I have to somewhat rectify how it's perceived. As an avid gamer I believe Infinite Space is the one the best games of the decade, and I think any Sci-Fi and/or RPG enthusiast ought to check it out while they still can.

    Let me start right away by saying that the game is austere. It's impossibly grand in scope and runs on the least powerful of all current platforms, so concessions were made. And it's got a pretty steep learning curve. I think that's what turned off most of the people who didn't like it. When I read that the game is "extremely hard," I take it the person just didn't have the patience and tenacity to learn all the subtleties of the game. Because it's deep and rich, but once you understand how it works, it's incredibly accessible and not any harder than most of the games of this era.

    But what's bad for some can be good for others, and one thing I've enjoyed about Infinite Space is that it doesn't hold your hand. It doesn't hammer plot points or tutorials on you; if you miss something the first time it shows up there's a chance you've missed it for good. And it also treats your wannabe character as he ought to be treated. The downside is that it can be unforgiving if you aren't quick to "get it". For example there's a very well done Help Menu, but it's up to you to go check it, as the game won't go over every little detail for you. I can get behind this philosophy myself but it might not be for everyone. It's old school.

    To briefly mention the gameplay, you play as the captain of a fleet of space ships. You'll start out with one, and over the course of the story come to command over a maximum of 5 ships at once. You'll fight enemy ships in battles involving a maximum of 5 enemies at once. To do so there are a wide variety of different strategies you can use, and you can fashion your fleet in very different ways depending on your preferences (e.g. favoring carriers that use small fighters to attack enemy ships, investing in heavy duty battleships, focusing on fast and agile cruisers, etc.). There are tons of possibilities and combinations, and well over a hundred models of ships.

    Aside from battles, an important part of the game is the management of your fleet. There are two sides to it: managing the ships themselves, by having new models built and equipping them with dozens of modules (a surprisingly fun, challenging and addictive activity), and managing the crew, by recruiting new members and assigning them to various posts depending on their faculties (count over 35 posts to fill and over 60 available crew members).

    Last but certainly not least, the game's plot is absolutely brilliant. Many games nowadays use their story merely has a means to put the player in a battle situation, but not in Infinite Space. The plot is very well crafted and rather complex (space politics!) and the characters behave like you'd want them to most of the time. In other words it vastly outclasses most video games in that department. If you like Sci-Fi or just good stories in general you'll have a blast playing this.

    In conclusion, I believe this game has been unfairly and somewhat hastily judged by most "professional" reviewers because of its low profile release. I highly recommend to experienced gamers and I give it a 10/10 simply because it does to perfection what it set out to do. Games of this caliber are much too rare nowadays.    … Full Review »
  2. No3Mole
    Oct 6, 2012
    2
    Infinite Space is honestly one of the worst games I've played in my life. I started playing once and gave up by chapter 5 out of sheerInfinite Space is honestly one of the worst games I've played in my life. I started playing once and gave up by chapter 5 out of sheer boredom. Told that the game really picks up after that, I painstakingly forced myself to play deeper in some years later, and found myself converting my video game review blog into a detailed analysis of everything that is wrong with Infinite Space. An abbreviated list of atrocities is as follows:

    The parts selection that it proudly boasts is lacking until late game. In late game, those parts are hardly a hard choice, because they are often scaling effectiveness instead of entirely different functions, and your ships are seldom lacking for space later on. The humour is bad (to the point of just trying to use the implication of rape as a joke ala that-guy-you-try-not-to-talk-to-at-paries. The gameplay is easy. The battle sequences are literally one-dimentional. As in, Infinite Space's combat takes place along straight lines of limited distance. The dialogue options are often inconsequential. The main character, Yuri, is the most vile, loathsome, stupid, bland creature ever to grace video game lead roles. You'll occasionally find yourself grinding so that you can buy a new ship that you probably don't need, but want. Smaller annoying quirks include being prompted for input (as though a choice was presented) when only one option is available, breaking up flow, ugly visuals, forcing the player to use touchscreen in menus that would clearly be better suited for standard controls, putting the 'database' function out of reach once you load a game for no discernible reason, and the crew-assigning portion of the game being so simplistic that the choices of who to put where are absolutely obvious. There are also unlisted horrible flaws that I can't get into without spoiling the plot, what little of it there is to spoil.

    The handful of tiny praise points I could give it are just trivialized by everything that is wrong. Everything about it, from the core mechanics to the tiny details, it's just mistake after mistake in terms of good game design, and it spoils anything good that could be said about it. I'm honestly astounded that its reviews are this favourable; I felt it was my duty as a good human being to make a Metacritic account just so I could give the game the panning it so rightly deserves, and maybe warn someone who was thinking of getting it in the future.    … Full Review »
  3. colafred4
    Jan 3, 2011
    10
    Really charming game, you really feel like you traveled to the unknown. Distracts your attention for hours.
    Has a bit slow gameplay, so that    Really charming game, you really feel like you traveled to the unknown. Distracts your attention for hours.
    Has a bit slow gameplay, so that you can't recognize how long are you playing for. The difficulty level alternates between an easy-like and a very hard level, and sometimes you will need a walkthrough if your maiden language is not english, even if you speak it well.
    I recommend this because of the outstanding story and dialogues!    … Full Review »
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