Star Command

 iOS
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
Buy Now
Stream On
  1. MacLife
    May 6, 2013
    90
    Star Command's violent romp through the galaxy is equal parts challenging and clever, making it a must-play for sci-fi strategy fans.
  2. 148Apps
    May 6, 2013
    90
    Command your crew of space cadets to explore the unknown in this lovingly crafted sci-fi simulation game.
  3. Apple'N'Apps
    May 2, 2013
    90
    Star Command ($2.99 , Universal) delivers the total package that creates a can’t miss experience. There’s just so much to appreciate, making it a must buy that you will end up savoring every minute of, while playing at warp factor fun.
    All this publication's reviews
  5. TouchArcade
    May 2, 2013
    90
    But the core idea, the thrill of pinning a captain's badge to your chest and piloting your own ship through the starry depths, remains intact in the form of an addictive and brilliantly chaotic experience.
  6. DarkStation
    May 30, 2013
    80
    Star Command is a very unique iOS experience that I hope to see a lot more of in the future. The biggest problem I have with this game compared to FTL is that you aren’t going to see a lot of variety in your play experiences because, unlike FTL, there is a full story here that takes about four hours to run through so you’re pretty much tied to the same path every time you play with very little branching.
  7. AppSpy
    May 8, 2013
    80
    If you're looking for a strategy title on the iOS that will keep you on your toes, Star Command should more than suffice.
  8. Digital Spy
    May 7, 2013
    80
    FTL did the punishingly difficulty space-faring genre better last year, but for that type of experience on the go Star Command is your best bet.
  9. Gamezebo
    May 6, 2013
    80
    If you’re looking for a simple strategy game that’s funny, frenzied, and dripping with style, you’d have a hard time doing better than Star Command. And besides – if you won’t travel the stars to introduce humanity to a surprisingly hostile galaxy, who will?
  10. TouchGen
    May 3, 2013
    80
    You don’t have to be a space fanatic either to enjoy the game, it’s gameplay, wit and ability to be picked it up in minutes heavily outweigh its space setting for the non-believers out there.
  11. Modojo
    May 2, 2013
    80
    It is a genuinely tense game that will leave you with a frozen grin of terror on your face as you desperately try to preserve the last remaining wisps of your hull, while fighting to deliver the final blow yourself. In short, there's nothing else quite like it on the App Store.
  12. Game Informer
    May 23, 2013
    78
    While I can’t help but point out some notable missteps, I also can’t deny Star Command’s irresistibility, and I happily recommend it to fellow sci-fi enthusiasts.
  13. Games Master UK
    Jun 26, 2013
    77
    This is a smooth and engaging time-eater. [Aug 2013, p.79]
    All this publication's reviews
  14. Gamer.nl
    Jun 1, 2013
    75
    Star Command doesn't offer exploration through space or missions on exotic planets, but does provide you with rough confrontations with aggressive space ants, burning hallways, screaming crew members and a tantalizing story. The gameplay often doesn't surpass the manically tapping of pixilated characters on a burning ship and strangely enough that's enough to make you feel like a captain. Engage!
  15. Slide to Play
    May 13, 2013
    75
    When you get past the disappointment of what Star Command could have been, there is some fun to be had here.

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 12 out of 28
  1. myglasseye
    May 4, 2013
    4
    A triumph of style and ambition over sense, logic and good design. In other words: it’s pretty but I found it painful to play. My quickA triumph of style and ambition over sense, logic and good design. In other words: it’s pretty but I found it painful to play. My quick verdict: don’t bother, and get FTL instead.

    This is what would happen if you took the aims of FTL (command a starship) and rejected all the great design decisions FTL made, and crammed the result into a very pretty façade that features some of the most tedious micro-management of fiddly-to-control characters I’ve played in a while.

    So many poor design decisions:

    - there’s no tutorial that explains how ship weapons are fired, so look forward to spending at least the first couple of battles struggling to get what you’re supposed to do. Clever stuff.

    - crew can only do one job at a time, and in order to switch their skill you have to slooooooowly march them over to the room that matches the skill you want them to have, then sloooooowly march them back to the area that requires attention. When you’re flooded with invaders and need to fight back, enjoy marching your team through the ship just for a change of wardrobe, then back to the invaders. God it’s tedious.

    - rooms that require the production of specific ammo will not just keep making that ammo for you. You have to re-initiate production after each and every unit they produce. If you forget, which it’s incredibly easy to do, you’re stuffed. Why do this?

    - the text style they chose is hideous and really hard to read. Fits the retro-look, but there’s a reason we don’t present screens of text like that any more: it’s horrible on the eyes.

    - and God help anyone attempting to play this on an iPhone. I know plenty of people are doing, but they must have the patience of a saint, or incredibly high tolerance for frustration.

    And that’s before we get onto the endlessly repetitive missions (go to a planet, sit through the screens of text, enter battle. Every time. No variation), and the fact that it’s perfectly possible to just send all your crew into one room, ignore ALL the damage your ship is taking, even the hull breaches, and wait it out until you grind the enemy shields down eventually.

    But hey, it LOOKS nice…

    In my personal opinion, despite lovely(ish) presentation and a whole heap of atmosphere, it eschews sense and logic to produce a game that just throws one frustration after another at you to draw out the play-time. I’ve no issue with hard games in which dying and starting again is all part of the appeal. That’s why I love FTL.

    But this is just a mess of frustrations and after a couple of games, neither of which were ever much fun, I have no desire to play any more and an overwhelming urge to fire up FTL and run a starship with proper crew who don’t have to change their jersey just to fire a phaser.

    Go get FTL for your PC or Mac, and don’t waste £2 on Star Command.    … Full Review »
  2. doktorwer
    May 9, 2013
    0
    I don't know how they've cowed all the developers in to giving them favorable reviews. I just bought the game and have been playing it and canI don't know how they've cowed all the developers in to giving them favorable reviews. I just bought the game and have been playing it and can tell you that they are all bogus. Star Command is incomplete, has shoddy controls and I wish there was a return policy for software. A game is not the sum of its screen shots or media outlet reviews, buyer beware.

    I would wait to purchase this game.    … Full Review »
  3. Fimio
    May 6, 2013
    4
    Calling this a "good" game is not doing the game industry any favours.

    I wanted Star Command to a "good" game, it had potential to be a    Calling this a "good" game is not doing the game industry any favours.

    I wanted Star Command to a "good" game, it had potential to be a GREAT game, but unfortunately missed the mark on almost all aspects. I spent most of my 3 hours playing this game wondering how they left out so many obvious features. So much so that it ultimately feels like 70% of a game. Poor controls make this more of a frustration than anything else. The story attempts to be funny but is mostly cringe worthy and completely uninspired. Your crew is borderline brain dead, standing in fire until death or walking their dumb asses right out of the gaping hole in the side of your ship etc.

    I dont often write bad reviews, but I make this exception because I truly did want Star Command to be great, yet it feels more like a rushed cash grab which only becomes more frustrating given its huge dev cycle.

    giving this game a good score only enables dev teams to pump more mediocre games into the market.

    What a let down.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »