Genesis Alpha One

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 56
  3. Negative: 27 out of 56

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  1. Nightvol
    Jan 31, 2019
    6
    Lifeless would be the best word to describe it. It feels more like an unfinished job and the premise gives me little hope.

    You spend most of the time assigning clones to do jobs on the ship. For reasons I do not understand those jobs were unable to be automated by a space faring species. Your clones must manually scan planets, manually take care of plants etc... This would not be a    Lifeless would be the best word to describe it. It feels more like an unfinished job and the premise gives me little hope.

    You spend most of the time assigning clones to do jobs on the ship. For reasons I do not understand those jobs were unable to be automated by a space faring species. Your clones must manually scan planets, manually take care of plants etc... This would not be a problem if you had enough clones to go around. But you do not. And you must manage every aspect of their activity constantly and only from very specific rooms. For example if you finished collecting the materials around the ship and no longer need clones in the beam room you must go to the refinery and use the console there to assign them to work at refining things. They do not go about doing needed tasks like in most of this games (Rimworld for example).
    Then there is the part where you are descending onto planets to gather resources, plants, biomass and intel for new things to build. However this whole business gets old really fast. Remember how a species able of intergalactic travel does not have a smart enough AI to manage plant cultivation... well they can't automate mining either. So you must click hold some ray to a rock to collect stuff from it. Time and time again. While random aliens spam around to attack you. The whole area is the size of a sports field. It has hardly any detail. Some rock formations here, some grass there... The very messy graphics do not help much either as the area around is even uglier.

    Maybe it is because I played through SOMA a few days ago, but I can not help feeling a bit of unease when playing the game. You are a clone, on a ship inhabited by other clones. Nothing wrong with that but the said clones have 0 life. I do not much care about voice acting but I wish i could at least work on their appearance to at least simulate some personality.
    The human clones look like cheap plastic mannequins. The alien ones make no sense. If the purpose of Genesis was to expand humanity in the universe how does cloning aliens achieve the purpose!? The game says that alien DNA is used to enhance the human one. But the product is described as being of different race and appears to be as far away from humans as you could get.

    You get no overall information regarding your ship. No information regarding your crew. The ship looks bad. The alien worlds are just open boring space. Your crew is made of nothing but mindless clones. The enemies run towards you in a straight line. 0 inteligence. 0 life.    … Expand
  2. konvice
    Jan 31, 2019
    0
    First impression is positive, but its only first impression. Game is Empty, there is only one playable mission(harvest resources) and defending "ship" is boring when you figure out how to defend.
    Only one mission...in which you can gain resources and technologie made this game just other clone of tower defense.
  3. bladex
    Mar 8, 2020
    2
    one fuge buggy mess is how i describe this game. when it's not crashing, your crew getting stuck in the harvester or robots getting stuck in the refinery making you have to delete and rebuild losing resources and robots it's either having you to constantly sweep every nook and cranny of your ship for infestations this is what you will be doing 90% of the game.

    it has a decon chamber    one fuge buggy mess is how i describe this game. when it's not crashing, your crew getting stuck in the harvester or robots getting stuck in the refinery making you have to delete and rebuild losing resources and robots it's either having you to constantly sweep every nook and cranny of your ship for infestations this is what you will be doing 90% of the game.

    it has a decon chamber which is absolutely useless it doesn't stop infestations or aliens hiding in crates from spreading. practically every single thing you do will cause an infestation. refining, using the tractor beam, your robots picking up resources or depositing them, coming back on missions and even planting plants will have a chance to let spores or aliens and eggs spread which once again sends you on cleanup duty!

    it also gets boring very fast having you do the same tasks over and over again which involves going to a planet, mining, shooting some aliens who spawn nearby and rinse and repeat.

    so to recap

    1. it's buggy as F
    2. it's boring
    3. it's monopolous

    don't waste your $    … Expand
  4. ManicMachiaveli
    May 31, 2019
    0
    This game is absolute garbage, you seem to have a 50% chance of spawning in a system that doesn't have enough resources to even build the basic hangar, making the rest of gameplay impossible. The models are incredibly boring, the controls throw you into the abyss with no warning at all, and each mission starts with the exact same cinematic. I get it. You wanted to go into space. You got toThis game is absolute garbage, you seem to have a 50% chance of spawning in a system that doesn't have enough resources to even build the basic hangar, making the rest of gameplay impossible. The models are incredibly boring, the controls throw you into the abyss with no warning at all, and each mission starts with the exact same cinematic. I get it. You wanted to go into space. You got to go into space. I got to go too. Cool. Not worth the space it takes up on your hard drive, never mind the price. Epic Games doesn't even give a refund, they're garbage too.… Expand
  5. Skotchberry
    Feb 27, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After reading the negative reviews, I'm not seeing much "review" content. Some folks seem to generally dislike the game. Understandable. But it's a gem. Could the developers have done more? Sure. But like a professional review stated, they "stuck with what worked and didn't try to complicate that". There's a lot of simple in this game. Quite a bit of "repeat tractor beaming debris fields while sending dudes on planets to scavenge for **** All of this comes with a situation to be dealt with. If you choose to go onto a planet with your clones to scavenge, you will do battles down there and most likely come back to your ship without any dangers to bring on-board, with the goods. If you send your clones alone and stay aboard your ship, they will most likely come back with some alien stowaways, as well as the goods, which your crew can deal with easily alongside some well placed turrets. The downside being some aliens, upon death, emit a toxic cloud that can infect crew-members or spread beneath the flooring of the ship, prompting the captain, you, to manually go on a clean-up expedition around the ship to prevent further outbreak and module destruction. A very big part of me feels like I'm inside a 3D FPS version of FTL (Faster Than Light) without ship-to-ship battles. The only control of the ship is by warping around a grid-based galaxy with around 300 locations to scavenge/explore. There is a threat similar to FTL, but it randomly moves about the galaxy grid, and when coming within range of your ship, will begin to beam it's hostile crew aboard to do wanton destruction to your hard-earned resources and newly built modules. The game is tough in the beginning, but the mechanics don't seem to change much beyond finding dangerously EXTREME planets and debris fields which will almost 100% of the time bring about the baddiest of baddies to your scavenger or aboard the mothership. Once you get enough modules built, and scavenge enough sulfur to plant an army of turrets around your ship, it's a matter of finding a planet suitable for colonization, and filling your ship with the required number of species to begin said colonization. Once that happens, you beam onto the suitable planet, commit to a small expedition through some caves to kill a queen alien, which can be challenging (even on first play-through), and then you begin the settlement process which is "Game Win". After, at the game menu, you have a new option that you can begin a New Game+ with your previous ship in the state it was in upon completing the game. I have yet to do this, but I imagine the stakes are raised quite a bit and there's more of a reason to get upgraded rooms and upgraded weapons and DNA injections for clones to have abilities, which I did not need to do to complete a first run-through. Needless to say, just like FTL, you won't get what you want out of this game with one play-through. It needs to be played multiple times, with the multiple corporations and the multiple ship designs they come with. Just like FTL, each play will be random, and you can adjust, to some degree, your starting conditions. I played this for 48-hours straight after purchase. It takes a lot for a game to do that to me. This deserves more recognition. Amazing game.… Expand
  6. svartalfur
    Mar 5, 2019
    9
    An excellent, niche title that carefully blends multiple genres into a unique roguelike experience. The most recent patch expands several features that were lacking and rounds out the title fairly well.

    That being said, this game is for a niche market of people who enjoy a slow and atmospheric experience with occasional high points of action. This game is more like Stardew Valley than    An excellent, niche title that carefully blends multiple genres into a unique roguelike experience. The most recent patch expands several features that were lacking and rounds out the title fairly well.

    That being said, this game is for a niche market of people who enjoy a slow and atmospheric experience with occasional high points of action. This game is more like Stardew Valley than Doom, with the focus being on a steady accumulation of resources and crew. The tension comes from the perma-death mechanics that have been implemented, leading the player to always be on their toes and ever-vigilant against sneaky aliens.

    If you're unsure if the game is for you, check out some gameplay before purchasing, as it is a difficult game to describe.    … Expand
  7. sugam
    Feb 15, 2020
    0
    A carefully wrapped and beautifully packaged gift. When opened however, its empty. That is Genesis Alpha One. The game was complete in Jan 2019. Two updates to fix numerous bugs (there are still game breaking bugs present to this day)with one or two new craft-able items. Now, they are going to release the game again as something that's new with so called new "DLC" except its the same DLCA carefully wrapped and beautifully packaged gift. When opened however, its empty. That is Genesis Alpha One. The game was complete in Jan 2019. Two updates to fix numerous bugs (there are still game breaking bugs present to this day)with one or two new craft-able items. Now, they are going to release the game again as something that's new with so called new "DLC" except its the same DLC that was given as a bonus for the pre-orders on Epic. The game had real potential, but the people behind it are trash and left the game while trying to milk it for everything they can.… Expand
  8. r0l0d3
    Mar 17, 2019
    10
    This is a crude diamond, I love that initiative more that many of newest games, thit is a promise for a one of the best games in tatest times for me.
  9. kyzaghan
    May 19, 2019
    8
    The game successfully combines different types of genres. Resource management and building system is successful. It offers a different experience every time. Graphics are good quality. BUT Sounds are bad. The missions that we do in the ship repeats a lot and boring. Solving the game takes time. AS A RESULT, Genesis Alpha One is a game that successfully combines roguelike, FPS and theThe game successfully combines different types of genres. Resource management and building system is successful. It offers a different experience every time. Graphics are good quality. BUT Sounds are bad. The missions that we do in the ship repeats a lot and boring. Solving the game takes time. AS A RESULT, Genesis Alpha One is a game that successfully combines roguelike, FPS and the building system. If you like science fiction, Genesis Alpha One is a successful game with absolutely beautiful details.… Expand
  10. Rayrise
    Aug 22, 2020
    0
    Nach 200 Stunden bin ich wohl ganz durch mit dem Spiel.
    Und es waren 200 Stunden, die mir wirklich gefallen haben.
    Es ist kein Top-Shooter und kein Elite. Aber es ist ein Meisterstück des Gamedesigns. Sehr hohe Immersionsrate. Sein eigenes Raumschiff zu designen und nach und nach zu verbessern bringt wirklich Spaß. Und es ist entscheidend, wie man das Raumschiff aufbaut, das lernt    Nach 200 Stunden bin ich wohl ganz durch mit dem Spiel.
    Und es waren 200 Stunden, die mir wirklich gefallen haben.

    Es ist kein Top-Shooter und kein Elite.
    Aber es ist ein Meisterstück des Gamedesigns. Sehr hohe Immersionsrate.
    Sein eigenes Raumschiff zu designen und nach und nach zu verbessern bringt wirklich Spaß. Und es ist entscheidend, wie man das Raumschiff aufbaut, das lernt man mit der Zeit.
    Das Spiel ist nicht unfair, aber ich habe ein paar Raumschiffe verloren.
    Und wenn man gerade verloren hat, und das ein spannendes Erlebnis war,
    dann ist es ein gutes Spiel!

    Die Entwickler kümmern sich um das Spiel und erweitern es wohl noch. Aber es ist jetzt schon eine sehr runde Sache.
    Eine letzte Bemerkung: Mir als Physiker hat sehr gut gefallen, wie realistisch aus physikalischer und technischer Sicht alles gehalten ist. Das betrifft die Graphik und die Spielzusammenhänge. Hinzu kommt eine gewisse philosophische Komponente.    … Expand
  11. Seej
    Oct 10, 2020
    9
    First of all, I received this game on humble choice in August 2020, so I didn't experience the game prior to the patches and bug fixes that have obviously fixed a lot of the issues the previous reviews have mentioned. I haven't experienced any crashes or game breaking bugs at all in about 100 hours of play.

    The game itself is like a series of mini games wrapped up in one fairly neat    First of all, I received this game on humble choice in August 2020, so I didn't experience the game prior to the patches and bug fixes that have obviously fixed a lot of the issues the previous reviews have mentioned. I haven't experienced any crashes or game breaking bugs at all in about 100 hours of play.

    The game itself is like a series of mini games wrapped up in one fairly neat package. The main objective is to find a suitable planet to colonise, but in order to do so you need to achieve a set of conditions that are determined on a case by case basis for each potential genesis candidate you find.

    To meet the conditions you will have to gather resources which can be done in a few different ways which keep the game fresh and interesting.

    On default difficulty the game is quite easy but if you increase the difficulty settings a bit it becomes quite challenging.

    It's a flawed masterpiece. The various mini games are simple and repetitive but combined keep the game interesting. There really needs to be better documentation on some of the mechanics as it took a bit of learning through trial and error for me to figure out some parts of the game. I'd also like to be able to rename turbo lift floors and beaming stations for convenience. It's exclusively single player but it is really begging for multiplayer and if they ever release a version with online co-op or PVP then I'd sign up to that in a heartbeat.

    I'm really pleased I found this game. It's definitely got a lot of replayability and I can see myself coming back to it in the future despite having already completed the main cycle several times over.    … Expand
  12. CoreGamer1408
    Jul 25, 2023
    3
    Free drop on GOG/PC. One of these games that has a nice idea, but with very poor execution. A very much dated feel to the whole game play mechanics and visuals. Lots of running around, but not a lot to do that is cool or exciting. The game has a lot of grindy busy work, but it's all crappy and dull.
  13. Cfo
    Aug 15, 2020
    9
    Good game! the I appreciated the management part. Really perfect.I think is the first time that i play a futuristic game like this.

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. PC Gamer
    Feb 28, 2019
    59
    Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn’t execute any of them well enough.
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  2. Gameblog.fr
    Feb 11, 2019
    70
    First thought as rogue-like, Genesis: Alpha One brings a lot of interesting management elements. Thus mixing design, action / FPS and strategy in the way to reach its goal (to find a new planet and to colonize it), it proposes a large number of different directions and a beautiful variety of situations. Beginners in rogue-likes may be a little bit lost because of the not-so-clear indications on how to proceed, but if they manage to go beyond frustration and a technical level below average, Genesis : Alpha One might deliver some good experiences.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Feb 10, 2019
    40
    The game quickly loses steam, even though at first it seems fun, and its retro-futuristic design is charming throwback to fan-favorite movies of the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately, the monotony inevitably leads to boredom as the game has nothing to challenge you with except to repeat the same few actions over and over.
    Read full review
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