Space Run

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 58
  3. Negative: 3 out of 58

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  1. Dozmo
    Oct 5, 2014
    8
    Good. Tight visuals. Good sound. Nice level design. Variety of turrets and upgrades. Multiple viable strategies. Interesting NPCs. Genuinely difficult in places. Not the longest game (probably doable in 6 hours if you're good), but fun throughout. I only wish there was more of it. I would suggest this to anyone interested in starship piloting.
  2. Sjalka
    Jul 11, 2014
    8
    the good:

    - the game is fun, simple and easy - fun - easily accessible harder to master ( a very good balance there ) - fair and enjoyable runs - not too long, not too short - very good design - considering those modular ships can get pretty chaotic to look at - each equipment has such a unique look that you don t need to actually search for what you want to click on the bad: -    the good:

    - the game is fun, simple and easy - fun
    - easily accessible harder to master ( a very good balance there )
    - fair and enjoyable runs - not too long, not too short
    - very good design - considering those modular ships can get pretty chaotic to look at - each equipment has such a unique look that you don t need to actually search for what you want to click on

    the bad:

    - too predictable, which is of course intended - but causes the game to have little re-playability
    - not enough variety - especially the equipment could have been designed better. instead of just boasts and a little passive at the end of each upgrade - a branching tree of weapons that go in very different and permanent directions would have been much nicer.
    - low variety in enemy types
    - for a game asking you for so much micromanagement, i often find it annoying that i cannot actually target a specific enemy or tile with my guns ( err - of if i can, i must have missed the tutorial about it )

    now what i miss the most

    - a survival / endless mode - where enemies are procedually generated and NOT scripted
    - a choice between several shipshapes before each mission
    - more and better upgrades

    so why do i still give it 8/10?

    its fun - even if it has some flaws and i think it would do better with a lot of improvements and changes - at the end of a day - it is fun. and for such a game - that is the most important thing. one of the better TD games for sure - and its concept and novelty adds to the score.    … Expand
  3. bthomson
    Jul 24, 2014
    9
    I'd say this game is somewhat underrated here on metacritic. Probably not something you'll play forever, but it's fun while it lasts!

    Finally getting the perfect build order after initially struggling with a level is very satisfying. Unlocking new buildings is fun, and I like that the more advanced buildings don't replace the earlier ones. The advanced buildings are only better in    I'd say this game is somewhat underrated here on metacritic. Probably not something you'll play forever, but it's fun while it lasts!

    Finally getting the perfect build order after initially struggling with a level is very satisfying. Unlocking new buildings is fun, and I like that the more advanced buildings don't replace the earlier ones. The advanced buildings are only better in certain situations and can be tricky to plan around since they take up more of your limited space.

    The voice acting (particularly your android companion) is good and the UI and 2d drawings are crisp and sharp, even at 2560x1440 (many games screw that up).

    Unfortunately after you've gotten 5 stars on a level you're pretty much done with it. Early on it can be useful to replay missions you've already 5-starred for extra cash, but usually there are one or two missions that pay better than all the rest so you'll be tempted to just grind out those ones. Not to mention that once you've memorized a level you can repeat it very easily, so why bother trying a different one.

    Like another reviewer mentioned, this game is really crying out for some kind of an "endless" mode so it has some replay value.

    If anything I'd say difficulty skews towards too easy, especially later on when you understand all the game mechanics.

    Some buildings are strictly "optional" (you can beat the game without ever building them). It might have been interesting if you were somehow forced by a scenario to use each building once after unlocking it, so you'd become comfortable with it. Experimenting with new buildings can often mean botching a mission, so it can be tempting to just stick with what you know.

    I have other nitpicks, too, but the game is fun for a while and that's what matters.    … Expand
  4. Fritzworth
    Sep 8, 2014
    8
    Very happy with this game. Good casual tower-defense variant with significant replay value, since you can go back and try to get better scores/reputation results on previously completed runs with more advanced tech items. Bought it on a weekend deal on Steam -- felt I got more than my money's worth out of it.
  5. bloodyshan
    Oct 6, 2014
    8
    Space Run is quite different from the traditional "defending the base" TD game; you literally control a spaceship onto which you build your defending towers to shoot down anything that comes near, meanwhile you have to protect the cargo and engines on your ship to complete the mission with speed, this whole setting mixed with the real time micro control made this game unique and fun.
    You    Space Run is quite different from the traditional "defending the base" TD game; you literally control a spaceship onto which you build your defending towers to shoot down anything that comes near, meanwhile you have to protect the cargo and engines on your ship to complete the mission with speed, this whole setting mixed with the real time micro control made this game unique and fun.
    You can't move your ship, the enemies and asteroids just flock around and with limited resource you have to micro control every tower (and use their power) to beat the boss or get a five stars medal for each mission; you can't pause the game (and there comes the fun and challenge), but you can always replay a mission to get extra money for tower upgrading. There's a storyline in this game, the dialogues are good enough to retain your attention, and the voice acting is surprisingly good.    … Expand
  6. McFace
    Jun 17, 2014
    9
    A very good game. Balanced, challenging, fair, and varied. Ramps up the difficulty appropriately and doesn't have a sudden jump in how hard it is, but you will probably have to come back to most levels later, with better equipment, in order to get 5 stars on them. Each mission has a different flavor: Dealing with bosses, having massive asteroids fly towards your ship, having to transportA very good game. Balanced, challenging, fair, and varied. Ramps up the difficulty appropriately and doesn't have a sudden jump in how hard it is, but you will probably have to come back to most levels later, with better equipment, in order to get 5 stars on them. Each mission has a different flavor: Dealing with bosses, having massive asteroids fly towards your ship, having to transport something that will randomly fill up your construction spots on your ship, etc. This variety makes it so the missions don't get stale or repetitive.

    Deciding how to build your ship's defenses and weapons is great fun. There is not a single strategy that will work for every level, nor will very good strategies always get you 5 stars. To get the biggest payoff you have to take risks with your shields and weapons in order to get more engine power to meet the time limits. This carries over to the engineering area where you pay credits that you earned during the missions to upgrade your equipment and unlock new things. Deciding what to upgrade and unlock can open up new strategies and tactics for you to make your deliveries.

    One issue people seem to have with the game is the lack of a pause button. Personally I like it. It makes for some great "panic moments" while you are doing a new level. The only real downside to this is that sometimes you will fail simply because you don't have the time to react to something completely new/dangerous from an unexpected direction late into a mission. This isn't a huge deal though as going back and having to restart means that you will have to change your strategy or entire build in order to avoid that in the future, so it doesn't get repetitive. And it's not like you are losing 30+ minutes on a single mission if you fail near the end anyway.

    Definitely recommend this game. A unique entry into the "tower defense" genre that will appeal to people outside of the target audience.    … Expand
  7. GameFans
    Jun 17, 2014
    9
    This is a good mix of tower defense, RTS and space ship management. Surprisingly, the voice acting and art design are great as well.

    The idea of cargo delivery in space is really a fresh idea, never think of a game can be executed in such manner with such extent of tactics and micro-management.
  8. Gzhindra
    Jun 17, 2014
    8
    Space run is overall a very good tower defense. Good mechanics, challenging and pretty neat with nice voice acting and a nice polish. Your missions are rated with stars (5 per missions) and the number of stars you have in total give you access to better equipment and upgrades.

    You pay for these equipments with cash earned after each missions. While the number of stars is limited to 5    Space run is overall a very good tower defense. Good mechanics, challenging and pretty neat with nice voice acting and a nice polish. Your missions are rated with stars (5 per missions) and the number of stars you have in total give you access to better equipment and upgrades.

    You pay for these equipments with cash earned after each missions. While the number of stars is limited to 5 per missions you can replay the mission as many time as you want to grind for cash. This grinding is the only fault I find to this game as I would have prefer a limit to the cash provided by each mission than having to do the same mission over and over whether it was perfected or not.

    It tends to be heavy on micromanagement at first since their is no pause button but not so much later in the game with the most advance equipment.    … Expand
  9. MetaviraVet
    Jul 24, 2014
    10
    This deserves much more attention - a suprising new take on the whole tower defense idea, and very well executed. The encounters are fun and never too long, upgrading you ship is straightforward but provides quite the mental challenge further on, and in-between missions you can buy improvements for the various turrets, shield generators and engines you can put on your ship.
    Definitely    This deserves much more attention - a suprising new take on the whole tower defense idea, and very well executed. The encounters are fun and never too long, upgrading you ship is straightforward but provides quite the mental challenge further on, and in-between missions you can buy improvements for the various turrets, shield generators and engines you can put on your ship.
    Definitely worth a try, and a lot fo the annoying little things mentioned in other reviews have already been fixed.    … Expand
  10. kmas
    Jul 19, 2014
    10
    Space Run is a fair, challenging (if you try to get 5 star ratings) Tower-Defense-style game that requires some micro. It gets seldom hectic if you use the configurable hotkeys.

    With the latest update, level starting sequences, boss cinematics and dialogues can be skipped, starting ship layouts are preserved on level restart and tower rotation (actually only required for one kind of low    Space Run is a fair, challenging (if you try to get 5 star ratings) Tower-Defense-style game that requires some micro. It gets seldom hectic if you use the configurable hotkeys.

    With the latest update, level starting sequences, boss cinematics and dialogues can be skipped, starting ship layouts are preserved on level restart and tower rotation (actually only required for one kind of low level tower) got easier. Hexnuts can now be collected automatically. Therefore the developer has now fixed all most often criticized points except building in pause mode (which IMHO is not necessary).

    I played 35 hours to get all 30 achievements. And it was fun!    … Expand
  11. Emilio
    Jun 16, 2014
    10
    Weaw, all I can say is that the voice of Robert Clotworthy, a.k.a. Jim Raynor in SC2 WoL, will sell, it will sell very good. And the game seems to be very good and nice.
  12. Braindizzle
    Oct 9, 2014
    10
    This a unique take on a tower defense in that it mixes in real time strategy components. There's a lot of micro throughout the levels, rather than just sitting back and watching towers blow things up 90% of the time. There's also a time factor in each level, so you need to balance building defenses and engines so you can make your delivery in time. All in all it was a very fun game.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    70
    An interesting tower defense in space, but also a one-trick pony. [Sept 2014, p.67]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 13, 2014
    60
    A pleasant mix of an action and tower defense game that sadly runs out of its charm sooner than one would hope for. [Issue#245]
  3. Games.cz
    Sep 16, 2014
    80
    An interestingly conceived tower defense game that will please fans of the genre who are tired of its stupor. It is a satisfying and entertaining action game. The ideal choice for those who are depressed that the new school year is beginning, and that they have nothing to play during their classes.
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