Star Control: Origins

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 114
  3. Negative: 40 out of 114

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  1. DarknesShade
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Being a"First Wave Founder", i saw development closely and of course, due to the NDA contract,i didn't spill a drop of it
    I've been an Insider/Tester for 4 years now,and i saw elements come and go, characters change, and engine tinkered,
    But i can safely say that they did all the right choices! About the game itself, it's a"Space Opera Game" The game name is true to its roots, it is,    Being a"First Wave Founder", i saw development closely and of course, due to the NDA contract,i didn't spill a drop of it
    I've been an Insider/Tester for 4 years now,and i saw elements come and go, characters change, and engine tinkered,
    But i can safely say that they did all the right choices!
    About the game itself, it's a"Space Opera Game"
    The game name is true to its roots, it is, in essence, a Star Control game(the "Origins" part of it is explained in the game)a Star Control game, and SO Much more:

    - The *Conversation* part has a lot of options and"moral choices",when you say and do certain things, you can visibly see the reaction on the alien's face (or whatever body they have, some are very weird!)some aliens also have alternate versions of themselves due to being different individuals, and that's neat! while meeting new aliens ships,You COULD go"guns ablazin'"you could also hail them and talk to them!can't promise all of the aliens of our galaxy are willing to listen though.

    - The *Ship Battles* are very addicting, if you got a right group combination,there are MANY ships to look from, and of course, not all of them will be right for you, but you can test them out quickly by filling ship slots and going on a non-ranking battle against A.Is, the Battlefields can be vast and full of different hazards, some have 1 to 3 planets on it, some have"energy leech nebulas"that drain your ship of energy, asteroids can give you an edge against other players or crush your play.the battlefield is also littered with Pick-ups,shield,energy,crew,speed and etc.

    - The *Space Exploration* is the core of the game i would say, after you get hyperspace-borne you are free to roam and explore our sector of space! the map is GIGANTIC, and for added awesomeness, it's an accurate representation of our galaxy stars,with names and distances being the most realistic without destroying gameplay, but beware, your ship begins very underprepared,you don't have enough fuel to go EVERYWHERE,while you CAN go in every direction,it's wise to calculate on where you can go, get some resources to sell on Space Bases and buy parts to upgrade your ship, but let's say you have a fully upgraded ship, it does not matter where in the "story"you are, no place is restricted, so even with the ship limitations, you have a sense of freedom in the cold reaches of the galaxy!

    - The *Planet Exploration* is an addicting part of the game, you go to a planet with your ship and search for a landing zone, have found it,you launch a Lander on the planet, and after a "stability minigame"you land , now you have the freedom to roam around it, collecting floating resources! resources change depending on the planet, like Acid planets have acidic elements and so on, some kinds of planets like the Acid planets, there are ambient hazard,planets that can melt, freeze or blow up your lander.again, you can escape danger with ship upgrades, but there are also upgrades that help exploration, such as boosters, jump-modules and GUNS! for what? Not all Aliens of our galaxy are sentient, some are just animals as we have here on Earth,and some are More akin to Dinosaurs, some are also Gentle Giants and some are not even Organic, and that's another thing you can find on a planet:Cities,Caves,and even Crashed Ships

    - The *Soundtrack* is Futuristic and Mechanic when it needs to be, Organic and Tribal or even Dangerous or Happy!either way, it's also helpful, each alien race has it's own theme, and if you are in their territory or near a base, their respective theme will play in a slow and forboding remix or happy and safe tune

    - The *Voice Acting* is one of my favorite parts of the game!it's very different between races, giving each a personality, and you can already tell the personality with the first line out of their mouths (the ones that have 'em) it does make me want to talk more to the majority of characters, to hear their voices and responses, also there is a hand log that shows what the character said if you want to skip, clicking on said line on the log, makes the character talk again!

    - The *Builder* is another core element of Origins,the ability to Build Ships, Structures, Planets, and even Universes! the goal of the game aside from its main Origins-Universe, is giving the player the ability to make its own story with these tools, an ambitious idea that i'm hopeful it will pay out! with these tools, you can not only make your own universe, but making existing ones like Star Wars or Mass Effect! it's hard, but possible!

    Of course,i missed a lot of elements,i expect much more in the future, not only as Free Updates and DLC, but as a growing community that can share Ships, Buildings and etc, and believe me, the game is HUGE!There IS a "Main Story" but it's not the only one, there are SO MANY MORE!
    Hope this does well, the development got underserved fire because it's not the old Star Control, but i say, this is the PERFECT reboot for the Series!    … Expand
  2. NICKALLENRP
    Sep 23, 2018
    10
    Star control 2 is my favorite game of all time and I pre-ordered this the moment I had the chance. I did not get to play the beta but having played for about 10 hours I must say I'm pleasantly Surprised how fun this is. It gives me a bit of the taste of Star Control 2. It's a fun game And I hope the community continues to put out new content for it.
  3. pchernik
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Awesome game. Story, humor, music, adventure, rpg - all top notch! Don't listen to the people who down-vote it because of unrelated reasons - being unfair to the great game.
  4. cuorebrave
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    When I was 12 years old, my best friend and I drove with his mom up to Sacramento to stay at his aunt's house for the weekend. She was old, and I think she might have been a witch - but she DID have a computer. A good one, I was told, that could probably handle the intense graphics of this new game my dad picked up for me from Egghead software.
    We binged on junk food, snuck drags off her    When I was 12 years old, my best friend and I drove with his mom up to Sacramento to stay at his aunt's house for the weekend. She was old, and I think she might have been a witch - but she DID have a computer. A good one, I was told, that could probably handle the intense graphics of this new game my dad picked up for me from Egghead software.
    We binged on junk food, snuck drags off her old cigarettes, watched naughty R-rated movies with N and SSC on HBO, and booted up this crazy new space adventure: Star Control II
    Gaming, for us, was never the same after that. We kept a bound journal and logged every single detail, clue, story development, mineral rich planet, life rich planet, rainbow world, etc. We drew our own approximation of Quasispace coords. We waxed philosophically about the nature of life in the cosmos. We theorized endlessly about the origins of the Orz, where the Androsynth ran off to, and just where exactly was *above* and *below*.
    I waited 25 years, and now I jump into Star Control: Origins and all of a sudden, I'm back there, with my best friend, unable to stop thinking about what just might be in the next system over.
    10/10 would relive childhood again.    … Expand
  5. Chazn2
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Fantastic writing, brilliant voice overs and a great sense of exploration. This game presses so many of the right buttons for me.

    I've not personally played SC1 or SC2 but I've heard very good things from the people I know that have, this is a fantastic re-imagining and modernisation of a genera that never got recognised for being it's own thing. If you enjoy a serious story with    Fantastic writing, brilliant voice overs and a great sense of exploration. This game presses so many of the right buttons for me.

    I've not personally played SC1 or SC2 but I've heard very good things from the people I know that have, this is a fantastic re-imagining and modernisation of a genera that never got recognised for being it's own thing.

    If you enjoy a serious story with humour, a game with a sense of exploration and discovery or want a game where it's a blast to go head to head with friends in a series of fleet battles, just get it. You will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  6. Pyro411
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    In short... This is the game Star Control fans have been waiting for nearly 25 years for.

    The game is a wonderful mesh of exploration, diplomacy, resource gathering and management, combat and writing. I have put nearly 140 hours into the incomplete version and saw it grow over the past year or so in amazing ways while working with the amazing people involved in the game and can say it    In short... This is the game Star Control fans have been waiting for nearly 25 years for.

    The game is a wonderful mesh of exploration, diplomacy, resource gathering and management, combat and writing. I have put nearly 140 hours into the incomplete version and saw it grow over the past year or so in amazing ways while working with the amazing people involved in the game and can say it has done the fandom a great amount of justice.

    I'll stop myself here as I don't know if I could stop myself from going spoilers level in review... let's just say I love it, and hope to see many others join me in game for Fleet Battles and joking back & forth about certain things in the Adventures.    … Expand
  7. dmacconn
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game is true to it's Star Control 2 roots. Highly recommend this game! Campaign is fun and the head to head Fleet battles are great!
  8. Brian1234
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game genuinely does capture the feel of Star Control, and equals or exceeds SC2 in every way. An excellent game that is well worth playing. The gameplay is really fun, the writing is top notch and laugh out loud funny at times (especially chats with the Tywom, the first alien species you will meet), and the plot is, well, this is a space RPG/adventure game, the plot is similar to allThis game genuinely does capture the feel of Star Control, and equals or exceeds SC2 in every way. An excellent game that is well worth playing. The gameplay is really fun, the writing is top notch and laugh out loud funny at times (especially chats with the Tywom, the first alien species you will meet), and the plot is, well, this is a space RPG/adventure game, the plot is similar to all the other space RPG games out there I suppose, but there's also a ton of side-content that varies from funny to serious. Top notch, excellent game.… Expand
  9. PubliusNV
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    I didn't think I was the target audience for this game. I never played the original SC games, I play mostly turn based strategy and RPG games, and as I'm over 60 my reaction times are not great so I avoid action or arcade style games. But this game really got me.

    As one of the late stage beta testers, I have to admit that I still suck at the fleet battles, but for me the story, the    I didn't think I was the target audience for this game. I never played the original SC games, I play mostly turn based strategy and RPG games, and as I'm over 60 my reaction times are not great so I avoid action or arcade style games. But this game really got me.

    As one of the late stage beta testers, I have to admit that I still suck at the fleet battles, but for me the story, the strange aliens, the humor, the absolutely superb voice acting, the hidden features like the Tywom fan fiction, and the sheer joy of exploring new star systems and planets made it a game I could not easily put down, so to speak. It will keep you up to the late hours if you let it. In fact, it's addictive. And with the modding ability and hinted at future DLCs I'm sure I'll be playing this game for years to come.    … Expand
  10. svs123
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game is incredibly entertaining. It is very hard to put down for the night. The writing is much better than I would have expected from Stardock, it is some of the most witty dialogue I've read in any game. I can't wait to play through the entire game.
  11. cannonman58102
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This is the first game I've bothered to put a review up for on Metacritic. I created an account for this, because this game is fantastic. I haven't stopped playing it since it launched, and this is something that I never do anymore in my old age.

    This is the first game that has made me call in sick to work in more than 8 years, and I don't think there is a better endorsement I can give.
  12. JBReview
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Played during the beta and now through at launch -- this is a great game. Worthy successor.

    Pick this up!! (＾▽＾)
  13. DShady
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    I was a Founder for this game and have logged many hours in it at this point. I can say with pleasure that this is very worth the time. I was introduced to Star Control with SC2, and have been very pleased with what Stardock has done with this franchise. I am excited to see how mods and expansions will add more stories and more fun to this game as time goes on.
  14. asmode0s
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Stardock is a great little company that makes passionate and fun games. Star Control: Origins fits right in with sharp and colorful graphics, stimulating and curious sound, and a very impressive feat of completely spoken dialogue. All the fun aliens that you run into have the most amazing voice acting, delivering the subtle humor of the Star Control universe.

    The game can be completely    Stardock is a great little company that makes passionate and fun games. Star Control: Origins fits right in with sharp and colorful graphics, stimulating and curious sound, and a very impressive feat of completely spoken dialogue. All the fun aliens that you run into have the most amazing voice acting, delivering the subtle humor of the Star Control universe.

    The game can be completely played with a controller, but you still have the ability to outfit your ship. Building and managing a fleet is seamless. Resource gathering and management is easy and fun. There is just enough challenge to landing on planets and fighting drones when gathering resources to make it dangerous.

    The big shining star here is the ship combat. You enter a sort of arena in that it is a set area with stars, bouncy planets, black holes, powerups to do battle with enemy ships. You can fire the weapons that you've built into your ship and hope to control your momentum enough to kill the enemy before it kills you.

    Overall a simple, fun and well done game. Another excellent game from Stardock. Definitely a buy.    … Expand
  15. lindsayf01
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Graphics are great. Writing is great. Amazing job allowing us to continue our love of Star Control. Highly recommend this to anyone who’s looking for an extension to their past.
  16. TDDraco
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    I grew up on Star Control, literally. I was six in 1990 and spent much of my youth playing SC1 and 2.

    Fortunate enough to be able to become a Founder on SCO, i have watched the game grow and progress over time. Star Control Origins is a rich universe filled with aliens of many different varieties with fast-paced ship to ship combat thrown in. You can be a peaceful Federation-like    I grew up on Star Control, literally. I was six in 1990 and spent much of my youth playing SC1 and 2.

    Fortunate enough to be able to become a Founder on SCO, i have watched the game grow and progress over time.

    Star Control Origins is a rich universe filled with aliens of many different varieties with fast-paced ship to ship combat thrown in. You can be a peaceful Federation-like explorer or take a darker route and engage in piracy. Whatever path you choose, your goal is to save Earth.

    With many years of galactic expansion planned out by Stardock, plus the upcoming player-made universe support, SCO has a lot of promise in its future.

    Seriously, check it out.    … Expand
  17. Skotos90
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Star Control: Origins meets it's expectations for those who are looking for a great space adventure. Origins is full of witty dialog, interesting aliens and an overall fun game.

    Exploring the planets and moons really gives you feeling of traveling in space. As your lander crests over a land mass on a moon you may encounter a breath taking view of a nearby planet or your space ship    Star Control: Origins meets it's expectations for those who are looking for a great space adventure. Origins is full of witty dialog, interesting aliens and an overall fun game.

    Exploring the planets and moons really gives you feeling of traveling in space. As your lander crests over a land mass on a moon you may encounter a breath taking view of a nearby planet or your space ship hovering out in space. Or you may simply be surprised to find an interesting artifact that recently crashed.

    The aliens you meet can be scary, silly, eccentric or just down right moist (play the game to understand what I mean). I haven't finished the game yet but look forward to meeting all the aliens and discovering their interesting personalities.

    Stardock has done a great job putting together this reboot to the Star Control franchise and I look forward to many more to come.    … Expand
  18. MosesZD
    Sep 22, 2018
    10
    This game captures the original Star Control atmosphere. The writing is excellent, the story does fan-service AND stands on its own. I've got about 30-hours into the game and I am having a great time.

    BE WARNED: The game doesn't hand-hold you. And too many people seem to FOOLISHLY BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HARVEST ALL THE PLANETS. It's not 'Gather Craft', and if you FOOLISHLY DO    This game captures the original Star Control atmosphere. The writing is excellent, the story does fan-service AND stands on its own. I've got about 30-hours into the game and I am having a great time.

    BE WARNED: The game doesn't hand-hold you. And too many people seem to FOOLISHLY BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HARVEST ALL THE PLANETS. It's not 'Gather Craft', and if you FOOLISHLY DO THAT, the game will become quite tedious. And it's YOUR fault.

    Rather, you harvest rich planets, check planets out for 'unknown objects' (tech, side quests, resources) but mostly do quests and forge alliances to progress in the game.    … Expand
  19. fezzik21
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    I'm really enjoying it. For me, it captures the feeling of the Star Control 2 I remember from being a kid. Particular shout out to the voice acting, which is always dicey for these things, but so far has been spot on.
  20. Funnytom
    Sep 24, 2018
    9
    If you liked star control 2 then you will like this. A real throwback to the old days of wandering a galaxy trying to solve mysteries. Docked 1 point as the resource gathering can be a bit grindy.
  21. Yco
    Sep 25, 2018
    9
    Very high production values (including writing). Faithful remake of a classic title. Great world-building and also very well designed universe population and macro economy. Polished and impressive game.
  22. afandre
    Sep 21, 2018
    9
    It's a new Star Control! The long neglected genre gets an update that really delivers. If you've like playing a space RPG with arena style arcade combat. you'll like this game. I was dubious from all the mediocre reviews. But this game is solid fun. The planetary exploration is novel, the map to explore is enormous, the storyline is engaging. There's lots to like here. Some aliens get textIt's a new Star Control! The long neglected genre gets an update that really delivers. If you've like playing a space RPG with arena style arcade combat. you'll like this game. I was dubious from all the mediocre reviews. But this game is solid fun. The planetary exploration is novel, the map to explore is enormous, the storyline is engaging. There's lots to like here. Some aliens get text interactions, some get voice and text, some get animated screens and voice. It's colorful and fun.

    There's lots of controversy about the legal battles over Star Control, but don't let it ruin your fun.    … Expand
  23. psymin
    Sep 24, 2018
    9
    I am really enjoying the music, the visuals and the overall "feel" of the game. They did a great job of capturing the feel of SC2.
  24. theirrelephants
    Oct 12, 2021
    8
    I enjoyed it, and had zero bugs unlike a lot of the other posters.

    Good writing is marred by the absolute trash that is the lander 'gameplay' portions, of which there are far, far too many. I probably would have given this a 6 or 7 instead of 8 if I hadn't cheated a little by looking up the stargate locations ahead of time. Spending forever running around the overhead map would have    I enjoyed it, and had zero bugs unlike a lot of the other posters.

    Good writing is marred by the absolute trash that is the lander 'gameplay' portions, of which there are far, far too many.

    I probably would have given this a 6 or 7 instead of 8 if I hadn't cheated a little by looking up the stargate locations ahead of time. Spending forever running around the overhead map would have been admittedly INCREDIBLY tedious.    … Expand
  25. Terrier
    Oct 20, 2018
    8
    As a fan of Star Control.

    Minus: 1) Most old aliens are gone. Plus: 2) Now, it is easy to track the conversation. Star Control has lots of conversation and you must pay attention to it, so if you miss something important, then you are screwed. Now. it has a log. And there is more, if you click on the log, then it points you to where you must go, so if you miss something important    As a fan of Star Control.

    Minus:
    1) Most old aliens are gone.
    Plus:
    2) Now, it is easy to track the conversation. Star Control has lots of conversation and you must pay attention to it, so if you miss something important, then you are screwed. Now. it has a log. And there is more, if you click on the log, then it points you to where you must go, so if you miss something important then you could read it later.
    3) The new graphics.
    4) It is not a remake but a new version. The story is surprisingly better than the old games.
    - It's epic.
    - It has lore. However, the old lore is gone.
    - It has twists.
    5) The landers minigame is better., way better. In the previous games, the lander minigame was frustrating at best.
    6) Some comments say that the galaxy is boring. How is it boring?. This game is about aliens and exploration, and the galaxy is filled with surprises:
    - new aliens, some are part of the story and others have their own side-story.
    - minerals, ok, this adds a bit of frustration, Francium mainly.
    - you can find some ships, weapons, building, some aliens that think that you are a deity and so much more.
    - There are several kinds of planets and more. I think there are about 8-10 times x diversity x size x harshness, so the combinations of different planets are huge.
    7) The music is cool too. Some tunes remind me of Captain Future.
    8) The game is hard.
    9) The aliens have a backstory and they have their own reason, they are not just unidimensional characters.
    10) It has comedy.

    Star Control (including this version), isn't a perfect game. However, this version is the best one.    … Expand
  26. Darkin20
    Sep 21, 2018
    8
    A rather faithful recreation of the original Star Control 2 (StarCon2) with a lot of updated ideas and tech.

    If you even liked the original, you will love this one. If you never played the original... you might not love it. There is a lot of grinding and exploring which I think is rather realistic. You need to go to many planets in hopes of finding something interesting on maybe one.    A rather faithful recreation of the original Star Control 2 (StarCon2) with a lot of updated ideas and tech.

    If you even liked the original, you will love this one.

    If you never played the original... you might not love it. There is a lot of grinding and exploring which I think is rather realistic. You need to go to many planets in hopes of finding something interesting on maybe one. Can get a little tedious but that just makes when you find something extra satisfying.

    Where this game really shines is with the story. Meeting just about every species is a riot. I find myself very involved and laughing out loud a lot. Once you really get exploring, this is where the real fun begins.

    I just wish the combat was smoother but I guess if it was, purists might complain.    … Expand
  27. marvel212
    Sep 22, 2018
    8
    The name of this game fit this game perfectly. This game is more like a reboot of star control 2 with different story line. It has everything what the original star control 2 had. I don't know if the magic is there but I find myself wanting to explore the galaxy as I did with original star control 2.

    It's all there. Funny scripts, resource collecting, space exploring, evil aliens    The name of this game fit this game perfectly. This game is more like a reboot of star control 2 with different story line. It has everything what the original star control 2 had. I don't know if the magic is there but I find myself wanting to explore the galaxy as I did with original star control 2.

    It's all there. Funny scripts, resource collecting, space exploring, evil aliens who want to destroy Humans. I am still only few hours into the game. So far it sticks to the original star control 2 adventure. This game will make original star control 2 lovers very happy.    … Expand
  28. jinxcase
    Oct 3, 2018
    8
    Pros
    -So much to do
    -Lots of ship upgrades
    -Fun & interesting world/universe
    -Easy to play

    Cons
    -Interface is clunky
    -Lots of fetch questing
    -Slow Progression
    -Game Engine is buggy

    Would play again.. or more. Sense of urgency is real. Caught myself putting in 6-12 hours per session.

    Highly Recommended
  29. Keimpe
    Feb 7, 2021
    8
    Picked it up in the sale and i really love it. It resembles SCII maybe a bit too much, but as fans of the original i can imagine why they went for that. The planets are a bit of a chore eventually, but the music makes up for that. Love the races, love the gameloop. In the beginning the game doesn't run that well, but give it time and eventually the shaders are fully loaded. Recommended!
  30. akarnokd
    Jul 30, 2020
    7
    I never played any previous Star Controls and picked up the game thanks to the Ars Technica extened interview with the creators.

    What I liked: - the music - resource gathering - most of the story - the animated and voiced hail screens - many of the UI conveniences What I disliked: - combat, especially space combat with that vectoring-thrust mechanic - massive framerate drops    I never played any previous Star Controls and picked up the game thanks to the Ars Technica extened interview with the creators.

    What I liked:
    - the music
    - resource gathering
    - most of the story
    - the animated and voiced hail screens
    - many of the UI conveniences

    What I disliked:
    - combat, especially space combat with that vectoring-thrust mechanic
    - massive framerate drops due to particle effects on planets
    - no easy way to see what new tech unlocked
    - the star system/hyperspace drifting
    - some form of list or indicator showing all planets in the system
    - the "realistic" lighting of planets that made many of them just blend into the background
    - no indication what planets I cleared
    - point of interest markers not removed
    - the Kzanti that hail you all the time and no option to just shoot them immediately or make them go away for good    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
77
#77 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. GameStar
    Feb 3, 2019
    72
    Quirky and entertaining space adventure for patient people with a lot of patience, patience and above all patience.
    Read full review
  2. GameStar
    Feb 3, 2019
    72
    Quirky and entertaining space adventure for patient people with a lot of patience, patience and above all patience.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 21, 2018
    80
    Origins is a surprisingly good successor to the famous trilogy. There’s a big galaxy to explore, choices to make and memorable characters to meet. Dialogues are great, and arcade parts are simple, yet fun. Together, they make a game that will easily keep your interest for a week at least. [Issue#234, p.54]
See all critic reviews »