Star Ruler

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22

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  1. 20k
    Aug 28, 2011
    9
    This game has changed significantly since its release last year, including a slew of improvements to every aspect of the game, drastically improving the fun of gameplay and the performance of the game as well. The ship customisation allows you to create hulking death stars that blow up stars and planets in one shot, or create a hoard of tiny fighters to overwhelm your enemies defencesThis game has changed significantly since its release last year, including a slew of improvements to every aspect of the game, drastically improving the fun of gameplay and the performance of the game as well. The ship customisation allows you to create hulking death stars that blow up stars and planets in one shot, or create a hoard of tiny fighters to overwhelm your enemies defences (these inevitably get called "trolols" in the ship design when you play with friends :P) . You can also create squads of ships that all complement each other and form a good team, or simply create a ship bigger than your solar system with a trillion guns that obliterates everything within weapons distance from it. They take a while to build and a huge amount of technology so its still balanced
    If you played or read a review of the game when it was released, you should take another look at it because it is much, much better than it was then    … Expand
  2. XTRMNTR2K
    Apr 17, 2012
    9
    Star Ruler is one of the rare examples of a pleasant surprise in today's gaming world. Back in August 2010 when it was released, I decided to pick this game up on a whim since the advertising text sounded promising enough and the price tag was more than fair.

    I have to admit that I was originally taken aback because of the obvious bugs and various shortcomings when I first ran this game.    Star Ruler is one of the rare examples of a pleasant surprise in today's gaming world. Back in August 2010 when it was released, I decided to pick this game up on a whim since the advertising text sounded promising enough and the price tag was more than fair.

    I have to admit that I was originally taken aback because of the obvious bugs and various shortcomings when I first ran this game. However, I decided to gave Star Ruler a second chance by playing some more, and visiting the official forum. It was there that I discovered how honest and open the developers were about their game, as well as determined to improve it as much as possible. After releasing numerous patches, always listening and replying to user feedback, Blind Mind Studios managed to polish this gem into the jewel it was meant to be. Star Ruler deserves more than just a 'first look', which usually focuses on presentation such as graphics and sound effects. While these are adequate and functional for a game of this scale, it is the underlying gameplay mechanics and mod-friendliness where it shines the brightest. Aside from this, Newtonian physics and free scalability (both of ships and the size of the galaxy you are playing in!) are but two points that really set SR aside from everything else on the market.

    While the official content delivered with the base game would net a score of around 8.0, the accessibility to modding of this game is easily among the best (10.0 points). So everyone looking for a great 4X game with a focus on expansion, research, combat and ship design should look no further. Star Ruler is both unique and affordable enough to be a 'must have' for any self-respecting fan of 4X games.    … Expand
  3. tehv
    Nov 4, 2010
    9
    Most strategy games give you units with a preset design. Whatever the developers design and put into the game you have to use.
    I personally find this game appealing since you can customize every unit that you have in your fleet. From mobile base stations to mining barges. The game is fully customizable to YOUR liking and may seem incomplete for this very reason.
    The game is as fun as YOU    Most strategy games give you units with a preset design. Whatever the developers design and put into the game you have to use.
    I personally find this game appealing since you can customize every unit that you have in your fleet. From mobile base stations to mining barges. The game is fully customizable to YOUR liking and may seem incomplete for this very reason.
    The game is as fun as YOU make it, however there are a few reasons I marked it down.
    -If you don't have a high end computer the game can crash quite easily due to the amount of units and star systems in play. I couldn't finish one game because my computer couldn't handle it.
    -Some of the options are rather limited. For instance the scanner you can put onto ships is only used for scanning enemy ships. It would be useful for the scanner to be able to scan planets since you don't know what type a planet is until you colonize it.
    Otherwise this game is fun and time munching. I played for the first time and I was soo engrossed that I played for 2 hours straight without realizing it.
    It can get boring unless you sandbox it. But if you do, it can vastly increase your fun when you play for real.    … Expand
  4. quassel
    Oct 29, 2011
    10
    one of the rare 4x games, started as beta and patched to a real good game until now, if you like real time strategy on a galactic scale, developing planets, building spaceships, fights, ... all modable and active developers - you should give it a try
  5. Furutta
    Sep 29, 2010
    6
    Star Ruler is (as of this review (9/29/10)) a somewhat fun if incomplete game. While we often wonder if developers are releasing incomplete products, Blind Mind Studios is more than willing to admit that they released an incomplete game to start generating a cash flow, and are currently adding substantially to the features and options available in Star Ruler. What they've given us soStar Ruler is (as of this review (9/29/10)) a somewhat fun if incomplete game. While we often wonder if developers are releasing incomplete products, Blind Mind Studios is more than willing to admit that they released an incomplete game to start generating a cash flow, and are currently adding substantially to the features and options available in Star Ruler. What they've given us so far proves that Star Ruler could very well be the game that space strategy fans have been looking for, after all, who doesn't the ability to make any custom ship from a tiny fighter to something as big as a star?… Expand
  6. Dozmo
    May 2, 2013
    7
    Good, deep, and interesting, but prone to issues. First, to really get the most out of it, you have to play with mods, like galactic armory. Second, it does crash sometimes. Third, playing over a network isn't guaranteed to work. Fourth, it can get a little repetitive once your empire gets to a size where you can't manage it all yourself and you have to rely on AI governors to do most ofGood, deep, and interesting, but prone to issues. First, to really get the most out of it, you have to play with mods, like galactic armory. Second, it does crash sometimes. Third, playing over a network isn't guaranteed to work. Fourth, it can get a little repetitive once your empire gets to a size where you can't manage it all yourself and you have to rely on AI governors to do most of the grunt work, while you keep to the grand strategic decisions. This also gives it a peculiar kind of fun lacking in most "strategy" games, but also limits it at the same time. I would definitely encourage any strategy fan to try it, just don't spend your last dollar on it, because it isn't a guaranteed thing, and be prepared for a tough learning curve.… Expand
  7. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    9
    The game is rather great, though a bit boring if you don't like games that take a long period of time.

    You can customize your ships in almost infinite ways. You can form alliances and friendships with AI or fellow players, trade resources and even knowledge. Build and control massive fleets of 1000+ ships without any significant decrease to your system performance. Colonize planets    The game is rather great, though a bit boring if you don't like games that take a long period of time.

    You can customize your ships in almost infinite ways. You can form alliances and friendships with AI or fellow players, trade resources and even knowledge. Build and control massive fleets of 1000+ ships without any significant decrease to your system performance. Colonize planets and solar systems, mine asteroids and strip mine your own planets even. You can blow up planets, stars, quasars. You can build ringworlds even, the largest normal structure. Given enough time, you can build a ship larger than your own solar system.

    The game may seem a little unfinished, it might be slightly unfinished even. It didn't reach it's maximum potential but it did pretty darn good. I'd seriously recommend giving this game a try, and look into Star Ruler 2. The game also supports modding, so if you like that, that is another great feature for you.    … Expand
  8. iama2p
    Dec 20, 2013
    8
    I don't like giving very high scores for a game, but Star Ruler came close. Being an avid Space Strategy gamer, I was surprised when I came across Star Ruler. I was getting fed up of playing games where you simply march down a pre-set research path to build bigger, pre-set ships where the AI either get ahead of you causing a desperate struggle while you find a way to overcome their biggerI don't like giving very high scores for a game, but Star Ruler came close. Being an avid Space Strategy gamer, I was surprised when I came across Star Ruler. I was getting fed up of playing games where you simply march down a pre-set research path to build bigger, pre-set ships where the AI either get ahead of you causing a desperate struggle while you find a way to overcome their bigger ships, or you get ahead of the AI and cruise to victory. Interesting for a while, but quickly gets boring.

    Star Ruler is different. Research is done in areas instead of specific technologies, so you can completely ignore some area's of technology if you like. Should you not like having heavy ships, don't bother with researching armour, and don't put any on. Which leads us to the second great feature of this title; you completely customize your ships. You choose which components go on, how big they are relative to the ship, and the overall size of the ship. This freedom means that strategy can become crucial to the game, as well as a refreshing new stance on the genre.

    The main criticism of the game is the AI. When playing the AI there is a simple way to win; mass colonization. As soon as you have controlled the majority of the systems, you will win easily. The AI will then make demands of you that you can completely ignore and just obliterate them. The other big issue is the economy. By the time you've realized you're going to run out of resources, stopping the rot is very, very difficult. The number of systems you will occupy makes it hard to make minor strategic decisions and by far the easiest way is to just leave it to governors. But the overall strategic decisions, and fleet deployment is still well worth playing.

    I would recommend this game to anybody looking for a space strategy game that is different, and once you've gotten over the learning curve you have a great game.    … Expand
  9. Dco326
    Sep 28, 2022
    8
    Neverovatna steta iskreno :d sa boljom grafikom i par boljih stvari bi bila ludilo mozga igrica! Ali bukvalno. Previse se brzzo desavaju stvari i to je basssssssss bas lose u ovom slucaju nazalost :D ali stvarno ima potencijal nemoguce, ako nista tutorial je bio prezabavan top igra!

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Bit-Gamer
    Sep 23, 2011
    70
    Despite the steep learning curve, Star Ruler is a very impressive game that will instantly appeal to ardent 4X fans. It is a pain to have so much information unexplained, but once you've let Star Ruler sink its claws into your time, it doesn't let go easily.
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  2. IncGamers
    Aug 24, 2011
    70
    Despite the flaws, disappointments, and learning curve, I'd certainly recommend Star Ruler to 4X fans with a warlike bent. If you're prepared to spend a good few hours getting into it and learning via trial and error, if you won't get too upset by the outlined problems, and if you're not scared off by lots of numbers, then you'll find an entertaining, substantial, and surprisingly cheap game of galactic domination.
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  3. Absolute Games
    60
    If Blind Mind Studios continues to release new patches and more content, Star Ruler will one day become a great game in the 4X genre. But today it's just a $25 preform.
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