Starbase Epsilon is a resource farming/management game does it stand with many others like it, or does it sit quietly in the shadows?
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The game offers 4 modes for players to endure, and it supports 1-4 local players. Aside from the standard modes of play, there’s a local high score listing for each mode, and in-game tips to teach you how to play. At first glance, it may look a little complicated if these games aren’t normally your style, but stick with it for 3-5 minutes and get a feel for it. Let’s see what it offers in terms of value for the player!
World Starter is the first mode you’re likely to play. You start with a basic ship, a star base for all ships, and numerous planets in the vicinity. You can purchase and sell mining bots, upgraded ships, and minerals at the main base. You start by purchasing basic starter bots and deploying them on planets. With time, they automatically gather resources and you use your ship to claim them and deliver to the star base. Certain bonuses are often displayed to offer more money for a particular mineral, or your bots may mine become less or more productive for a limited time. Basically, the more you earn, the better equipment you can afford. Your goal is to discover the ‘TERRA Module’ before other players, and to do that, you need the best quality mining bot (TIMBOT). The quicker you earn enough cash, the quicker you win.
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Next up is the ‘Space Miner’ mode where your goal is to become the wealthiest of all players. Wealth is calculated on a variety of levels including your current funds, the bots you own, and the ship you currently own. Difficulty is ramped up from the ‘World Starter’ mode, and you’ll find yourself being more careful not to sell specific minerals until the demand is high, and you can earn much more for them. To make things more challenging, space pirates are more common here and they’ll steal minerals and bots, requiring you to replace them with your funds on-hand. Bots also malfunction more frequently, causing more dents in the cash flow.
In Conquest Mode, it’s all about being the quickest to earn massive amounts of cash. The first player to claim as many planets as possible with the TIMBOT will earn the crown. Upgrades are the key here as well as selling at high demand prices. Bigger ships carry more though they move slower, so as the player you need to figure out a good pattern to stay efficient. It’s straight and to the point, but by no means an easy task.
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The final mode is for the hardcore players, and Chuck Norris. ‘No Man’s Land’ pits you in an area that is constantly attacked by pirates. The space pirates take over empty planets and can only be removed by deploying a TIMBOT on that planet. The game ends if the pirates take over all planets, or if you have deployed TIMBOT’s on every planet. Unless you’re a pro at maneuvering the map and you know what to buy or sell, and when to do it, you’re going to want to stick with the easier modes of play.
The only negative points I can say are in relation to the in-game menus for buying/selling and mineral pick-ups. Menus don’t revert to their origin options, so if you sold minerals on one trip, when you return and want to make a purchase, you need to navigate back to root menu and then to the purchase menu required for your needs. Secondly, menus overlap if planets are very close together causing you to slightly adjust the ship position before you can access each planet. It’s barely an issue, but it’s there. When pitted against the what the game play offers, it doesn’t affect my overall opinion, and it’s just a minor annoyance.
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The game is accompanied by some basic beeps and bloops style sound effects, and a very quiet hum in the background, supposedly simulating the emptiness of space. It’s nothing impressive, but it works for the style of game. The game is presented well, with numerous playing styles, and although the graphics and sound are very simplistic, it accentuates its strong points and performs well.
If you’re a big fan of resource management, or if you have a measly 80 :MSPoints:, it’s worth taking a look. The easy mode is there for beginners, and the challenge is available if you think you’re good enough. If you’re really good, you might be able to complete everything in 2-4 hours over a few play sessions. It’s sure to be more entertaining when you’re playing against friends in your living room, but for $1, you really can’t go wrong.
For more information, or to try the demo or purchase the game visit the Marketplace.
Review by Bryan Tremblay.
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