When I first reviewed Space Tales in July, I said I really wanted to like it, but ultimately, it fell short. The visual design was undeniably a highlight, pulling me into a retro-futuristic world that felt like The Jetsons crossed with Worms. However, the gameplay just didn’t live up to the promise. The survival mode was overly simplistic, lacking the depth needed to keep things interesting, and the absence of tooltips made it harder to engage with the mechanics. Despite its artistic appeal, the demo felt more like a bland taste of what could be a much better game.
Now, with a new demo released as part of the Steam Next Fest, some of those initial issues have been addressed, like the addition of tooltips and a new story mode, but does this fix the core issues? Let’s take a closer look.
The visual design of Space Tales brings retro-futurism to life in a way that is both familiar and fresh. Units are distinct, from the Robby-the-Robot-inspired Guardian to the humorous touches on lesser drones. The visual presentation channels old-school sci-fi, with high-definition details breathing life into the stylized, bright world. While this design may be enough to draw players in, it’s not the only thing that makes an RTS game last.
In terms of gameplay, Space Tales offers a standard RTS formula with a few twists. The survival mode, which now includes the necessary tooltips (thankfully), revolves around protecting your central hub, expanding your base, and fending off waves of enemies. It’s a straightforward premise, and while it’s strangely addictive, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The strategy of chaining hubs to expand your base area and increase your unit cap does add some interesting decision-making, particularly when it comes to converting hubs into turrets. This forces you to weigh defensive upgrades against expansion, which gives the game a tactical layer, albeit a thin one.
The survival mode, however, lacks variety. With only a few building options and resource types (concrete for buildings, metal for units, and glass for upgrades), the game simplifies its systems almost to a fault. While simplicity can often be a strength in RTS games, here it feels like an oversimplification. The resource management system, while intuitive, doesn’t offer much in terms of challenge or reward beyond basic toggling between materials.
Mandatory fun! Go! Go! Go!
The latest demo includes two missions in the story mode—one involving bug-blasting across an alien landscape to find an abandoned hub, and the other returning to survival mode. These missions hint at potential depth but ultimately don’t feel fully fleshed out. There’s room for expansion, but right now, the story feels secondary to the repetitive base-building loop. The satirical take on colonialism, with players building holiday destinations on alien worlds, adds a darkly humorous twist to the narrative, but the gameplay doesn’t quite support this tone.
Space Tales failed to meet its Kickstarter goal, raising only a fraction of its target. It’s easy to see why. While the visual style and premise had me hooked, the bland demo didn’t do enough to convey the full potential of the game. The elements borrowed from They Are Billions give the wave-defence gameplay a sense of familiarity, but without the same intensity or complexity that made They Are Billions stand out.
Space Tales is a game full of charm and nostalgia, but charm and nostalgia doesn’t sell games. It struggles to match its visual appeal with equally compelling gameplay. The retro-futuristic art style is fantastic, and the tactical use of hubs to control your expansion brings some strategic depth, but ultimately, the game feels too simple to stand out in a crowded RTS market. With more variety, a better-developed story mode, and some additional layers of strategy, Space Tales could be a hidden gem. It’s strangely addictive for a title so light on ideas and content. For now, though, it remains a work in progress, one I hope will eventually live up to its visual promise.
Verdict: A visually stunning homage to 1940s sci-fi, Space Tales offers addictive but overly simplified gameplay that leaves you wanting more.
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