ASTROKILL Reviews

I recommend this game to anyone that's an old-school space shooter fan or just has a passing interest in space or flying games. It manages to blend action and sim elements really well. It has some really nice visuals and some solid game mechanics (once you learn them). Considering the game is in EA, is indie, and is cheap (especially for what it is), its flaws are fairly minor. Pros: - No nonsense space battles with a barebones storyline (the way I like it) - Beautifully modeled environments and animated explosions - Flight mechanics that actually feel space-y and not airplane-y - Projectiles move at realistic speeds, ricochet, and feel dangerous - All that requires unlocking are subsequent campaign-missions (no space credits or anything like that) - VR that doesn't require awkward game mechanics Cons: - No MP yet - Some level environments and missions can get a little repetitive - Tutorials don't cover all the mechanics (basic movement should at least be covered) - Needs a couple new mission-styles to mix it up some - No customization of spaceship stats (some basic customization would be nice)

EA, not worth the money. The Bad * No joystick support for linux * The voice acting - cringe * The dialog is poorly written * Says its inspired by TIE Fighter but has nothing to do with TIE Fighter in terms of combat * Controls feel wierd * Larger objects look dull and uninspired The Good * Ship graphics

A few months back I tried to play the game with Oculus Touch controls and got nauseous. I deleted my initial review because bluemoon convinced me that VR controls are not the proper tool for this flight sim. So I bought myself a Trustmaster HOTAS (T.16000M FCS, TWCS), spent 1/2h in the menus to configure the stick and failed again, nauseated. I have no idea how I should do this and there is literally no help or any kind of instructions. I'm sure it's a nice game but for me it's just a roller coaster ride. I'd love to change my review another time if only I could actually get a chance to play the game. What ever I can do to make it work. BTW: Windows 10 x64

This game is beautiful and addictive. I just started playing and have never really played space shooters before. Now I can't stop going into survival mode and hunting down the dominion. Right now the campaign is not available and I read that the developers put it on sale because of the missing content. Also they put out a roadmap with a lot of promising features that will be implemented. So I have to say that they have my respect! When do you see developers these days who are pro consumer? Not often is the answer friends! These guys seem to care for their game a lot and I like and appreciate that. It also reflects in the gameplay. Ballistics are really cool and the targeting computer is an awesome feature. Controls work well and performance is great. Even on my GTX750 I can maintain 60 fps with just a few options turned down to medium. I can't wait to see what the campaign is gonna be like and when I look at the roadmap I have a lot to look forward to. Thanks for getting me hooked and see ya'll in space.

After hunting around for a long time for a vanilla space dogfighter game, I settled on this one. I've had the game for 3 days, and did the practice mission, and the first campaign. LOVE IT! The ships are really cool designs, the graphics are perfect, and the game play is very realistic (based on my assumption of what flying in space would be like). I'm not sure there is more availability of ships further on in the game, but that would be a welcomed addition in later releases. Looking forward to seeing how this game grows.

Perhaps playing House of the Dying Sun and other execellent space dogfighting games has spoiled me, but I just can't get into this game nor recommend it in this state. Right now, it comes with two short campaigns, each several missions long. There is no multiplayer functionality as of yet. The few missions included were OK and are typically beatable witin a few minutes each, but not without hiccups. HINT: The single greatest threat to your ship isn't the enemy gunfire. It's your own damn allies ramming into you unexpectedly, or accidentally colliding with an asteriod. The biggest issue I encountered is in regards to the controls. Right now the only completely usable option is the keyboard+mouse, because the game console controllers or HOTAS setups aren't working correctly. In the case of the controllers, certain button imputs are either redundant or missing; several times I was trying to fire the secondary weapons, only to activate the shields or target a nearby ship for some baffling reason. And the lack of an ability to re-assign the buttons means that you have no way to correct this issue. It's this one annoyance that caused me to give up on the game for now. Now in terms of how the game handles, Astrokill learns more towards Hard Sci-fi than most. Momentum is a major factor during dogfights, and you need to cautiously apply the boost when zipping around space. Too much momentum, and you'll overshoot your desintation and continue drifting foward, even when applying the full brakes and counter-boost. Which, in turn, could lead to you boosting yet again in the worng direction due to applying too much brakes and opposite momentum. Certainly not as easy as in X-Wing vs Tie Fighter or Freelancer. Thus, in my opinion the game is far from ready yet and clearly does need more time in Early Access. I believe over time the game will improve; the things I mentioned are definitely the fixable sort and don't require a massive overhaul to the gameplay or engine. It's simply a question of when will these fixes come, and just how much more does the developer plan to add to the game.

While this game is still in Early Access, it's got the basics nailed down: - An intuitive Newtonian physics flight model that should be instantly familiar to those who've played Elite|: Dangerous - Space battles around asteroids and bases - The weapons are ayt. Weapon impact feels solid. Although the developer focuses on kinetic weaponry, I do miss the lazorz of other space games. -The overall gameplay is fun, well-balanced, and engaging. A good assortment of missions are available in its Early Access form, but a campaign, or maybe random missions, would be very welcome. -Definitely worth your money (not that I'm trying to dictate your domestic fiscal and monetary policies or assume to know anything about your current economic situation) -Very much interested to see where this game goes

I'm playing the Linux version (not currently advertised). This game is fantastic! The atmosphere really sucks you in, and the physics of the ships feels just right - so much that it really aids the feel of the game. Watching the shells from your weapons arc across space is amazing to see, and you soon learn to target a little in front of where the enemies are (using the HUD... umm, weapon lead display that attaches to the enemy). I'm playing around with controls a bit, and mapped CTRL to DOWN, and SPACE to UP (as in strafe up/down). Seems to give a bit more maneuverability and easier than using the default Z/X for it. May try WASD as Up/Down/Left/Right with SPACE as forward, CTRL as back, X as BRAKE.

I had to go back and check the price. What is this? $5? It's the best gaming $5 you'll ever spend. Astrokill is a blast, with what is my favorite space combat flight engine to date, with compensated Newtonian or full-Newtonian flight. Flip your fighter around as you travel the opposite direction and blast a pursuing fighter. Orbit a capital ship, facing it the entire time, taking out turrets, maximizing your shield so you don't get pummeled. That, plus gorgeous graphics, high FPS, and great weapons effects. Add to this a super-responsive dev who's constantly improving the project. The only downside is, as some have pointed out, that the current campaigns are a bit thin, but did I mention it's $5? For space combat that makes Everspace's engine feel like Wing Commander by comparison? I don't have it, but according to others VR works and is great. There is a Linux version, multiplayer is coming, and there is the tantalizing suggestion we'll be able to mod this in the future. What more could you want?

[h1]The game dev came back after a (nearly) 2 years hiatus[/h1] I'll be sure to update this review once the updates start dropping. [h1]No updates since Feb 2019[/h1] More than a year without updates, I'd wait to see some feedback from the devs before buying. [h1]Great space shooter[/h1] Great single player, campaign based, space shooter. The game strives for 'realism', which means physics and inertia, your ship feels heavy and real. Also, the game's weapons are ballistic, not lasers or plasma beams, which is great to play, kinda like diesel punk sci-fi. The game still is on early access, so don't expect a finished game. [b]I appreciate the linux release[/b]