Stardeus is an ambitious space game that came out back in 2022, combining the management design and strategy focus of projects like Rimworld, FTL, Factorio, and Stellaris into something new. It's garnered a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam in the time since, but, as an Early Access game, there have always been big changes and additions on the horizon that stand to improve the experience even more. The latest of these is Stardeus' Ship Combat update, which provides a huge number of improvements and major new systems that seem well worth checking out.
strategy game focused on guiding a colony of humans, frozen in hibernation, and robots aboard a dilapidated starship as it travels through space. The fundamentals of the game are already strong, with lots of complexity in its management systems and narrative set-up.
The Ship Combat update introduces even more, though. It adds in NPC spaceships that can be encountered peacefully or engaged with in deadly combat. This new battle system is influenced by FTL and Starsector, adding in five weapon types and defensive systems, and allows victorious players to strip a defeated enemy ship for equipment. Interactions between ships — which can also involve simply trading, ignoring, hailing, or requesting fuel — are detailed through a new tutorial quest. The update also includes new warp drive and return beacon systems alongside a number of interface tweaks.
If you want to check out Stardeus' new update for yourself, you can grab a copy on Steam right here.
Or, if you'd prefer to take a look at other options like it, we have lists of the best management games out on PC as well.
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