Stellaris: Astral Planes - Buyer's Guide

Explore new realities in Stellaris: Astral Planes, with unique sites and phenomena. A mixed bag: fun astral actions and stories, but overpriced and lacking replay value. Worth considering if on sale.
Fan-art of Stellaris: Astral Planes

Embark on an epic journey in ‘Astral Planes,’ where you can explore new realities by traversing rifts in space-time, unveiling unique sites with extraordinary creatures and phenomena. With fresh technologies to manipulate space and a myriad of branching narratives, the game offers players unprencedented choice in shaping their storyline. Discover long-hidden secrets or confront the past through Riftworld Origin, all while charting your own course that aligns with your preferred playstyle.

Should I play Stellaris: Astral Planes in 2024?

The good

A few players appreciated the added content, especially the new activities for scientists in the mid to late game. This added depth to their gameplay experience, drawing them back into the game and ensuring several playthroughs to fully explore the new features. The novelty and thematic exploration were enough for some to find value, especially when purchased at a discount.

The bad

The majority of reviews highlight significant issues:

  1. Technical Problems: A critical number of players experienced severe bugs, including game freezes when using basic functions like save and load. These issues are fundamental and greatly impact the playability.

  2. Price Concerns: Many felt the DLC was overpriced for the content offered. The perceived value did not match the $20 price tag, with many recommending a steep discount before purchase.

  3. Content Repetition: The new content was seen as repetitive, with similar scenarios repeating in subsequent playthroughs, reducing replayability and overall enjoyment.

  4. Theme Shift: Some players were displeased with the shift from hard sci-fi to more whimsical, non-scientific themes, feeling it did not fit well with the core game’s tone.

Verdict

Should you still buy or play this game in 2024? Based on the reviews, it seems Stellaris: Astral Planes has missed the mark for many players. If you are a mega-fan of Stellaris and can snatch it at a deep discount (think 60% off or more), it might be worth a try for the new content alone. However, be prepared for potential game-breaking bugs and repetitive content. For everyone else, it might be best to pass on this one or wait for substantial fixes and price drops. 🌌🚀🔧



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In-game Screenshot

Screenshot of Stellaris: Astral Planes

Top image is not real in-game screenshots. Fan-art made by Gamer.se. Some game metadata is coming from RAWG