Starcom: Nexus
Suddenly thrown into an unknown galaxy, you must explore, fight or befriend aliens and transform your ship from a small survey vessel into a powerful battlecruiser to unravel the mystery of the forces that brought you here and find your way home.
Starcom: Nexus is a space, sci-fi and rpg game
developed and published by Wx3 Labs and LLC.
Released on December 12th 2019 is available on Windows and Linux
in 3 languages: English, German and Russian.
It has received 1,929 reviews of which 1,749 were positive and 180 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 16.79€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Starcom: Nexus into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Starcom: Nexus through various videos and screenshots.
Requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows Vista/7/8/10
- Processor: Intel Core i5 2.2 GHz+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 2 GB Direct3D 11 Capable video card or better
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or SteamOS
- Processor: Intel Core i5 2.2 GHz+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 2GB OpenGL 3 Capable video card or better
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
A shoot 'em up in space. It's not novel at all and the game is somewhat barebones, the gameplay loop is sufficiently satisfying, consisting of flying up to planets (at a much faster rate later on in the game) and 'scanning' them to see if interaction is possible. There more than 300 planets and there seems to be a lot of dialogue written for these. Unfortunately, you do not have a lot of agency and the choices that you can make are often very minimal. If you choose to not interact, you will often lose the chance to do so at a later time. Combat is very basic. Point and shoot with LMB to fire your plasma cannons. There are other weapons available later on in the game but for some reason, the developer decided that having them all share the same button (R to cycle, space to fire) would be a good idea (Hello! I have approximately 104 keys on my keyboard, allow me to use them!). The game has a few bugs but nothing game breaking. Most of the time you'll be stuck because the developers love sending you on easter-egg hunts. Mind that you can play the game in somewhat the order of your choosing which means you'll be visiting locations out of order and perhaps never unlocking certain technologies until they're not so useful anymore (or not ever unlocking them at all because you didn't happen to find the one planet that they're on. The game has a habit of making you fly around like it's your job in order to find stuff, sometimes giving you very vague hints that you will be excused for not noticing. (Not fun or challenging, just tedious, developers.) What is somewhat novel is that you can leave notes on the world map and the game features surprisingly good in-game logging. The ship design is very simplistic and pretty much pushes you down the same design path every time with the only real difference between how much of one weapon type you prefer to use. Since some parts can really only be effectively place in the back and some on the front (lest you use up all available building space very quickly) without being able to turn anything 90 degrees, I just ended up making one giant bulky ship. Many features are poorly explained (if at all) such as 'armour' which leaves everyone guessing as to how it really works and for a game that prides itself on scientific mumbo-jumbo (some of it seems to be real, interesting) it doesn't give you much info to work with when it comes to your ship. Communication with other species is extremely limited and pissing them off very easy (they tend to fly in the way all the time, some even stalk you constantly). There seems to have been a morale and a base defense system which was either severely limited or mostly canned. All-in-all I enjoyed Starcom for the price I paid for it (€ 2-something) but it seems like it'd need more content and definitely a user-friendly ending to justify a higher price
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Star Control 2 with some hiccups StarCom: Nexus draws inspiration from classics like Star Control 2 and Starflight, offering a blend of open-world space exploration, trading, research, and combat, all tied together by an engaging narrative. However, some design choices can test players' patience. In this review, I’ll delve into the game’s key aspects. Core Gameplay Loop The gameplay revolves around this cycle: Explore / Combat / Trade → Accumulate research points and resources → Upgrade weapons, engines, shields, armor, and ship designs → Repeat Starships operate without fuel; instead, reactor output dictates how long you can afterburn or unleash Plasma bolts. The ship designer employs a hexagonal system for component placement, but thankfully, several pre-built ship designs are effective enough to guide you to the endgame. Exploration Exploration is both the highlight and the Achilles' heel of StarCom. Players navigate from star to star using engines or rifts—think superhighways that whisk you to the other end. Later, jump points allow teleportation between locations. Each star features planets and celestial bodies that can be scanned for anomalies, reminiscent of Stellaris, offering text-based choices that influence your journey. Resources, research points, artifacts, and plot progression can be gleaned through these surveys. However, unlike Star Control 2, there’s no ground-based exploration with rovers. You’ll also encounter deep-space objects like space stations, derelicts, probes, and comets. Exploration primarily yields research points, essential for advancing the plot, but these points are limited, preventing you from completing the entire tech tree. I found exploration tedious in the early to mid-game for several reasons: 1. You start with a sluggish transport. 2. Stars can be widely spaced, making travel feel drawn out. 3. Even with faster engines, the distances often seem excessive. 4. Some stars are far from the main routes, offering meager rewards for your time. 5. Exploration text can become repetitive across different planets. 6. The star map isn’t fixed; stars only reveal themselves based on your scanner range, which can be upgraded twice. In summary, navigating the void can feel monotonous. Alien encounters are primarily near celestial bodies, leaving deep space largely empty, which might appeal to some but can lead to long stretches of nothingness. Trading & Resources Resources are categorized into various minerals obtained through: 1. Combat salvage 2. Bartering with alien races 3. Planet exploration (the most rewarding) 4. Mining asteroids (which yields minimal resources) The game lacks a standard currency, relying entirely on bartering, with alien races valuing resources differently. Players can quickly find themselves short on resources, especially when pursuing advanced ship designs and modules. Even if you research an enticing new module, its steep cost can be discouraging. Fortunately, a recycling system allows you to dismantle ship modules without losing resources. Story and Quests Without spoiling the narrative, I’ll mention that the story is well-crafted with a fair amount of technobabble. However, some quests—both optional and mandatory—echo older designs, providing vague hints for progression. I found some mathematical and RNG-based quests frustrating, including a gambling quest that drains your minerals and a labyrinth that requires handwritten notes and can risk your crew’s lives. While some quests offer clear directions, others leave you wandering aimlessly. For example, in the late game, I only advanced after destroying several ships. The resource grind can also block quest resolutions, as alien races often demand significant mineral amounts to release quest items. Some fetch quests are particularly cumbersome; for instance, you might need to find five beacons scattered across the galaxy, but the game actually gives you way more. Some of these beacons have more obscure clues making some hard to locate. The ending also feels abrupt and could have benefited from an epilogue. The alien races are reminiscent of older titles. You've got your xenophobes that can't be reasoned with, lawful stupid, ancient race that talks to you in song etc. Race relations can be permanently damaged through your actions, either by messing with something race specific on a planet or just outright shooting them. There isn't much to write home about here, their interactions with you are either quest specific or for trading. The races don't provide any information about their origins either (unlike Star Control 2 / Starflight). Combat Your starship consists of: 1. Hull – If this hits zero, you’re done. It regenerates over time. 2. Crew – Losing your entire crew means game over. You gain or lose crew through combat and anomalies, but they can only be replenished at your home starbase. I've never had this happen personally though. 3. Reactor – This determines your weapon usage and afterburn capabilities. Ships are modular, allowing damage to specific components. Destroying the bridge results in instant destruction, while crippling engines hampers mobility. New weapons are obtained by defeating specific alien races, hoping for drops to piece together the necessary components. Critical tech, like shields, is locked behind resource-heavy questlines. As for weapons, you have Plasma Bolts (the standard), Beam Lasers, Space Flak Guns, Missiles, BFGs, and Drones. You’ll find the starter Plasma Bolts surprisingly effective right through to the endgame. The BFG is amusingly powerful but has a long charge time. I recommend maxing out the Plasma Bolts tree and then branching out into other weapons. Enemy AI is mostly just rushing at you in a straight line with superior numbers and unloading whatever they have. Soundtrack While not on par with Stellaris, the exploration music is soothing and captures the vastness of space. The combat tracks and other music elements are decent but not particularly memorable. Missing Quality of Life Features 1. You cannot check your research tree unless you’re at your home station. 2. You can’t view the resource requirements for a ship module unless you return to your home base. Conclusion StarCom: Nexus offers a solid 7/10 experience as a space game reminiscent of Star Control 2 and Starflight - despite some mixed exploration and quest design choices.
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You know how everyone is wondering why AAA games have such garbage writing and storytelling and asking "where are all the good writers"? The answer is that they're here, working on indie games like this one. The dialogue, story, and worldbuilding of this game is better than anything Bioware or Ubisoft has produced in the last decade. This is the best Star Trek game ever made, without being Star Trek.
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Absolutely yes. Starcom Nexus does hard sci-fi right. I haven't been this entertained by a sci-fi story in a long time. Plus, it has a really compelling game loop. I loved building up my ship into an unstoppable destroyer!
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First of all, I think that it's important to set your expectations right. I noticed some reviews for both this game and the next one (Starcom: Unknown Space) saying things like "so what, I should explore empty space?" or "give players breadcrumbs, let players divert power to subsystems, make combat interesting". And to me these points are a bit absurd, because they imply turning a very specific-oriented game into another bland mix of everything to satisfy the masses. The game tags are also very misleading in my opinion: RPG, Action, Adventure... No, no, and no. Starcom: Nexus is nothing of this sort by any means. It's not an RPG, the only thing that could be vaguely related to this abbreviation is a skill tree, which can be learned up completely and in full (better guns, faster engines, etc). It's not Action, the combat is as minimalistic as it can be - you click your mouse to shoot plasma or press Space to shoot missiles / lasers and wait until the enemy explodes to bits and drops some resources. There is only one word that should be applied to describe the game - EXPLORATION. Yes, the core of this game is exploring empty space, this and nothing else: flying from one star system to another revealing new planets, races, and progressing through the main or secondary quests. If you played Space Rangers or Space Pirates and Zombies, you know what to expect from the visuals. As for the gameplay, the closest equivalent I have in mind is Mass Effect: there was a certain activity available there, when you needed to approach the planet and launch a probe to see whether there is something of interest. Roughly 90% of the Starcom: Nexus gameplay is the very same thing - you explore new star systems, approach the planets, launch a probe to see what's there, read a bit of text to gather resources, start a quest, or play a puzzle, approach the next planet, launch a probe, and so on. Somewhere in between you also interact with your base of operations (conduct research and construct your ship out of different elements Lego style) or check in with other ships in the open space (talk for information, barter trade resources or shoot them in the face). With all that said, I personally didn't have any expectations but enjoyed this game very much, its general theme (Space), storytelling and exploration variety. Up until the very end, that is. The game is not perfect from the technical side - bugs are not frequent, but it appears that there is one borderline game breaking: you will face a rather big enemy ship in the final minutes of the game, and the moment it blows up, the game simply hangs. Reloading the save or using a previous one doesn't help - you simply cannot finish the damn game, right when you are the very final step, because the EXE file hangs every single time the ship goes boom. Fortunately, I saw the Steam thread where another player suggested trying to wait out this hang; so I tried and after 3 minutes of clicking on the Windows "Wait till the program response" button, the game continued and I was able to finish it. The game end itself was also very disappointing and clunky. I don't really understand how such an ending came to be when obviously a lot of love and detail was put into the texts and events of everything else, both main story and secondary quests. But in the end it's a single sentence from another ship and credits roll... Another stupid thing is that you better avoid this ship and run from it - if you get close enough, the ship's speech line is played automatically and credits begin to roll leaving you without a last bit of exploration and a hidden message with an achievement. Nonetheless, the good certainly outweighs the bad and I can absolutely recommend this game if you like Space exploration. Will be looking forward to trying out the second installment in the series!
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 23 November 2024 06:15 |
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| SteamSpy data | 20 January 2025 20:39 |
| Steam price | 23 January 2025 04:20 |
| Steam reviews | 21 January 2025 14:03 |
Online players
29
Developer
Wx3 Labs, LLC
Publisher
Wx3 Labs, LLC
Release
12 Dec 2019
Platforms