Starcom: Nexus on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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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 2,132 reviews of which 1,925 were positive and 207 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 6.71€ on Steam with a 60% discount.
The Steam community has classified Starcom: Nexus into these genres:
System 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
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
This game scratches an itch I've been trying to scratch with other games for years. I gravitated to it because aspects of it reminded me of other games like Galaxy on Fire 2, Rebel Galaxy, Sins of a Solar Empire, Star Trek Aramada, Starmade, Star Trek Online, SPAZ, etc etc. The exploring, the interactions with aliens, the (albeit limited) trading, the (again limited) diplomacy, the building, the combat, the tech tree, the story - all of it is familiar from my other favourite games but its been brought together in to something else that tickles that little bit of my brain just right and makes me love the game. The combat isn't as it might appear in the videos/screenshots - it is not an auto-shooter, twin stick, or a bullet hell game. The combat is very much like SPAZ and requires the player to aim the plasma turrets and lock the lasers/missiles while you manoeuvre your ship to avoid being swarmed or hit at close range too much. Because all ships are made from modules, you have the option of targeting specific parts (You have to do this manually with the plasma turrets, you cannot target lasers or missiles in this way) of an enemy ship like its weapons/engines/shields/etc to degrade its defences before you cause enough overall damage or manage to burrow in to the bridge and kill it. This means that you're able to take on some of the more powerful enemies quite early providing you're careful and use hit-and-run to take out their engines and/or weapons before finishing them off. The second game expands on the combat by allow you to target specific modules with all weapons instead of just manually aimed plasma turrets. The trading is pretty basic but functional, with different aliens using different raw materials as currencies and valuing other raw materials differently to their alien neighbours, there is no universal currency. Some races are just not worth trading with at all because their prices for all resources are too high to make it worth trading with them unless you can't find a cheaper or alternative source. It would have been nice to be able to buy some of the tech like the lasers, but just defending yourself and playing the game makes it so you'll find most blueprints naturally as you explore and progress the story. The story is familiar if you're a Scifi fan, especially stuff like Star Trek, Babylon 5, Farscape, Battle Star Galactica, etc. You're sucked through a rift and dumped somewhere/somewhen and have to figure out how you got there and how you get back. You interact with aliens, search planets/wrecks/derelicts, and find sources of information that teach you the lore and help you understand why the place is the way it is. I appreciated that the game didn't just make me learn everything through dialogues, which I found mostly using to clarify or expand on things I'd learned from exploring a random ruin on an abandoned planet. I also appreciated the log which allows you to look back through your interactions, messages, and notifications about new information, allowing you to piece together discoveries that lead you to rewards or other discoveries without always giving you a marker that screams "GO HERE FOR EXTRA PERK". Building is limited but fun. My biggest gripe with it, and a gripe that carries through to the second game, is the extremely limited engine situation. There is only one engine option, and the placement restrictions make it so that there are basically only a couple of configurations that amount to 'big line of engines at the back' or 'big wedge shape of engines at the back'. The kinds of shapes you can have can be limiting as well if you're bothered about armour/how much damage you take, but you can usually build something familiar to your favourite scifc ship design. Other than the engines, everything else is just about having enough reactors to power your engines/basic modules/chosen weapons, and then enough armour to keep you alive. I would have liked a wider variety of modules and weapons, and would have liked to have had hull pieces that let me change the shape/outline of the ship. The second game adds hull pieces and colour customisation which was a good step forward but takes two steps back by adding heat management which further restricts your build. The game's biggest strength is exploration. From the very first moments you're on the other side of the rift you can technically visit literally any location in the galaxy, but you'd have to do it by randomly flying off in different directions with a single engine ship and no map. As you progress, the game actually encourages you to fly off the beaten path with hints you find with clues to hidden systems/locations (Sometimes log entries, sometimes through conversations, sometimes just implied by environmental clues) or through the sensors picking up things you missed or wouldn't have seen before because your sensor range increases as you upgrade. The game's main way of holding your hand through exploration is the slingshot and gates system. Most systems have slingshots that take them to between one and three other systems and a much smaller number of systems have jump gates that allow you to jump to any other jump gate system. The way these slingshots are laid out takes the player through a pretty linear path that is broken up in to segments of the galaxy's spiral arms that are connected through jump gates. You find the locations of far off jump gates not connected to other slingshot systems by exploring and interacting with aliens, resulting in you finding coordinates or clues that lead to coordinates. You use all of this to explore what each system has to offer from different kinds of planet with various kinds of encounters/quests/resources/dangers, different factions of aliens, new information and lore, and new technology or useful relics. Highly recommend this and the second game, and cannot wait for more from this developer.
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Rating: ★★★★ - Great Time Played: 23.6 hours Difficulty: Normal: 1.0 Gameplay: • Top-Down Open-World Space Exploration with real-time combat and RPG elements. • Start with a basic ship that can be upgraded with new weapons, hull improvements, and engines in a decent progression curve. • Smooth and intuitive movement, with satisfying acceleration and inertia. • Combat is simple but engaging. • Resource collection is straightforward; scavenge materials, complete quests, and trade for upgrades. • Freeform missions that require note-taking and intuitive thinking but unfortunately can waste alot of time searching for hours to progress. • Occasional grind for materials and time-wasting for long distance travel, but never felt too tedious. • Controller was difficult to rebind properly; Stuck with Keyboard and Mouse. Story\Dialogue: • Strong 'Star Trek: Voyager' feel with an emphasis on exploration, first contacts, and cosmic mysteries. • Interesting alien factions, each with their own lore, motivations, and diplomacy options. • Dialogue is well-written but not overly complex; straight to the point without excessive fluff. • The main story is intriguing, with plenty of side discoveries that add depth. Graphics\Music: • Clean and vibrant top-down visuals; ships and environments are well-designed. • Space feels vast but not empty; plenty of points of interest without being overwhelming. • UI is simple and easy to navigate, though quest UI could be more intuitive. • Music is atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the sense of wonder and mystery. Before you Play: • At the start of the game, each time you spot a Nexus Gate, go back to Kit Station for upgrades. • Every difficulty spike or issue with the game can be resolved by experimenting in the Shipyard or Research Upgrade. • Upgrade your engines and Generator early; faster travel makes exploration much more enjoyable. • Keep an eye on your ship’s power consumption when upgrading and balance weapons and defenses wisely. • Investigate every anomaly; you’ll often find valuable resources or unlock key story elements. • Some alien factions react differently depending on your actions; be mindful of diplomacy. • Don't rush the main story; exploring every nook and cranny is mandatory to finish the game. • Make notes on the Map every time you find an anomaly you can't complete or a location that you mean to go to in the future. • For long distance travel, be sure to have something as second screen content. • Don't be afraid to look at walkthroughs if you get stuck on a quest.
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Came to Nexus because I liked Unknown Space and wanted moar. If you are here because you finished Unknown Space and would like a fresh story in the same... multiverse, this is it! If you are wondering if it's not as good because it's older, I would say the core gameplay loop is definitely there. The shipbuilder is still fun if a bit simpler, and the story is every bit as good. Unknown Space has some QoL features that never made it to the not-exactly-prequel, and if you haven't played either, Unknown Space is probably the better place to start at this point unless maybe cost is a consideration (not that either game is expensive). But if you liked Unknown Space and want a similar experience, absolutely pick this up. Both games are well worth the modest asking price, and like a lot of indie games, come with a higher level of polish and completeness than a lot of AAA titles that cost 3x as much or more.
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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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Frequently Asked Questions
Starcom: Nexus is currently priced at 6.71€ on Steam.
Starcom: Nexus is currently available at a 60% discount. You can purchase it for 6.71€ on Steam.
Starcom: Nexus received 1,925 positive votes out of a total of 2,132 achieving a rating of 8.63.
😎
Starcom: Nexus was developed and published by Wx3 Labs and LLC.
Starcom: Nexus is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Starcom: Nexus is not playable on MacOS.
Starcom: Nexus is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Starcom: Nexus is a single-player game.
Starcom: Nexus does not currently offer any DLC.
Starcom: Nexus does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Starcom: Nexus does not support Steam Remote Play.
Starcom: Nexus is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Starcom: Nexus.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 06 September 2025 23:27 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 09 September 2025 05:42 |
| Steam price | 13 September 2025 20:20 |
| Steam reviews | 13 September 2025 13:58 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Starcom: Nexus, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Starcom: Nexus
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Starcom: Nexus concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Starcom: Nexus compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
23
Developer
Wx3 Labs, LLC
Publisher
Wx3 Labs, LLC
Release
12 Dec 2019
Platforms