Startopia screenshot

How about a one word summary: Great! “Startopia” is a fun, engaging and quirky management strategy game that pulls you into its world . . . er, space station. The tutorial, which easily guides you through all you need to know to renovate and administer a donut-shaped space station, rolls smoothly into the campaigns. It took a full game for me to realize that I was no longer in the tutorial!

In some cases, you’re running the station by yourself. In other cases, you have rival administrators that are trying to achieve a goal before you or trying to take over your section of station. This game is really cool. You’ll have to provide living quarters for your employees and guests. You’ll have to grow food and build sick bays. You can even add “love nests” to provide . . . comfort. Trading is critical to acquiring goods to resell or expand your station’s facilities. Taking over a rival section is quite an experience as giant doors slide open and the firing begins. You have to be quick to shut the opposite door and cut your rivals forces off from their support. It’s not easy and it sucks when it happens to you but you always try again. This game is a winner!

I give it a very, very “Strong Buy”.