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Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Released On: May 24, 2022
82
7.6
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
82
76% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
14% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 Critic Reviews
82
76% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
14% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A great game with loads of playtime that I’m going to keep returning to for a long time to come. If only to work off my debt.
A satisfying disassembly sim wrapped in cutting workplace commentary, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a gig well worth taking up.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.6
64% Positive
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
24% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
11% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.6
64% Positive
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
24% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
11% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Honestly who knew I would be playing a game where your only job is to break apart ships for a big shady Corporation and enjoy it even if I've been clone so many times my ij game bank balance is so far in the negative but hey got some cool tunes to Bob my head along to while I break apart this ship and try no to explode for the 50th time.
I fully invite people to join me and many more shipbreakers like me in Hardspace Shipbreaker
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PC
This is Game of the Year 2022. Everything about this game is solid. But the controls are amazing. It's not because I've been a gameplay programmer and designer for 20 years that I think I'm right. But that experience is why I think the immense attention to detail in the controls are so amazing.
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PC
Outside of some minor issues, it's hard to find fault with Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It's not a game for everyone, but it does a fantastic job at what it's attempting to be, and could be all-consuming for the right player. It's an engaging sandbox with a compelling narrative and addicting gameplay. They say if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. Players will easily fall in love with the blue-collar spaceship salvager lifestyle making every shift in the yard feel less like work and more like a dream come true.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is what happens when passionate developers and
artists set out to create a “worker simulator”. Blackbird Interactive
came up with a fantastic idea for a game, made it real using an
excellent physics engine and wrapped the whole thing in stunning
graphics.
The finest work-sim out there, Hardspace: Shipbreaker sets a high bar for anyone hoping to challenge it for the throne. This sci-fi salvage game is essential for anyone looking for a new puzzle game, but also players that just want to pull apart giant ships with little more than a laser cutter and a dream.
Wrecking simulation with amazing physics, excellent sound and a lot of
alone-in-space atmosphere. In parts though very repetitive.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker makes disassembling giant spacecraft piece by piece fun for a bit, but due to a lack of variety in its puzzle-like objectives it soon devolves into hard labor.
You'll see a number of people objecting to the story in Hardspace: Shipbreaker. This is because the story, from the very beginning, satirizes and mocks the abuses, excesses, greed, and doublespeak of corporations. People who believe that corporations are righteous entities that are more important than people *hate* this. The story is heartfelt and human and relevant to today's situation, and the voice acting (with perhaps the exception of Hal) is some of the best I have ever heard in a game.
That said, there isn't any choice the player can make with regards to the story; the story progresses as you achieve the certification ranks. Each time you level up, you are presented with upgrades to your shipbreaking kit and snippets of the story the next morning (though sometimes the story pieces come at the end of the work shift rather than at the beginning).
Early on there isn't any time pressure to help you learn, so sessions can last 20-40 minutes or so. After you get the hang of things, though, each "work day" is limited to 15 minutes, so you can play this game in bite-size pieces.
The core gameplay loop is super fun. See to your gear, choose a ship, get to work taking it apart, and if you don't finish then you can go back to it the next day. Finishing a ship with as little waste as possible is the key to earning the highest amount of rewards in the smallest time.
The sound design in this game is amazing. There is an upgrade for your suit that simulates sounds happening around you. Not only does this help give you auditory context clues to your surroundings, but it also leads to satisfying feedback for the work that you do. The soundtrack is fantastic! It's down-home Americana without lyrics, and there is a dynamic music system to add high-tech drama when you're doing something dangerous.
There were a couple weird things that happened, such as things behind me or to my side that exploded when I was using the cutting laser on things in front of me, or getting killed when shutting down the fuel supply in a ship's thruster and the frame of the engine splits apart while you're inside it. But all in all, the physics work great and in a realistic way.
I highly recommend this game to everyone- especially if you're an AnCap.
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PC
Pretty fun game with a depressing story. The game drags on wayyyy too long without innovation. The first half of the story is oretty good tho.
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PC
Hardspace Shipbreaker is a really good space-simulation type game. It's very original in it's design and can be really relaxing. It also doesn't require much of your time and depending on the difficulty it spaces your shipbreaking sessions between 15 -20 minutes.
The gameplay offers much variety. In the career mode the game constantly adds new tweaks and difficulties to keep the experience fresh. These can really change the way you approach certain ships. The game also gives you a plenty of tools to work with and they come together to create a really entertaining gameplay loop.
The upgrade system really adds depth to all the tools you'll be using. Some are just minor QOL adjustments and some can greatly improve and change how you utilize your equipment.
These were the srongest parts of the game where it really shines. Hardspace doesn't have any major issues but it does have a couple of annoying parts. The game saves only when you get to your hub and doesn't save any upgrades you had after you completed your shift so if you already upgraded something or added a new sticker or perhaps listen to new story dialogue and quit you'll have to do it all over again.
The physics while for the most part are fun to play with often feel very clunky and this is especially evident when using tethers. The light objects usually will work the way they were intended but heavy ones can often rotate in a weird way and break tethers which makes you waste another one, waste your time making sure it moves the way you want to and it can get frustrating after a while.
Besides those things Hardspace:Shipbreaker isn't the game for everyone. Some can find it boring or too repetetive since all you will be doing is breaking down ships for the entirety of the time spent in game.
The story also doesn't add much to the game overall and there really isn't much space for it since most of it is presented through text and dialogue.
However I personally think it's a blast to play and a really good space simulator. It's targeted for a specific audience and that's completely fine since it doesn't try to copy anyone and instead is it's own creation.
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PC
Good core gameplay undermined by a dull, terribly-implemented story with bad, unskippable dialog and other shoddy features like the Hab that detract from the game rather than adding anything.
If the last year of updates are any indication, this game will continue to get worse rather than better.
A good game ruined
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PC
Playing Hardspace: Shipbreaker is like working a boring repetitive job... Well, I'll give them 1 point for immerssiveness :)
In seriousness, this is marketed as a relaxing puzzle game. But if I can't play with 1 hand then it's not relaxing; if you give me the same puzzle over and over again with minor variations then it's no longer a puzzle; if you don't offer any serious penalties for doing a bad job then it's not a game. As steam reviews mention, game is unfinished and there are un-skippable cutscenes.
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PC
Summary Equipped with cutting-edge salvaging tech, carve & slice spaceships to recover valuable materials. Upgrade your gear to take on more lucrative contracts and pay your billion credits debt to LYNX Corp!
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox Series X
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date: May 24, 2022
Developer:
- Blackbird Interactive
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Genres:
