Game: Beyond These Stars
Genre: Simulation, Strategy
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Balancing Monkey Games | Hooded Horse
Controller Support: TBC
Price: US $TBC | UK £TBC | EU € TBC
Release Date: October 16th 2026
A review code was provided; many thanks to Hooded Horse.
Explore the Galaxy in a Space Whale
A long time ago, humanity traveled the stars and explored space, but giant whales that soared among planets started to pose an undeniable threat. The survivors dug holes in the ground to hide from these creatures, and a lot of knowledge was lost. But humanity has now returned to the surface and started to research these enormous space whales.
This is where your journey starts in Beyond These Stars: a small crew of peeps — as they call themselves — has landed on the back of one of those cetaceans and needs to establish a small colony to research and understand more about them. Build huts, grow potatoes and mine the resources available inside your breathable air pocket while managing your pollution rate and waste.
Keeping your Colony Alive
Beyond These Stars is a complex resource management and logistics game. It has three main game modes: campaign, sandbox and scenarios. Once you start the campaign, the game guides you through the first steps: securing water and food for the colony, mining, harvesting wood, and building basic industries.
The game is heavily based on micro-managing goods and making sure logistics are optimized so the colony can function. Although the game has a nice tutorial, its learning curve could be a bit better, especially for beginners or more casual players of the genre. Its several layers of complexity make it a bit harder than the average strategy simulation title.
Keep in mind your pollution rates. If not correctly addressed, highly polluted tiles can become toxic, preventing all factories inside the deadly waste from functioning. You can prevent it by building industries closer to the forest, or with cleaners, specialized places that will lower pollution.
The mined resources are not infinite. Once a mine is depleted, you must build another one elsewhere to secure your access to that specific supply. For that reason, it is important to always keep an eye on these limited resources. Also, unwanted byproducts can clog industries and prevent them from generating products. These two factors can easily implode your save, making your progress a lot harder.
Eventually, you will be able to talk to your whale — or might I say Kewa, as they call themselves — and unlock one of the most interesting features in Beyond These Stars: the ability to travel the stars. You will also need to keep a closer eye on Kewa happiness and well-being, adding an extra layer of complexity.
A Lot to Explore
Beyond These Stars has tons of features to make a challenging and unique gameplay experience for every new save you start. The map is procedurally generated, making the terrain and resource locations always unique. Your galaxy is also exclusive and may have different sectors and objects to explore.
You also have terraforming options that will slowly unlock as you progress. They involve changing a tile’s height, composting it to turn it green, and planting trees to grow a forest. This is helpful in shaping rivers and expanding your own air pocket — keep everything green and the plants will create oxygen.
There is a profound interconnection between buildings, resources and peeps that genuinely makes your colony feel alive. The way one thing impacts the rest and everything fits perfectly is amazing. Keep your peeps happy, well fed and healthy so the colony can thrive — don’t meet their needs and they might go on strike.
Connect your buildings using roads, bridges and elevators to reach uneven and distant terrains to grow your colony. Pause your buildings or change their priority to ensure the right goods are being produced and the storages are not overflowing. The bigger your colony is, the harder it is to keep track of everything and ensure success.
Conclusion
Beyond These Stars is not for beginners. It has lots of complex mechanics that interconnect products, buildings, goals and peeps. But it is also a lot of fun to explore, solve problems and predict future dilemmas that might threaten the colony’s well-being and survival. This title requires careful thinking for every build you make, every decision you take; otherwise, you may reach a dead end and have to start over.
A few things could be better: the learning curve could be improved, a few more notifications could be added, and more options could ensure players always have full information available. But overall, it’s a fun experience for anyone who is more used to the genre and wants a challenging experience. Beyond These Stars has everything to keep your brain working and alert.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
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