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Cosmonautica is as deep as space, although its guidance system could do with an upgrade

The App Army Assembles

Cosmonautica is as deep as space, although its guidance system could do with an upgrade
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| Cosmonautica

Each week, we ask members of our App Army for their feedback on the latest and greatest releases on mobile.

One top pick this week was Chasing Carrots's deep space management sim Cosmonautica.

Let's see what our App Army had to say...


Okay, so if this game delivers on what it's promising in the tutorial then this may be the best game ever.


So many tutorial messages... any mobile gamer's nightmare!


This game has a ton going on. Rather overwhelming.


The only way that I could stop playing Cosmonautica was by turning off my iPad. There is so much to do!

You have to make sure that everything is working in harmony, otherwise all hell breaks loose. If you do manage to mess things up and spend all your money, you can simply get a loan to get yourself back on track.

If your ship's engine breaks in mid-space, you can get towed to the nearest planet and employ a repairman. The graphics aren't too bad but the game does run a little slow on my iPad 4, so I would recommend newer models.


I think that this could possibly be the mobile space trading game that I've been longing for. The game is huge, and I know I've only scratched the surface after a couple of hours play.

Even after a few confused re-starts and a few purchases I later regretted, this is shaping up to be a pretty great game.

There is just so much to do in Cosmonautica. I've just started researching how to unlock other areas of the universe and local system... I reckon you could be flying about in this game for months!


I'm in the second solar system now and there's still so much to do. It's unputdownable!


I'm currently trying to save up for a new ship at the moment... I want one big enough to cover in laser cannons and then go pirating.

Okay, I'm sure this is not how a good captain should run their ship! Have a bit of work to do to turn this disaster around...


I love the way the game starts you off and introduces the story - works really well!


Yeah, the story and humour here is top-notch. The little mission descriptions crack me up.

I've just completed "Have you tried one of those marvellous chewing gums, which give you a random super power for as long as the flavour lasts?" where you are asked to smuggle some.

It's got a nice, steep learning curve. If you persevere with it there is a rewarding, fun experience to be had here.


This would be killer if it had multiplayer.


Yeah, multiplayer would be amazing. If you could interact with other traders and set up deals or take down pirates together that would be so cool.


Yes. I want that now.


I have to say that I'm enjoying the game's sandbox mode far more than playing through the story mode.


This is super frustrating. I don't feel like the tutorials prepared me for anything I'm supposed to be doing.

I have no idea where to get trade goods, I can't make any more money, and I'm getting destroyed by other ships left, right, and centre. I wish there was a better explanation of what to do within the game.


I understand your frustration! The game doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but I quite like exploring the interface and trying things out until I get to grips with them.


The trading is quite cool. I've found coffee and tobacco make the most money when trading. As for fighting... I tend to run from the fights until I have a shield, hacking room, and torpedoes.


I think Cosmonautica has a lot going for it. The game let's you customise your ship from the way it looks to the way it operates, depending on what type of rooms you decide to install.

You also get to customise your crew with up to eight people who you will manage based on their personal needs and traits.

There are many things you can unlock through researching and buying with in-game currency - from bigger and better ships to more planets within the galaxy.

I'm itching for some sort of space battle so I'm looking forward to that. This initial build is pretty buggy, but once all the issues are sorted out this game could be something really special.


Cosmonautica is a complex and very frustrating game. My first impressions of the game were good: a space adventure where you manage your crew is pretty interesting in my books.

The trouble is that the tutorial only explains what each button does, rather than giving a breakdown of how the game works.

This means you have to take on a trial and error approach on your first playthrough rather than knowing exactly what you're doing.


As others have said, there isn't a huge amount of help offered during a session.

At the start of a game when you may not have very much cash I keep finding that the slightest mistake can wipe you out financially, making it impossible to progress.

I must have started about 20 games in a day because of this. The game is incredibly deep though; there's never a dull moment as there are so many things you can do and see.

The humour in Cosmonautica is fabulous, and there are some really great little touches that show the devs really cared about putting this game together.

Ultimately cross-play is going to help a lot. It will undoubtedly be easier to play on PC, but the option to take it with you on the go will be a nice touch.


I love Cosmonautica so far! It's so addictive that I logged around 10 hours of play in my first two days of playing.

The tutorial is a tad lacklustre, but for me there's enough to get you started. The bugs do get a little annoying, but there aren't enough of them to hinder general gameplay.

Each part of this game links to the next; the happiness of your crew members relies on the rooms you have in your ship, which then can affect what missions you can complete.

Every time I play there is always something new for me to discover alongside more solar systems and galaxies to research.


There's a very deep and complicated game behind these cute graphics. I think it's well worth the $7 price tag.


Based on the price of Cosmonautica, you wouldn't get it without really being into strategy games / space games / economy management games.

If I had bought this with the current tutorials they have I would have been incredibly upset. I only persevered because everyone here was saying this game was awesome.

There's just a lot to deal with initially. This has a similar appeal to me as something like Don't Starve. When you die, you have to restart. The goal is to be careful, learning what to so you can have a more optimised run next time.

If you're looking for an FTL / trade sim combo with a quirky story and interesting graphics to boot, this is for you. Personally, I hate dying and restarting, which is why I want to get good at it.


Cosmonautica is definitely super deep. I'd compare it to something like XCOM.


It reminds me more of FTL. The thing that bugs me most is the load time every time you leave it then come back to it.


Yeah, that load time is definitely a pain.


I would compare Cosmonautica to a 2D Freelancer... or maybe even go so far as a 2D Elite.


Mmm. Elite.


The enormous depth on offer here can feel a little daunting, at least initially, but you can't argue that this game isn't hugely compelling. I have a feeling this one will keep me busy for weeks... if not longer!


I'm starting to like this game but you're basically required to learn on your own through trial and error. I think this could turn off a lot of potential players!

On my first playthrough I made many mistakes that I took note of quickly. Seeing as my currency was diminishing fast, I decided to just restart a new game since I was inevitably going to run into financial problems.

The game needs to do a better job at teaching you the dos and don'ts, or else many people will just give up and never return to the game.

To put it simply, the game's complexity is both its greatest achievement and its greatest weakness.

Those looking for a sophisticated game in the management genre may feel at home with Cosmonautica, but those looking for a simpler experience should avoid this game altogether.


I'm finding it a rather zen-like experience just trading from place to place making as much money as I can.


In theory Cosmonautica should be amazing. There's so much depth and detail here, but a few niggles are really putting me off.

I'm finding the text size far too small, and I really dislike using old-fashioned scroll bars for passages of text instead of touch screen scrolling. They haven't utilised the iPhone's pinch to zoom feature, except on your ship screen which isn't really necessary.

I also hate the sitting around waiting for the ship to visit each planet. Even with the fast forward button it takes ages there's rarely any need to view the entire journey.

I think it's a shame that such a promising game is let down by its controls and other minor details.


This game has the potential to be so much better and it's a shame all its issues haven't been optimised for convenience and enjoyment!


After a few hours play, Cosmonautica hasn't really sucked me in. At this point it feels like a pain to play. It's weird, because I usually really enjoy these type of management games.

There's tons of interesting content to explore, but what bothers me is that you have to figure it out all by yourself.

For example, the first time I was attacked nothing explained how I could defend myself. Similarly, I had no idea how to research the first time I was required to do so.

It's unfortunate as the game has a lot of potential, but the lack of instructions may make a lot of people give up on it rather than giving it a second chance.


Cosmonautica is a blast when you figure out how it works. The trading stuff is a great addition to a really interesting space flight sim. I have not won a space fight yet, but I will in time.

You can play this game however you want. You could be a space pirate who loots other vessels, or just a lowly trade expert selling coffee beans and paper around the universe.

All in all, this game is held back by poor tutorials and being a tad unstable at times. Despite this, it's truly fun once you figure out what you're doing. The sandbox mode where this game truly shines.


I like this game, but why do I also hate it so much? I mean, I really, really hate it sometimes!


It kind of feels like a longform roguelike because of that. It is just more devastating when you have to restart.


Cosmonautica is a gigantic, convoluted game. Whereas most touchscreen-enabled games rely on simplistic control schemes and minimal UI, Cosmonautica throws all caution to the wind.

The initial tutorial overwhelms more than it helps alleviate confusion. However, once you get into the meat of the game, it's a pretty fun space trading sim.

There are always side missions to complete and overarching goals to work towards, so you'll be hard pressed to find yourself bored.

When travelling, it's actually fun to watch my crew go through their daily cycles: sleeping, eating, and doing their "business."


Cosmonautica has some turn of the century 3D graphics. This isn't limited only to the models, but also the UI, environments... the whole thing, really.

However, my response to this aesthetic isn't negative, but gloriously (nostalgically) positive. I love the Y2K vibe that the visuals put out, and I think it fits in extremely well with the narrative and zany setting.


I wish I could search for planets by name rather than wasting time travelling across different galaxies trying to find the planet I need for the mission I'm on.


Overall I think Cosmonautica is a fantastic game... it's just a shame that it's marred by glitches and bugs.


My iPad 3 really can't hack Cosmonautica. I can't fully enjoy a game if it's laggy. Aside from that, it's been a fun strategy game overall.


While Cosmonautica promises depth through space exploration, ship customisation, trading, smuggling, battling, and hiring different crew members, there are some things that really bug me.

I feel like I'm playing a guessing game most of the time - there's just not enough guidance. Dialogue informing me to "right click" only reinforces the idea that this is a hastily cobbled together PC port rather than an optimised mobile experience.

The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article. Did you pick up Cosmonautica? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.