A Review Of Star Traders: Frontiers: How Is It On Android?

Up until recently, the positively-reviewed sci-fi RPG Star Traders: Frontiers was a PC exclusive title, meaning you’d have to whip out your Steam account if you wanted to have a go at it.

That is no longer the case, as the game just made its way to mobile devices last week. Now, let’s just get straight to the point and answer the question that you all are probably wondering: Yes, it is a good game, period.

So, with that out of the way, we are now going to dig deeper into how well it works on mobile. The short answer is, very well. The primarily mouse-based controls of the PC versions transfer incredibly smoothly to the touchscreen. In fact, we would even go so far as to say that mobile is actually the better way to experience this engaging RPG. There is just something so nice about grabbing your phone or tablet, sinking back into the sofa, and getting lost in the different realms of the galaxy that the PC version simply cannot provide.

So how exactly does this excellent game work on mobile?

Before we go further, let’s have a look at the general gameplay first. It’s pretty standard, you pick one of the four basic roles including Smuggler, Pirate, Explorer, or Bounty Hunter, then customize the appearance of your character before getting thrown into your own ship soaring through the galaxy with a short cutscene to briefly sum up who you are and what you are supposed to do. The role you picked at the beginning are more like a guideline than a beaten path, though, and you will be able to make tons of adaptation as you progress further into the game.

Afterwards, your crew will provide you with a (thankfully short) tutorial to give you an idea of what goes where. In this aspect, the UI alone does an incredibly good job just on its own, as you can get an explanation about pretty much anything just by tapping and holding on it.

During the early game, you’ll spend the majority of your time travelling between planets and immerse in a well-written story that really helps bring the galaxy to life. The choices you make will have an impact on the outcome, which gives a sense of weight to every decision. That said, if you are not interested in all that nonsense and just want to go around doing the first thing that comes to your mind, you can do that as well.

Star Traders: Frontiers offers an insane amount of content

Like, seriously, the sheer amount of options that this game has to offer is genuinely astounding, especially for an indie RPG. You can do honest works and trade goods between planets, become a pirate and prey on vulnerable traders to pillage their stuff, or follow the path of a Bounty Hunter and earn money by hunting down pirates yourself.

Alternatively, you can simply opt to explore the seemingly infinite depth of the galaxy, there are tons of different factions for you to choose to side with or against. Pretty much every role has a faction, so you won’t ever feel left out.

Furthermore, you have your ship to manage, and that entails basically every task you can think of from refueling and repairing to upgrading and recruiting crew members. It might be a bit overwhelming at first, but don’t be deterred. Once you’ve got used to it, it is just a piece of cake.

Last but not least, we have the combat, which is divided into foot combat and ship battles. One thing to note here is that how you approach combat will have an effect on your crew. For example, if you’re too bloodthirsty, your crew members will gradually grow to reflect that as well.

Is mobile the best way to experience Star Traders: Frontiers?

All in all, Star Traders: Frontiers is super impressive, both as a mobile port and a game on its own. Yes, it is a premium app that requires you to spend money to purchase, but the amount of content it offers is more than worth that cash. Going to mobile has not negatively affected the experience at all, so you don’t have to worry about that.

If anything, mobile is now the best way to play the game. Instead of sitting in front of your PC, you can now embark on an adventure through the galaxy while comfortably lean back on your sofa with your phone in hand.