Developer: Creepy Jar
Publisher: Creepy Jar
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
StarRupture – Preview
If you’re an avid reader of our humble website, you’ll know that developer Creepy Jar’s second title, StarRupture, entered Early Access several months ago. Up until this point, we’ve been keeping you up to date with StarRupture news, but we hadn’t actually taken an in-depth look at the game itself. The arrival of the game’s first major content update earlier this month seemed like the perfect opportunity to change that. So put on your space suit, pack those emergency rations and join us as we head to Arcadia-7 to see what StarRupture has to offer.
You might not think so at first glance, but StarRupture shares quite a bit of DNA with Creepy Jar’s debut game, survival game Green Hell. The hostile jungle has been swapped with a sci-fi setting, and the game centers around factory automation and base building, but these mechanics are combined with familiar survival elements like first-person exploration, managing health, hunger, and environmental threats. Players take on the role of a convict sent to the hostile planet Arcadia-7, where they must gather resources for corporations. The game’s core loop revolves around mining materials, building increasingly complex automated production systems, and shipping goods off-world to unlock upgrades, while also managing survival needs and defending against alien creatures and environmental threats. What sets StarRupture apart are so-called Ruptures: periodic firestorms that wipe the planet’s surface. This forces players to balance their long-term factory planning with constant danger.
Strange as it may sound for a game that takes place on a hostile planet, StarRupture starts out feeling familiar. You start on Arcadia-7 with only minimal gear, and are introduced to the basics through a simple tutorial. The first few hours are very hands-on, as you mine meteorites and basic resources, craft essential structures and establish your first base. From there, you begin setting up the backbone of the game: machines like furnaces, smelters, and fabricators, all linked together (via rails) into simple production chains. As you progress, the game shifts from manual work to automation and optimization. You’re building systems that extract, process, and transport resources automatically, eventually feeding into an Orbital Cargo Launcher that sends goods to corporations. Completing these resource missions earns you data points, which unlock new technologies, upgrades, and progression paths.
Once you get past that StarRupture’s learning phase, the game’s core systems are actually quite straightforward and quickly click together. That said, StarRupture’s onboarding isn’t perfect, especially if you look beyond the basics. More advanced systems like rail connections could do with more explaining. We eventually figured these out, but it took a combination of trial-and-error and looking up information online before we felt comfortable enough to rely on them. At the same time as you’re figuring everything out, you’re also juggling survival and exploration. You’ll need to manage health, hunger, and safety while venturing out to find new materials, blueprints, and points of interest. As if that wasn’t enough, combat and base defense are layered on top. You’ll encounter alien creatures while exploring or defending your base. At this point in the game’s life cycle, combat is functional but not especially deep, serving more as a source of pressure than a core skill system.
Update 1 builds on the foundation that StarRupture’s “base” Early Access introduced, expanding and refining what was already there. The sandbox map of Arcadia-7 has seen an increase in size, adding new zones and points of interest, alongside new resource types and expanded corporation progression. This naturally leads to more items and production chains, additional and higher-tier buildings, and mechanics like ziplines and a Development Station. Perhaps the most exciting addition in Update 1 is the introduction of wildlife, which helps with making Arcadia-1 feel like a living planet. That said, this is still clearly an Early Access game even after the update. The game’s building systems can feel clunky, and the UI generally feels unpolished. The one gameplay aspect that we’d want to see Creepy Jar focus on for the next update is combat, though, as this currently feels both repetitive and underwhelming. However, if Green Hell is anything to go by, then we have high hopes for what the future holds, as that game significantly improved over time during Early Access.
Conclusion
As it stands, we’d describe StarRupture as a potential diamond in the rough. The game definitely feels unfinished as is, but Creepy Jar has a track record of fixing things. As it stands, StarRupture’s mix of survival elements and factory building mechanics makes for an ambitious and unique take on either of the two genres. While we do feel like it’s a bit too early to outright commit to the game, we’re very optimistic about what the future holds for StarRupture. If you do decide to take the plunge, if only to support the developers, remember to keep your expectations in check.
No Comments