• Publisher: SaintXi
  • Release Date: Jun 4, 2009
Light of Altair Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

  • Summary: Light of Altair is a colonization game set in our own solar system and beyond. You must set up a strong economy to survive in the hostile void of space as you compete with other factions, the deadly environment and internal conflicts of interest. But most of all it is a strongly story driven game that will pull people in to this vision of the future. [SaintXi] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. 70
    A decent distraction for strategy fans to indulge in as well as a good entry into the realm of economic strategy titles. There are definitely better ones out on the market, but this one is cheap and will surely run well on nearly any computer from the last few years.
  2. Despite its shortcomings, the game is enthralling. The excitement of progress – you want to be faster and more powerful than the rest. Colony expansion brings money, new expenses and a truckload of problems. The interface is not easy to get used to, but still, all information is neatly organized, and key tools are always at hand. Light of Altair is a spiritual younger sister of more popular 4X strategy games, it just has less “X”s.
  3. A good-looking, expansive and bold sim of space-management, almost undone by a horror-interface. [Sept 2009, p.84]
  4. Everything is big and clunky. [Sept 2009, p.74]

See all 5 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. JohnJ
    10
    Fun, engaging game. Easy to learn, hard to master and I love how the campaign is set up so that you can go back and get higher scores if you wish.
  2. This is definitely one of those games where the term synergy applies. Although there's no one thing about it that is truly great, the colony building, ship combat, pleasant visuals, and the nice techno-electronica soundtrack combine to make for a fun and engaging gaming experience. Also, the story may not be up to Bethesda RPG standards, but it does serve to move the game along nicely. Additionally, if you're looking for something in the middle ground between the super-simple and uber-complex games, this one is just right for you. It should also be noted that the game was created by just two people and costs 15$. This is interesting as I consider it a lot more fun than the bloated, pretentious, and expensive junk put out by the enormous Blizzard and EA studios. I pretty much agree with everything the IGN reviewer said, though I rate the game slightly higher than they did. In fact I would really like to give it a 9, but since I've not yet finished it I'm erring on the side of conservatism and giving it a solid 8. Expand
  3. MarcM
    5
    This game has a promising design, but lacks adequate documentation. The in game 'Help" menu leaves much about how to win in the hands of the gamer to discover through frustrating trail and error. Combat is resolved automatically, though you can see the your attack strength vs defenders before committing to battle. However, you may lose even if your strength is greater. Expand
  4. PatUnimportant
    4
    Aside from the very efficient and pleasing graphics, I found the game to be a big disappointment. The scenarios are very linear. "Do this one thing now. Don't do anything else. Don't research anything else." It's like playing a game with blinders on. You're given no choice which path to take. Everything is repetitious. Plant a colony. Build a power station. Build 'x' hydroponics. Build mines. Lather, rinse, repeat. Wait for further instructions. It's a very pretty interface. I'd love to see these guys advance the idea some. Get rid of the combat - it adds nothing. Make it a more complex economic colonization simulation. Expand

See all 8 User Reviews