Almost a disaster: Stars Reach MMO saved by a player-run animal conservation mayor

Stars Reach, the new MMO from Raph Koster—the veteran designer behind Ultima Online and Star Wars: Galaxies—launched into early access this week at a price of nearly $30. The game aims to revive the socially-driven sandbox spirit of SWG, where being a dancer or a journalist is as viable a playstyle as hunting monsters.

But according to a hands-on report from PC Gamer, the first impression is "god-awful." The tutorial zone introduces a set of clunky tools: a terraformer, a scanner, a harvester, a gun, and a deeply janky grappling hook. The only truly interesting mechanic is the terraformer, which allows players to dig into fully malleable terrain and reshape the landscape. The scanner is a simple hot/cold beeping system, and the gunplay is described as mediocre at best.

However, everything changes when the player meets a mayor who is an animal conservationist. This player-run character has become the center of a real community: he monitors local wildlife, organizes protected zones, and rallies other players to protect the planet's fauna. These social interactions, the author argues, are what make Stars Reach special—despite the rough edges and unfinished mechanics.

The game is still far from polished. Many systems feel underdeveloped, and the interface is clunky. Yet the potential of a social system where players create their own goals and roles is already visible. If the developers can refine the experience, Stars Reach could become a worthy successor to Star Wars: Galaxies.