Starminer enters Early Access with an ambitious combination of modular ship construction, station building, real-space flight physics, and large-scale asteroid mining. Even within its earliest hours, the scope of the project is immediately apparent.
One of the standout features is the fluid transition between ships and active operations. Managing multiple vessels within the same working area creates a convincing sense of industrial activity and gives the surrounding space a surprisingly alive feeling.
The game’s presentation also leaves a strong impression. Visuals are attractive without sacrificing readability, helping both stations and mining operations feel tangible and functional within the larger environment.
Despite several hours of play, progression barely extended beyond the tutorial systems — not due to lack of interest, but because the game clearly contains significant mechanical depth. That depth, however, also exposes some weaknesses in onboarding.
Tutorial explanations could communicate systems more clearly, and several bugs within the introductory missions required full game restarts in order to progress properly. While frustrating, these issues are not entirely unexpected given the game’s Early Access state.
Even with those problems, the overall experience proved compelling enough to create immediate interest in diving deeper into its systems and long-term progression.
Starminer is therefore recorded as Alive.
The drills have only just started.
The deeper mining awaits.
Pronouncement: Still alive.