Review - Starlink: Battle for Atlas... a toy story

Images courtesy of Ubisoft Toronto

I don't want to say that I typically avoid reviewing games from massive studios, but perhaps I'd be lying to myself. I've done it a couple times, obviously, but that's not where I like the focus of my attention to be. I suppose I like to shine the light on the little guys a bit more in the hopes that some indie companies will push forward and continue living their dreams of making better and better games as time goes on.

    Now all that said... I did recently finish Starlink: Battle for Atlas and I was more than pleasantly surprised at how fun it was.

    In Starlink, you play as a handful of star pilots that are going up against a big bad who wants nothing more than to dominate the star system you're in. Eventually, this big bad (Grax) wants to potentially rule the entire galaxy. If it sounds like we're in a time warp back to the 90s and Star Fox 64, then you're in for a real treat. Especially if you play on the Switch. Star Fox and his cronies make more than just a casual appearance here, and there's a genuine link between the tales of Starfox and Starlink.

    All those puns were intended, I promise.

The Good

The entertainment value of Starlink is probably the best thing the game has going for it. The combat and gameplay loop in general is sheer fun. Combat in space or on the ground level (while still in your ship) is never too difficult. But at the same time, there's just enough challenge there that will keep you on your toes. The tricks and various weaponry that a ship can utilize also comes into play with virtually every combat scenario, and that alone can be a great time.

    A lot of thought went into the development of Starlink's ships and the various aspects of its gameplay. There is a plethora of mixing and matching that a pilot can do with their ship, even including swapping out different pilots with different abilities. The customization of the ships is brilliant and only outpaced by the various planets that you will visit.

    Art style and visuals are fantastic, especially for a game that is seven years old. It still looks fresh in 2025, and a lot of that is due to the Pixar-style graphics they use. It doesn't really stop there, however, as there are numerous cutscenes with comic-book styling that play well into the serious-but-not-so-serious tone of the game. Each planet also has its own style, be it a fire planet or an ice planet, a medley of the two, as well as planets focused on desert themes versus forestry. Starlink really does cover the full gamut on exploration, and the fact that you can rally allies to your cause and help them develop out these planets for defense or scientific study is just an added bonus.

    

The Bad

There are of course going to be a couple of bumps in the proverbial road here. Some hurdles can't be flown over or shot down. The hyperdrive isn't working at full capacity. 

    Okay I'm done.

    On a real note, one of the main downsides here is the fact that this was originally a toy-to-life game.  Hence my title. It's unfortunate that the gimmick utilized to push the product actually ends up hindering it in a lot of ways. In typical Ubisoft fashion, the toy-to-life garbage acts as a version of microtransactions. You cannot play as any of the outlaws you gather on your team unless you buy the collection packages separately from the game. When it was originally released, these collections would be in the form of the toys that you link up to your console in order to unlock them and their starfighting capabilities. Now you can just go download them as DLC... if you feel it's necessary.

    Sounds stupid, right?

    Another part of the game that doesn't work so well is the narrative. It's generic, and it's a story we've heard a million times before. In a lot of ways, many stories are what we've heard a million times before... but it's about the telling of them. That's what separates the wheat from the chaff. As much as I can sidestep the derivative nature of the story, there are some things that can't be entirely avoided.

    Levi, I'm looking at you.

    Easily one of the worst characters in any game I've played in the last year, Levi single-handedly drags my audio score into The Bad. His voice grinds, and it's a fairly consistent one too. Levi is a jackass character that not only knows he's a jackass but leans into it with every fiber of his being. He's pretty loathsome, without any real compelling qualities to find any kind of redemption. The game would have been much better off without him.

My Ruling

Despite Levi's best efforts, I think Starlink is worth a play. Free on PS Plus Extra, and clocking in at just over 20 hours, it's an easy one to throw on and complete in a short period while also feeling like you're really helping out this side of the galaxy. It's just fun. Honestly the game reminded me a lot of No Man's Sky but with a lot more personality. Is the personality silly and more kid-friendly? Absolutely. But that doesn't make it any less than. In a lot of ways... it makes it better.

7/10

Good Enough

Want to read about another space epic published by Ubisoft? Check out my review of Star Wars: Outlaws