helionaut

This game is a steal for $3, and if you wait for the right sale, it can go down to even $1.50! There is a huge universe to explore, so many cool upgrades, a simple yet well made combat system, and an addictive loop of getting items, getting materials, upgrading, and being able to do all that so much faster. This game is so good for its price!

This is lo-fi No Man's Sky, and I love it. Sokpop, you done it again!

I didn't expect this little game to be such fun. It may look like just a gimmicky experiment, but there is quite a lot of content to get through. The controls can feel gimmicky, especially turning around the small planets, but otherwise, the gameplay is quite engaging, collecting ressources, shooting enemies, upgrading both the character and the ship. It's a lot to keep you busy, and everything about it is whimsical fun.

I have completed this game atleast 5 or 6 times, and I usually replay it at least once per year. There’s something about it that is just unbelievably fun, and the magic still hasn’t worn off on me after so many play throughs over the years. I think the graphics stylistically work perfectly for what it is and what it wants to accomplish, often to clever effect, like bubbles being hulls and air tanks. I also think the game design is perfect. Which is funny because I don’t like No Man’s Sky, I find it very boring and grindy, very menuey, very job ish. But with this game I think the charm and smaller scale, with the amount of freedom and space to explore, it just is a blast. The smaller scale for planets lends itself to a joyous Mario galaxy sense of movement when on the surface. The planets pose micro tactical puzzles when fighting robots, sometimes moreso with shields and robot ships in orbit. I feel as if this is a special game, even when it’s clunky or has a rare case of jank. I sometimes wonder if this could ever be given an extended universe someday or a sequel, or expanded into something longer and larger with that still magic feeling this has. What more can I say really. A p…

Grindy, but funny

helionaut, developed and published by Sokpop Collective, is a compact open-world space exploration game that transforms a seemingly trivial objective into a surprisingly expansive cosmic journey. True to Sokpop’s experimental and minimalist design philosophy, helionaut presents players with a light narrative premise—repairing a broken television—then quietly hands them an entire procedurally generated universe to explore in pursuit of that goal. What unfolds is less about the destination and more about the freedom, curiosity, and small-scale discovery that define the experience. From the moment you launch into space, helionaut establishes its central appeal: you can travel to virtually any visible celestial body. Tiny planets, asteroids, and moons dot the galaxy, each one accessible and explorable. These micro-worlds vary in terrain, hazards, and resource availability, encouraging players to land, investigate, mine, and experiment. The scale is deliberately intimate; planets are small enough to circumnavigate quickly, but numerous enough to create a sense of vastness. This design choice balances approachability with exploration, ensuring that players never feel overwhelmed while s…