Stellar Tactics is an indie science fiction isometric CRPG that features turn based ground combat, real time space combat, a huge universe to explore, and a party based system. Oh and did I mention you can fly a spaceship? Because you totally can.

GameTitle: Stellar Tactics

Developer: Don Wilkins

Publisher: Maverick Games

Releasedate: March 30, 2026

OS: Windows 10 and Up

Platform: Steam

Price: $24.99– Base Game. Supporter Pack is $5.99 (I did purchase this to support the developer). 

Please note that this review will have very minor spoilers.

What Is It 

As an avid enjoyer of CRPGs, I often am on the lookout for something in that genre I have not played yet. I found it with Stellar Tactics. It checks off all the boxes I was looking for and more as this is not your mother's CRPG and is not set in a lush fantasy world with dragons and trolls. Instead, space is your oyster (Honestly, what does this saying even have to do with unlimited opportunities? Why an oyster? Oysters are small. Who made these silly phrases up?). Tactics features both ground and space navigation and combat, extensive customization, and a large universe to traverse. 

The Mostly Good

Story

I was not expecting much of a story, considering this was created by one individual, but I found what was offered to be intriguing. While not exactly a deep and all consuming narrative, there is a lot to it and a decent premise. I do not want to give too much away, but the game begins with you and your team exploring a seemingly abandoned station. However, it appears there has been some unfortunate events recently and the player needs to sort out what exactly is going on. The very early areas are quite linear, but once the player has completed the required quests, the sky is there for the taking.

Scope

The scope of the game is incredible, especially when considering this was made by a single individual. I do not mean just the enormity of space, but game mechanics as well.

First off, the game offers a classless system and 240 perks, which allows for unconstrained customization. There is a ton of gear to be acquired and rare equipment is often found in loot (Just don't expect to find a cool and sinister talking armor named Gary). At least it was for me, which I found to be fantastic.

Turn-based ground combat is quite enjoyable though not for the faint of heart as it can be difficult early on when the characters are not quite as adept as they become later on. Meaning, they often miss when shooting an enemy. I think the highest my chances were in the beginning was around 75%, but usually much lower. It made combat feel more weighty and satisfying when the shot landed.

There is a lot of complexity to the game. To be honest, I did not think this would be the case due to being created by a single individual. The game has to suffer somewhere, right? Well, it does, but overall, Don Wilkins created an impressive game with an enormous amount of content. It is no wonder the game was in early access for nearly ten years.

I Can See For Miles and Miles

Stellar Tactics opts for the usual visuals one has come to expect from an isometric CRPG. Although updated in comparison to late 90s and early 2000s graphics, the ground illustrations are pretty basic. And while that is perfectly fine, they do not wow. Where the graphics do wow, however, is in space. The backgrounds are immensely gorgeous and breathtaking. Although I am not one to be too concerned with appearances, viewing the universe while exploring left me amazed. Mind you, the ship was very generic, but the backdrop to space travel was out of this world (see what I did there).

SpaceMusic

The space music, not to be confused with space hamsters or space cowboys (this game doesn't even have space hamsters) is very fitting. It is able to convey the vastness of space; it is both understated and melancholy and yet is the perfect accompaniment to the incredible backgrounds as one is enjoying the scenery of space. Believe me, you will have plenty of time to enjoy both the scenery and audio.

Save Me

Sweet Mother Mary, hallelujah, and all that other stuff one utters when they find something so incredible that they weep with joy. Stellar Tactics has all the saves. Auto and manual. Not just any manual either; it comes in two flavors, the long way and the quick way (She may or may not have said any of that). Press F5 for maximum enjoyment. Mind you, I am a firm believer in quick saves, but also ensure that I create normal saves at regular intervals. I might be an oversaver. I think I am. If you've ever lost progress due to not having the option to manual save, you too might be an oversaver.

Settings

Stellar Tactics offers a multitude of settings, some which allow for easier combat. This is a huge plus considering combat can be difficult during the early stages of the game. Both ground and space combat difficulties can be adjusted, along with disabling friendly fire, and the occurrence of space combat overall. There are also settings to adjust camera speed. While this game is not one that easily causes motion sickness, the inclusion is appreciated. Likely it is more for those who want to speed things up, but it still counts as a win for me. 

Not All Is Well

Space Navigation/Combat

Unfortunately, I cannot be as positive in regard to space travel. The controls are clunky, maneuvering is unintuitive, the navigation system does not always respond, combat is overly difficult, ship improvements are expensive, and, in the beginning, it can take a long time to reach your destination, when the navigation system actually wants to cooperate that is. Obviously, when it does not cooperate, it is much worse.

When first embarking on space travel, there is no FTL drive. This means there is no fast travel. If you've ever looked up at the stars and wondered at the vastness of space, you should be able to imagine just how long and tedious traveling would be without the benefit of fast travel. Take that and multiply by 10. It took me 15 actual (Earth minutes, I don't know what kind of minutes they use in space) minutes to arrive at my destination where the FTL was located from the original destination where I thought it was located.

One more thing to note is that players are not privy to the inside of the ship. Space travel is done purely from the outside perspective of the ship. I was really hoping to be able to relax and hang out with my crew, maybe chat and better develop relationships Mass Effect style, however, that is not the case. All chatting must be done on the ground and there is not a lot of emotional connections to be had.

Quests

There are a lot of fetch quests involved, which is fine. However, the journal does not provide enough information on quests to adequately guide the player. This along with a map that is lacking markers, leaves a lot to be desired. Succinct quest descriptions when done well should provide all the pertinent information needed to advance a quest. Combined with a proper map, players should be able to work out what to do next. Tactics does have both a journal and map, so I cannot complain too much, but both are lacking details that would be helpful for players to proceed with minimal frustration.

Conclusion

Stellar Tactics is a worthwhile entry into the isometric CRPG/Space travel combat genre. Is it perfect? No, it definitely is not, but it was created by a solo dev who spent years lovingly crafting the game. It is beautiful and the scope alone is enough to warrant at least a look. Unfortunately, there is not a demo at this time, so you cannot really try before you buy. However, I think it is worth the price for what it offers, even if space travel is not as exciting as I was hoping.

Yay Or Nay

Yay, especially if you are a hardcore CRPG fan. Stellar Tactics might not be perfect, but it is a unique take on the genre and was enjoyable.The fact that one person created all of this is incredibly impressive and kudos to Don Wilkins for all the hard work.

B: Solid B. Space mechanics brings the rating down somewhat, but Stellar Tactics is still worth a play.