I have been playing Starbound since it was in beta, and while it has improved in some ways, it has regressed in others.

Story: The koala and some giraffe beta versions had a dark story that could be somewhat pieced together via codex entries, item descriptions, NPC dialog, and dungeon design. While some bits of it remain, most of it was cut away, and the tone of the game was changed. Gone is the dark lore, replaced with the current story. Most of the main plot is now given in a quest that takes an hour or two to play through. It may take longer for a newer player to complete. The story feels quite shallow in comparison to the previous lore from my perspective.

Combat: Weapon variety has been reduced since the betas, but is still quite varied. Randomly generated monsters had their random abilities removed, and now only do contact damage. However, there are many more unique monsters than in the beta versions. The current boss fights are good, but can only be done in preset places. That was not the case in most beta versions.

Exploration: More new biomes and dungeons have been added than were removed since beta. Loot variety was reduced, mostly in the form of weapon types and random consumables. Surprisingly, the exploration has more variety than any other 2d sandbox game I have played.

Building: Same story as exploration, more has been added than removed. Overall, I prefer Starbound to similar games like Terraria if I want to build something due to the number of decorative items to choose from.

Sound design: If you turn off the music I will delete you kneecaps. Grab the soundtrack if you can, its really good.

Modding: While it doesn't have nearly as many mods as Skyrim, it is still has a ton of mods. Basic things can added using json files, and lua scripts can be written for additional functionality. A good amount of lua related stuff is lacking documentation, but a chunk of it is provided in the game files.

Bugs: Well, I found enough to make this mod: https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1543219534

Overall I would say Starbound is worth getting, especially for those who enjoy building, exploration, or modding.

I have been playing Starbound since it was in beta, and while it has improved in some ways, it has regressed in others. Story: The koala and some giraffe beta versions had a dark story that could be somewhat pieced together via codex entries, item descriptions, NPC dialog, and dungeon design. While some bits of it remain, most of it was cut away, and the tone of the game was changed. Gone is the dark lore, replaced with the current story. Most of the main plot is now given in a quest that takes an hour or two to play through. It may take longer for a newer player to complete. The story feels quite shallow in comparison to the previous lore from my perspective. Combat: Weapon variety has been reduced since the betas, but is still quite varied. Randomly generated monsters had their random abilities removed, and now only do contact damage. However, there are many more unique monsters than in the beta versions. The current boss fights are good, but can only be done in preset places. That was not the case in most beta versions. Exploration: More new biomes and dungeons have been added than were removed since beta. Loot variety was reduced, mostly in the form of weapon types and random consumables. Surprisingly, the exploration has more variety than any other 2d sandbox game I have played. Building: Same story as exploration, more has been added than removed. Overall, I prefer Starbound to similar games like Terraria if I want to build something due to the number of decorative items to choose from. Sound design: If you turn off the music I will delete you kneecaps. Grab the soundtrack if you can, its really good. Modding: While it doesn't have nearly as many mods as Skyrim, it is still has a ton of mods. Basic things can added using json files, and lua scripts can be written for additional functionality. A good amount of lua related stuff is lacking documentation, but a chunk of it is provided in the game files. Bugs: Well, I found enough to make this mod: https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1543219534 Overall I would say Starbound is worth getting, especially for those who enjoy building, exploration, or modding.