Moonbase Alpha

Multiplayer astronaut simulation on the Moon

Moonbase Alpha is NASA's multiplayer simulation of life on a sustainable base on the Moon. A meteor strike has damaged the energy and oxygen supplies, and you have precious time to make repairs and save your team.

Once installed, you can choose to join a game, or host one, or alternatively play with friends over LAN. It's possible to play single player too. The game has extensive in-game tutorials so you won't feel lost. Moonbase Alpha is played from a third-person perspective, with the mouse and keys controlling astronaut's movement.

During Moonbase Alpha you'll have a variety of tasks, from welding, to wrenching, driving a moon rover and controlling a robot. Although there is some dramatic music, overall Moonbase Alpha is a serious and dry educational game. It's meant to improve team building, as players have to work together to save the Moonbase before it's too late!

The graphics aren't incredible, but they more than do the job, as does the sound. If you play the timed game, it is very tense, but you'll still need a lot of patience, as Moonbase Alpha doesn't pretend being as astronaut is fun! Gameplay is very very slow. The controls have been well worked out, and the menus are good, but moving on the moon is laborious. You may find being an astronaut on Moonbase Alpha isn't as exciting as you'd hoped!

If you've always wanted to know what life on the moon might be like, Moonbase Alpha gives you a great introduction to the painstakingly slow world of astronauts!