Review · Action · PC
Between the Stars
Reviewed: 20 May 2026
PC
Isolated Games · 2019
Ludograph rating
Growth (BDS)
56
Risk (RIS)
20
Daily limit
90min
Age guidance
13+
Developmental benefits
| B1 | Cognitive | 0.76 | |
| B2 | Social-emotional | 0.37 | |
| B3 | Motor | 0.35 | |
Between the Stars offers significant cognitive benefits through its roguelike design, demanding strategic thinking, critical decision-making, and adaptive problem-solving in procedurally generated scenarios. Players must learn from permanent failures, manage resources, and make ethical choices that impact their crew and the game world. The space combat also engages spatial awareness and reaction time.
Design risks
| R1 | Compulsion-loop pressure | 0.43 | |
| R2 | Monetization | 0.00 | |
| R3 | Social risk | 0.00 | |
The primary risks are related to engagement mechanics common in roguelikes, such as variable rewards from exploration and events, and the 'infinite play' loop driven by procedural generation and permadeath, which can make the game hard to put down. The permadeath mechanic also introduces a degree of loss aversion. Content-wise, the game features mild violence in space battles and implied death, but lacks explicit sexual content, strong language, or substance references. There are no monetization risks, social risks, or explicit propaganda.
Content (not in risk score)
| R4.1 | Violence Level | 0.67 | |
| R4.2 | Sexual Content | 0.00 | |
| R4.3 | Language | 0.00 | |
| R4.4 | Substance References | 0.00 | |
| R4.5 | Fear / Horror | 0.33 | |
Content risk is displayed separately and does not affect the time recommendation.
Regulatory design checks · DSA — Assessed: meets criteria·GDPR-K — Assessed: meets criteria·ODDS — Assessed: meets criteria
- DSA:What Ludograph checks: whether the game's design gives minors the transparency the EU Digital Services Act expects: plain terms, honest defaults, and clear reporting routes.: Estimated from review data. No dark pattern or child-targeting concerns found.
- GDPR-K:What Ludograph checks: whether age assurance and consent flows are designed for under-16s, in the spirit of GDPR Article 8.: Estimated from review data. No privacy or child-targeting concerns found.
- ODDS:What Ludograph checks: whether paid random-reward drop rates are disclosed, as required in China, Japan and South Korea.: Estimated from review data. No paid random-reward mechanics found, so drop-rate disclosure requirements do not apply.
These reflect Ludograph's assessment of the game's design practices against each framework's criteria, not a legal compliance determination.