Next Space Rebels

It's a breath of fresh air.
The rocket building is fun. You build silly rockets in your backyard.
You're not going to the moon or anything like that, but you're going to the Earth's orbit.
The social media simulation aspect is well thought through. I enjoyed that part maybe a bit too much. If you like systems and numbers, you'll like it too.
I see others here complain about too much reading, but the story is what kept me engaged.
The live action segments are a bit cringe at times, but I loved them anyway. Charmingly campy.
Yes there are mild political themes, but it's fiction, it's not propaganda. It's real fun. Give it a shot.

The plot's really cringeworthy, it's one of those "Youtube, social media and literally every rich person is actively trying to stomp everyone below them because they're mustache-twirling villains, so let's rise up (also this is all fictional *wink wink it's a parody* trust us)" kinds of plots, the live-action cutscenes bounce back and forth between good and bad (the CGI doesn't hold up at all, which is weird because it looks fine during gameplay), and there's a few other issues I've got with the game....
...which is kinda annoying because the gameplay is great.
On the one hand, the writing is really inconsistent in tone, going from you playing a fishing "minigame" in DMs with a bunch of weirdos, to getting talked at about how the billionaires are ruining people so they can go buy up land on Mars, to trying to launch a weird deer furry into the sky, to watching some guy yell on not-Youtube about rich people as you get almost-insidious DMs from not-Youtube while they keep 80% of your income and give you the other 20% in like Monopoly money, to trick-shotting your rocket to knock over a porta-potty that you're reassured is empty.
On the other hand, the rocketry stuff is fun and varied, and there's a gazillion parts to make, different systems to play with, aerodynamics, weight balancing, stapling toys to your rocket, lighting a bunch of dynamite under your rocket to launch it, building complex fuel systems, staging systems, heck, even the ship editor itself gets upgraded and made more advanced as the game progresses, which all leads to a lot of really cool stuff.
Something else, I can feel the game's gonna railroad me into the "bring back the guillotine, eat the rich" stuff at some point. The game likes to imply you have a choice, but I'm betting my kidney there's gonna be a point in the game where not-Youtube gives you strikes on your channel as part of the plot and gets your channel shut down at the peak of your popularity, and your character then goes "argh, Marx was right, death to the capitalist pigs!" and now you're sending off "Next Space Rebel" satellites that broadcast The Truth, or like "TruthTube" to the masses, who metaphorically then literally eat the rich.
100% it's going to happen. Uh, most of that, anyway. Not sure about the cannibalism... maybe. Politics, am I right?
Anyway, I'll be nice and thumb up for now since I got the game for basically free, and I can't imagine I'm that far in the game yet, so my distaste of the plot could easily be proven misplaced. (It probably wont.)

Fun 2D space sim that's got some character to it.
The rocket design, despite being limited to 2D, is very fun and has considerable depth to it once you get to liquid fuel engines. The challenges are fun, and the story (though a tad preachy) does it's job decently and holds the game together.
As a space nerd, the only thing I really don't like is that there is no real "orbit" in this game, despite it being your primary end-game objective. The world is just one infinite flat plane from what I can tell, so even if you get to space and have orbital velocity, you will still fall back to the earth if you wait long enough.

Next Space Rebels is an unusual and ambitious indie title that blends creative sandbox design, light simulation, and narrative-driven commentary into a cohesive experience that feels unlike most games on Steam. Developed by Studio Floris Kaayk and published by Humble Games, it presents rocket building not as a purely technical challenge, but as a personal, expressive act shaped by experimentation, failure, and public attention. The game frames its mechanics through the lens of internet culture and DIY creativity, resulting in a tone that is playful on the surface yet quietly reflective underneath.
At the heart of the experience is the rocket construction system, which uses a deliberately simple drag-and-drop interface. Parts snap together easily, and there are no overwhelming equations or hard science barriers to entry. Instead, the game encourages curiosity and intuition, letting players discover what works through repeated trial and error. Early rockets are crude and unstable, often exploding or tumbling awkwardly out of the sky, but that sense of imperfection is intentional. Each failure feels instructive rather than punishing, and gradual improvements in balance, thrust, and stability make successful launches feel genuinely earned.
Launching a rocket is where Next Space Rebels truly distinguishes itself. Rather than presenting launches in a sterile simulation space, the game overlays your creations onto real-world, lo-fi video footage, making each attempt feel like a backyard experiment recorded on a cheap camera. This creative decision gives launches a sense of intimacy and humor, whether your rocket majestically clears the frame or immediately disintegrates in a cloud of smoke. These moments are often unpredictable and memorable, reinforcing the game’s theme of playful experimentation over perfection.
Progression is tied to an in-game social platform called StarTube, where your launches earn views, followers, and attention. As your popularity grows, new parts and opportunities unlock, expanding the range of designs you can experiment with. This system cleverly mirrors real-world creator economies, where visibility and engagement often dictate access and success. While this layer adds flavor and thematic cohesion, it also introduces a slower, more text-heavy pacing between builds, as players engage with messages, comments, and narrative events that shape their journey.
Narratively, the game leans heavily into satire and social commentary. As your influence increases, you encounter corporations, activists, and fringe groups, each offering different philosophies about technology, fame, and control. These interactions are delivered through stylized text conversations and live-action video segments, which give the story a distinctive, experimental feel. Some players may find these sections intrusive or overly verbose, but for others they provide context and meaning that elevate the game beyond a simple creative sandbox.
Visually, Next Space Rebels embraces a mixed-media aesthetic that reinforces its DIY identity. The rocket builder is minimal and utilitarian, contrasting sharply with the grainy launch footage and stylized interface elements. This contrast works in the game’s favor, making the act of creation feel grounded while allowing launches to feel cinematic in their own awkward, homemade way. The soundtrack and sound design further support this tone, oscillating between calm creativity and moments of excitement as rockets leave the ground.
In terms of pacing, the experience can feel uneven. Players who are primarily interested in building and launching rockets may find the narrative and social systems slow the momentum, while those who enjoy reflective storytelling may appreciate the pauses between experiments. The game is not designed for rapid progression or endless content, but rather for thoughtful engagement, where each new part or successful launch represents a small personal victory.
Ultimately, Next Space Rebels is best understood as a creative experiment as much as it is a game. It values expression over optimization, curiosity over mastery, and meaning over spectacle. While its blend of rocket building, narrative, and social satire will not appeal to everyone, those willing to embrace its unconventional structure will find a memorable and distinctive experience. It is a game about making things, sharing them, and learning what happens when personal creativity collides with public attention, all framed through the joyful chaos of homemade rockets reaching for the sky.
Rating: 7/10

First impressions, very unique to me. A lot of effort seems to have gone into this and seems there is plenty to try and achieve. I'll add to this as I spend more time but for now, Very clever and lots of fun.
Why have I never heard of this game before. STEAM, why have I never seen this in my "view your queue"?? This is exactly the type of game I play. And it's been out 4 years????

The Rocketbuilder mechanic is so good, story progression is really fun and the customisation on your rockets is really amazing

Best game if you want to build a rocket out of random parts, or want KSP with something like YouTube (StarTube) to upload mini videos of rockets blasting off or failing