Protostar: War On The Frontier - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Computer Gaming World reviewer Paul Schuytema recommends the game to those new to the genre, but describes it as a "solid, albeit uninspired game" that "comes up short" in breaking new ground. He writes that the game's "incredible graphics" do "a very convincing job of creating a world which suspends visual disbelief" and that the control interface "melds into cockpit concept, giving the player easy control of every aspect of the game with intuitive mouse movements." His review criticizes the game manual's brevity which leaves the player unsure as to what needs to be accomplished. He also criticizes elements that can quickly become tedious such as space combat, in which even a "simple battle" may take over twenty minutes in real-time.

In a comprehensive review of strategic space video games also published in Computer Gaming World, M. Evan Brooks writes that the game "lacks its own identity" on account of its amalgamation of classic science fiction "ideas that have all been used before." He gives the game one out of five stars and concludes that it "doesn't even stand out as an adventure game, so muddled is it in concept and execution."

In an interview distributed with the CD-ROM version of the game, Nokhoudian revealed his design goals for a projected sequel, Protostar 2, that would continue the original game's storyline. He anticipated that the sequel, set in a new region of space featuring new alien races, would be more action-oriented and have a more streamlined interface. No sequel was ever released.