Captain Starshot

About

Captain Starshot is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Double Door Games and was released on July 9, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Captain Starshot is a rogue-like dungeon crawler (with a twist) in which you play as the mighty Captain himself! You explore the galaxy with your own space crew and start your mission to defeat the hordes of villainous aliens, find their mother ship and take on their leader.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 161 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Captain Starshot features a unique blend of space and ground combat, providing an engaging gameplay experience that combines elements of twin-stick shooters and roguelikes.
The game's art style and graphics are appealing, capturing a nostalgic retro aesthetic that enhances the overall atmosphere.
Despite being a student project, the game shows potential with responsive controls and a fun upgrade system that allows players to customize their crew and weapons.

The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited mission variety and a lack of depth in combat mechanics, leading to a feeling of monotony.
Many players have reported bugs, including broken achievements and issues with controls, particularly when using a gamepad, which detracts from the overall experience.
As a student project, the game lacks polish and may feel unfinished, with unclear mechanics and a need for better tutorials to guide new players.

gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
58%
14%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its potential but criticizing its execution. Common complaints include repetitive mechanics, unresponsive controls, and a lack of meaningful content, while some appreciate the quirky elements and solid concepts. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing experience but falls short in delivering a satisfying and engaging gameplay loop.
- “Interesting game with pretty cool gameplay mechanics.”
- “Great gameplay and concepts, with some understandable bugs due to it being an early access version.”
- “You've got a great foundation here with competent gameplay and outstanding visuals.”
- “The developer chose not to do the job of a real game developer and create meaningful bespoke levels, narrative-based gameplay progression, and so on.”
- “Gameplay is very repetitive for very little reward.”
- “Factor in the shallow gameplay and lack of achievements (plus lack of save system), it's just not worth one's time.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming retro and vibrant art style that effectively captures a retro-futuristic aesthetic. While some players find the visuals appealing and well-crafted, others feel they are merely passable and not enough to elevate the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, but they do not compensate for gameplay shortcomings.
- “The game's strongest quality is its charming retro graphics which capture the retro-futuristic space age aesthetic nicely.”
- “Visuals are well crafted and appealing.”
- “You've got a great foundation here with competent gameplay and outstanding visuals.”
- “The graphics in this game are passable, but could be better.”
- “Granted my machine is a bit old, but these graphics are on par with what I saw as a kid more than 20 years ago, so maybe a frame rate issue?”
- “Unfortunately though, the voice acting is not on par with the rest of the visuals, and I found myself being pulled out of the game by lines that were delivered with muted intonation rather than with excitement or a sense of urgency.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The story is characterized by humorous elements and a solid foundation, but reviewers feel it lacks depth and variety, suggesting that it could benefit from an open-world feel and more diverse mission types. Players express frustration with the mechanics that penalize them for previous mission outcomes, limiting exploration and engagement. Overall, while the narrative has potential, it requires further development and additional mission variety to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The basic story and loot text are funny; it could become great if developed further.”
- “Really enjoyable story.”
- “If this game had some more missions in this vein, I'd be a lot more happy with the product overall, and I have no doubt you can pull it off.”
- “Every mission (level) you start outside a huge space station, but heaven forbid your crew could go abroad and heal!”
- “You fly around, get missions, find and attack an enemy ship, board it, find what you need, get out... rinse and repeat.”
- “The game seemed to make the characters warp out and get out of the mission, but they still took damage, without me being able to see.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting that the background tracks are repetitive and generic, lacking a strong connection to the game's theme. While some appreciate the option to adjust the music volume, others find the soundtrack too quiet and the sound effects buggy. Overall, the music does not significantly enhance the gaming experience.
- “Graphics are ok and the music is great.”
- “The soundtrack was so quiet and messing with the settings didn't seem to do anything, and sound effects were buggy and not very good.”
- “The music is pretty generic and not at all reminiscent of 50's sci-fi, and while the levels inside the ships are bright and colorful, they are also oversaturated, making it difficult to explore.”
- “The soundtrack was so quiet, and messing with the settings didn't seem to do anything. The sound effects were buggy and not very good.”
- “Background music was okay, but it was repetitive and had a music volume slider in the options that would silence the music.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably compromised by numerous bugs, particularly with achievements that may not trigger correctly and controls that can be unresponsive. Players have also reported glitches affecting character naming and sound issues, which detract from the overall experience and immersion. Despite these problems, some users still find the game enjoyable.
- “Achievements are buggy; some are rewarded while others are not, and they will sometimes randomly be rewarded if triggered again.”
- “The controls are buggy.”
- “I found a couple of bugs and glitches; for example, the naming of the soldiers is broken, allowing a male soldier to have a female first name and a Chinese last name, which breaks immersion.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a playful, self-aware tone that often pokes fun at the player, with amusing storylines and loot descriptions that have potential for further development. Players have shared memorable moments that highlight the comedic aspects, suggesting a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “You can almost hear the game laughing at you while screaming, 'Why are you hitting yourself?'”
- “The basic story and loot text are funny and could become great if developed further.”
- “Check out my funny best moment gameplay video on YouTube of this game!”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, with many players noting that each playthrough feels quite similar and lacks significant variety. While some aspects of the game are interesting and polished, the inconsistent gameplay experience and rough controls detract from its long-term appeal. Despite being a free product, the current state suggests that it may not hold players' interest for extended periods.
- “Fun concept, but in its current state, it's not very fleshed out. There isn't a lot of replayability, in my opinion; every playthrough I did felt very similar. There seem to be quite a few different items, but none of which really change the feel of the game.”
- “There isn't much replayability or variety to the game as of yet. However, it's a free product that has a surprising amount of polish in some places, and then none at all in others (sound design is the most neglected, if you ask me).”
- “While the concept is interesting and the art is not bad, the control of the ship feels very rough. Every game we play is different from the previous one, which makes it replayable, but at the same time, it can be frustrating since there are times when you will be practically immune and others when you will be killed instantly.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of space battles to be somewhat tedious, particularly when lacking the right items for crew effectiveness. While ship combat can be challenging, it is generally viewed as more manageable than some reviews suggest, and the introduction of hyperdrive has alleviated some of the travel-related grind.
- “Space battles are somewhat tedious, and unless you get all the right items, the crew is somewhat useless.”
- “Ship combat can be a little tedious and hard, but it's not as bad as other people say it is.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of ship combat has been criticized for its lack of streamlined controls, making the gameplay experience difficult for users.
- “Difficult ship combat: the controls were not streamlined or optimized in any way.”
- “The game's performance is plagued by poor optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “I experienced constant lag and long loading times, which severely impacted my overall enjoyment of the game.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is significantly impacted by the quality of voice acting, with many players feeling that poor delivery detracts from immersion. Users suggest that hiring professional voice actors or utilizing a voice acting coach could enhance the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
- “The sound design is underwhelming, failing to create a sense of tension or excitement during key moments.”
- “The environments are visually appealing, but the overall atmosphere is hindered by poor lighting and lackluster audio.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional impact of the game to be poignant, highlighting a sense of heartbreak stemming from its rough and unfinished state, which amplifies the overall experience.