Catch a Falling Star
- March 29, 2016
- Alister Software
Get on Steam"Catch a Falling Star" is a charming indie game that puts players in the role of a starcatcher. Use timing and reflexes to collect falling stars, while avoiding obstacles and enemies in a vibrant, hand-drawn world. With simple controls and increasing difficulty, it's a fun and addictive experience for players of all ages.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Catch a Falling Star is a simple, relaxing game that is great for casual play and helps reduce stress.
- The game features charming visuals and soothing music, making it a pleasant experience for players looking to unwind.
- It offers a variety of unlockable baskets and backgrounds, along with achievements that appeal to completionists and achievement hunters.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a sense of boredom after a short period.
- Randomized spawning of stars and power-ups can create frustrating situations where players are unable to catch stars, leading to unfair gameplay.
- Progression can be grindy, requiring significant time investment to unlock achievements and upgrades, which may deter some players.
- music34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, effectively enhancing the overall relaxing atmosphere. While some players note a lack of variety and occasional repetitiveness in the soundtrack, many appreciate its ability to create an immersive experience that helps reduce anxiety and stress. Overall, the ambient music complements the gameplay well, making it a pleasant backdrop for casual play.
“The soundtrack adds to the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of the game, and offers a comfortable, late-night experience for all to enjoy!”
“It's strangely immersive as the music and the background together create such a soothing gameplay environment that it makes you feel isolated from the real world.”
“The background music is soothing but isn't going to put you to sleep, and the sound effects are cute without being super sugary.”
“Music is slightly repetitive.”
“The music is bizarrely unsettling, the repetitive sound effects are grating, the backgrounds are lackluster, and the pot you control is just slow enough to frustrate you rather than calm you.”
“It's a shame each theme only has one track; hearing it on loop makes the music boring eventually.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as slow, repetitive, and lacking depth, with many players finding it uninspiring and boring. While it offers simple mechanics and a relaxing atmosphere, the minimalistic design can lead to a lack of engagement over time, despite some players appreciating the soothing music and occasional challenge as the game progresses. Overall, it serves as a casual time sink but may not satisfy those seeking more dynamic or varied gameplay experiences.
“The gameplay is easy to learn; you can either play with mouse/keyboard or controller, and I have not encountered any bugs.”
“Catch a falling star satisfies the requirements of a casual time sink – motivation to revisit the game, mindless/near-effortless gameplay, and relaxing aesthetics.”
“It's strangely immersive as the music and the background together create such a soothing gameplay environment that it makes you feel isolated from the real world.”
“The gameplay itself is slow and uninspiring.”
“I hope you like slow, repetitive gameplay with little to no progression, or point to continue at any point.”
“Firstly, the gameplay itself is quite repetitive as its simplicity prevents it from having much depth: this is made somewhat worse by the first five minutes of each match, where stars fall down in a slow, bland fashion.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them basic and uninspiring, while others appreciate the relaxing and charming aesthetic, particularly the art style of the backgrounds and basket designs. Although the visuals are often described as simple or reminiscent of flash games, they are deemed suitable for the game's casual nature. Overall, while some players enjoy the graphics, others feel they lack excitement and depth.
“The graphics in my opinion are awesome; super relaxing and in line with this kind of game, set in a starry night.”
“The music and the graphics are great; I really liked the fact that beneath the surface, there is surprising depth to this game, with things to be learned and skills to be mastered.”
“I'm especially in love with the art style used for the backgrounds, which are simple but distinctly pretty, and the different basket designs.”
“They've tried to add some cosmetics, different backgrounds and baskets to catch the stars, but it does nothing for the game since it's the same boring style of graphics.”
“The visuals are about flash-game grade, so that's not much of an improvement.”
“Horrible sounds and music, and the mediocre graphics are worsened by blaring red numbers and capslocked commands 'don't let the stars fall on the ground.'”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and somewhat boring, particularly regarding achievement hunting, which can be challenging for older gamers. However, the developers are responsive to feedback, having already made updates to reduce grindiness and address player concerns. Overall, while the game offers decent entertainment for its low price, it may quickly become forgettable due to its grind-heavy nature.
“Boring and grindy.”
“Could be deeper entertainment and not so nearly grindy in the end.”
“Since the release of the game at the end of March, player feedback has brought forth an update released a couple of weeks ago addressing concerns about achievement grinding.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find value in multiple sessions due to its increasing difficulty and upgrade system, others feel it lacks immediate replay value due to its simplicity. Achievements provide motivation for some, but overall, it may not sustain long-term interest after a few attempts.
“Just keep in mind that it's not a '5-minute' game; every session can take around twenty minutes, and it's increasingly difficult. You'll have to buy upgrades, which adds to the replayability value of this game. It's best played in multiple sessions (everything's auto-saved) so that you don't get bored playing it for an entire day.”
“Fun game; high replay value for me.”
“Although the achievements are still a bit of a grind, they serve as a major motivation for replayability.”
“I do agree with other reviews stating it doesn't have immediate replay value for most people because it's so simplistic, but for a buck, even a handful of plays is more than worth the price.”
“For being simple and calm, it lacks replay value after a couple of attempts.”
- story3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is described as simple and moralistic, emphasizing resilience and the unpredictability of life. It serves as a relaxing interlude between more intense gaming experiences, making it suitable for short play sessions.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized as peaceful and relaxing, enhanced by a soothing soundtrack that creates a comfortable late-night experience for players.
“The soundtrack adds to the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of the game, and offers a comfortable, late-night experience for all to enjoy!”
“Relaxing atmosphere”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that the game offers a satisfying experience akin to mobile games but without the interruptions of ads and microtransactions, enhancing its appeal as a time killer.
