DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge

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DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge is a single player arcade role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Augmented Irreality and was released on October 20, 2020. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge" is a single-player Science Fiction Shooter game with sensational music, inspired by classics like Tyrian, Raiden, and Donpachi. It features fast-paced shoot 'em up gameplay, 4:3 display and CRT mode, and multiple difficulty settings across 6 sectors. Players can upgrade their ships with Gauss Cannons, Lazer Beams, Hadron Exploders, and more to progress through harder difficulties and suit their playstyle.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge screenshot

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 29 reviews

music11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

DreadStar features beautiful pixel art and a nostalgic soundtrack that appeals to fans of classic arcade games.
The game successfully combines shmup and RPG elements, allowing for ship customization and progression that enhances gameplay.
The intense and challenging gameplay, along with a variety of enemies and bosses, keeps players engaged and encourages strategic thinking.

The game suffers from a lack of content, with only six short stages and a grindy progression system that can feel tedious.
Controller support is poor, with reported issues that make the game unplayable for some users, particularly those using non-keyboard controls.
The music can become repetitive, and the overall difficulty spike early in the game may deter beginners from enjoying the experience.

music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
30%
15%
The music in Dreadstar has received mixed reviews; while some players praise the soundtrack as fantastic and immersive, others find it repetitive, especially during extended gameplay. Overall, the music complements the game's aesthetic but could benefit from more variety and a separate volume adjustment for sound effects.
- “Dreadstar is a French indie shoot-'em-up clearly inspired by Tyrian, with a pretty decent soundtrack.”
- “Music is fantastic & pixel art is sexy.”
- “The gameplay is fun (especially bosses!), the graphics are awesome and the soundtrack is banging.”
- “The visuals are lovely, the music is fine, but the game itself is awful.”
- “Not the background music, however; it didn’t go well with the game and became repetitive really quickly.”
- “Music got a bit repetitive, especially playing some levels on repeat many times trying to get through.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of classic shmup mechanics and light RPG elements, offering an intense and somewhat grindy experience that may not appeal to all players. While the core mechanics are straightforward, they require players to adapt their controls for optimal performance, and the game features enjoyable boss encounters and a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of retro gaming. Overall, it caters to strategic-minded players who appreciate fundamental gameplay over more complex scoring systems.
- “Gameplay: as soon as you finish with the intro, you will be thrown right into combat.”
- “The gameplay is intense and you will need to be comfortable with the controls to rack up a good score.”
- “The gameplay is fun (especially bosses!), the graphics are awesome and the soundtrack is banging.”
- “The gameplay is certainly not for everyone; it's intense and it's grindy which not everyone will appreciate.”
- “Isolated from each other, both the shmup and RPG gameplay are a bit on the simpler side when you compare it to the more focused games in both genres.”
- “I am not sure how much gameplay is in there, but in 1 hour I barely made it to the second level.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
The story in "Dreadstar: The Quest for Revenge" is minimal, reminiscent of classic arcade games, featuring only a few lines of narrative and a straightforward quest for revenge. Players engage in six short missions with varied bosses, focusing more on gameplay mechanics and enemy patterns than on an elaborate plot. While the missions provide a fun challenge, they are brief and lack depth, emphasizing gameplay over storytelling.
- “Dreadstar: The Quest for Revenge follows in suit with a few short levels and varied bosses to keep the game feeling rather fresh at every point.”
- “The story presentation is nice.”
- “Most arcade games that I have interacted with while growing up had a general idea of a plot/story arc associated with them, but nothing to elaborate on.”
- “There is not much of a story, just like the classic arcade game, where you get a few lines and off you are killing bunches of enemies.”
- “They feel rather short from 3 through the final mission.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The graphics are generally praised for their lovely pixel art and retro aesthetic, reminiscent of classic games, with some levels evoking nostalgia for titles like Tyrian and Amiga's Battle Squadron. While the visuals and soundtrack receive positive remarks, opinions on the overall game experience vary significantly.
- “The graphics are great with the pixel art and it gives a retro feel to it.”
- “There's a lot of Tyrian aesthetics in there, but some levels also feel like Battle Squadron from Amiga.”
- “The gameplay is fun (especially bosses!), the graphics are awesome and the soundtrack is banging.”
- “There's a lot of Tyrian aesthetics in there, but some levels also feel like battle squadrons from Amiga.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the need to upgrade and improve their ship for exploration, others feel that the excessive grinding overshadows meaningful content and gameplay. Overall, it may not appeal to everyone, particularly given its price point.
- “This game is designed to be tedious and grindy.”
- “Get ready for grinding through the same zone over and over and over.”
- “The gameplay is certainly not for everyone; it's intense and grindy, which not everyone will appreciate.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers high replayability due to its extensive customization options for weapons, shields, and ship attributes, encouraging players to experiment with different builds. The need for varied strategies to tackle increasingly difficult levels adds to the game's challenge and replay value, reminiscent of classic 90s titles.
- “Nearly every aspect is customizable: weapons, shields, specials, ship size, speed, etc. Most of the replay value comes from experimenting with different builds, and while I've only cleared the game on normal, I'm already positive that you'll need a variety of builds at your disposal to handle the variety in levels as you play on harder difficulties.”
- “Like a game from the 90s, it's truly punishing but with modernized features and great replay value.”
- “Most of the replay value comes from experimenting with different builds, and while I've only cleared the game on normal, I'm already positive that you'll need a variety of builds at your disposal to handle the variety in levels as you play on harder difficulties.”
- “Like a game from the 90s, it's truly punishing but with modernized features and replay value.”

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45%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

PC Review - 'DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge'
Worthplaying.com
45%

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Frequently Asked Questions

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge is a arcade role playing shooter game with science fiction theme.

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge is available on PC, Windows and Xbox.

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge was released on October 20, 2020.

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge was developed by Augmented Irreality.

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its story.

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge is a single player game.

Similar games include Asteroid Bounty Hunter, Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax, Revolution Ace, Bugs Must Die, Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo and others.

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