DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge screenshot

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 26 reviews

music11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Great pixel art and nostalgic design reminiscent of classic shmups.
Fun gameplay with RPG mechanics that enhance ship customization and progression.
Excellent soundtrack that complements the retro aesthetic and gameplay experience.

Significant controller issues that make the game unplayable for some users.
The game is short with only six stages, leading to a grindy experience.
Difficulty spikes and lack of content in the shop can make progression feel tedious.

music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
7%
14%
The music in Dreadstar has received positive feedback, with many users praising its quality and immersive nature, describing it as fantastic and gorgeous. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack complements the game's visuals and overall experience, although some suggest that additional tracks could enhance the game further. Overall, the music is seen as a standout feature that adds personality and enjoyment to the gameplay.
- “Also, the music is spot on.”
- “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.”
- “Could use more polish, more music and maybe a little more balancing to difficulty.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The gameplay is a blend of classic shmup mechanics and light RPG elements, appealing to players who prefer straightforward, strategic gameplay over complex scoring systems. While the shooting mechanics harken back to retro eras, the RPG aspects are simplified, focusing on experience points and equipment upgrades. Overall, the game offers enjoyable boss encounters and a nostalgic aesthetic, though some players may find the progression slow.
- “Pretty good shmup with some light RPG mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is fun (especially bosses!), the graphics are awesome and the soundtrack is banging.”
- “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.”
- “The shooting gameplay is basically what you'd expect from the Genesis/TurboGrafx era of shmups.”
- “I am not sure how much gameplay is in there, but in 1 hour I barely made it to the second level.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The story is presented through a series of six missions, which users find visually appealing but generally short and lacking in depth. While the first mission allows for significant character development and resource accumulation, subsequent missions present a slight difficulty increase but ultimately feel repetitive and brief, leading to a sense of limited challenge. Overall, the narrative experience is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics that restrict exploration and progression.
- “The story presentation is nice.”
- “Mission 2 is a small difficulty spike, but thereafter the missions kind of fall one after another.”
- “Only 6 missions.”
- “Though you end up spending the vast majority of your time on the first mission building up cash and a few levels.”
- “They feel rather short from 3 through the final mission.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding in the game is excessive and often feels tedious, detracting from the overall experience, especially given the game's price. While some players appreciate the need to upgrade ships and equipment for exploration, many find the repetitive nature of grinding through the same zones to be a significant drawback.
- “This game is designed to be tedious and grindy.”
- “Get ready for grinding through the same zone over and over and over.”
- “The grindy aspect of Dreadstar will keep you busy upgrading your ship, shield, weapons, etc. in order to explore space.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The graphics are generally praised for their loveliness and classic aesthetic, with some comparisons to Tyrian and Amiga styles. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and find them to enhance the overall experience, despite mixed feelings about the gameplay itself.
- “The gameplay is fun (especially bosses!), the graphics are awesome and the soundtrack is banging.”
- “Classic graphics and gameplay, with some fun weapons to try out.”
- “There's a lot of Tyrian aesthetics in there, but some levels also feel like battle squadrons from Amiga.”
- “The graphics look outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “Character models are poorly designed and animations are stiff, making the game feel unrefined.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
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.”
- “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.”