Legacy of the Elder Star

About

Legacy of the Elder Star is a mouse-driven shoot 'em up for the rest of us. You are the Cosmonaut, an eternal cosmic hero who must shatter the robotic Infinite Legion and rekindle a dying star!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a unique mouse control scheme that allows for precise and fluid movement, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
It offers a vibrant art style and a catchy soundtrack, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere.
The game is free to play and provides replayability through unlockable weapons and various game modes, making it accessible to a wide audience.

The game has a broken learning curve, requiring excessive retries to memorize enemy patterns, which can be frustrating for players.
The gameplay can feel repetitive, as players often encounter the same scenarios multiple times without significant variation.
The reliance on a 'continue' button diminishes the challenge, making it feel too easy and undermining the sense of accomplishment.

story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
77%
14%
The story mode is brief, lasting around 20-30 minutes across five stages, and features a simple, somewhat nonsensical plot that many players found unimportant given the game's focus on fast-paced bullet hell action. While the narrative lacks depth and detail, it offers replayability through point-based ranking and unlockable content, though some players felt that once the story is completed, there isn't much incentive to continue playing. Overall, the story serves primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a central element.
- “The story is simple, but well done.”
- “Only takes about half an hour to beat the 'story mode' - but it's half an hour of rootin' tootin' good times.”
- “The plot is extremely simple and there's little support to explain why all life in the universe relies on one star, or who exactly the cosmonaut is.”
- “I guess my point is I don't think any plot was required at all, given how short the game is.”
- “While the story mode was rather short (5 stages, approximately 20-30 minutes playtime), there is still a lot to unlock as far as game modes and weapons.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their vibrant and cartoonish style, reminiscent of Behemoth games, which enhances gameplay by clearly distinguishing bullets and enemies. While some players find the art style not to their taste, many appreciate the crisp visuals and characterful design, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. The combination of appealing artwork and fitting music elevates the game's aesthetic, making it stand out in the scrolling shooter genre.
- “This is an awesome shmup, with gorgeous visuals, fun music, and great play.”
- “My wife and I love this game :D the mechanics are finely tuned, the artwork is beautiful, the music will be stuck in your head long after you stop playing.”
- “The art style isn't my thing, but it's lovingly drawn and exudes a ton of character.”
- “Lastly, the artwork has been boasted as 'vibrant.' I thought, 'meh, everyone boasts great artwork and they deliver on a couple levels.' The artwork is vibrant throughout each level.”
- “The artwork, which emulates the Behemoth games style cartoon work, makes it easy to distinguish bullets trying to kill you, moving enemies, and backgrounds.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
65%
18%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique control scheme where the protagonist is maneuvered like a mouse cursor, offering precise controls and a solid core mechanic. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and criticize design choices that detract from the overall experience, such as bland visuals and a lack of engaging challenges. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the finely tuned mechanics and various modes that provide a satisfying shooter experience.
- “The game mechanics are unique and control via mouse is precise.”
- “This is a very well made shooter, there's plenty of modes to keep you on your toes, quite a bit of customizing to be had, and the mechanics are well put together; absorbing bullets to fuel a special attack is a nice touch.”
- “The controls and gameplay are simple but function beautifully.”
- “Repetitive gameplay.”
- “I really don't care about hunting points and trophies when the story and gameplay is this anemic, the soundtrack is just alright, and the design is sort of bland, with some additional issues keeping track of the hero and shots.”
- “The pattern continues with art which lacks most of the world-building background detail, and most enemies have a theme of mechanical and gray.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
15%
23%
The music in the game has received widespread praise, with many reviewers highlighting its quality and how well it complements the gameplay and visuals. While some players found the overall game experience lacking in depth, the soundtrack was consistently described as catchy and memorable, enhancing the enjoyment of the game. Overall, the music stands out as a strong aspect, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “Readers might find this odd to mention first and foremost, but I have to start with praise for the music of Elder Star.”
- “I'm particularly sensitive to music in video games, and this one struck the nail on the head for me.”
- “The music is great and fits the game very well.”
- “There are things I like - the infinite continues, the mouse moving the character (as a concept), but I really don't care about hunting points and trophies when the story and gameplay are this anemic. The soundtrack is just alright and the design is sort of bland, with some additional issues keeping track of the hero and shots.”
- “Music was a solid piece.”
- “Every level has a scoreboard as well as various challenges that drive you to replay and improve your score, but the soundtrack is just kickin'.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The game offers significant replayability despite its short campaign, as players can unlock new weapons and game modes with each completion. Randomly generated enemy patterns and daily challenges further enhance the replay value, making it appealing for competitive players and fans of the genre. Overall, while the number of levels is limited, the various unlocks and challenges provide ample incentive to replay.
- “The story mode can be beaten quickly, but there is lots of replayability.”
- “A small number of levels are partly offset by replayability: for each completion, the player opens up new game modes or weapons.”
- “Unfortunately, replayability won't fix these problems.”
- “Most of the game's worth is through replay value.”
- “Daily mode is the one extra mode that I see potentially adding replayability to the game; every day the game lets you play a set level with a specific loadout to beat others.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players note that grinding can feel excessive, often requiring a second playthrough to fully engage with the content. Once the main story is completed, many find little incentive to continue grinding, especially if leaderboard achievements are not a priority.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “If, like me, after unlocking anything you don't really care about leaderboard grinding, then there isn't much to do after you finish the story.”