Legends of the Universe - StarCore | Game Brain

Legends of the Universe - StarCore Game Cover

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Legends of the Universe - StarCore is a Metroidvania-style action platformer where you explore a giant space ship as Trion, Leader of an Arkonian team on a mission to steal the StarCore from the Draketh. Gain upgrades, improve stats, engage in intense boss fights, and enjoy stat-based platforming with environments to explore and re-explore with new abilities. The game is part of a shared universe, with spinoffs already in development.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

humor1 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic Metroid and Mega Man titles, appealing to fans of retro platformers.
Despite its rough edges, many players found the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, with a steady flow of power-ups and exploration.
The low price point makes it accessible, providing a decent amount of content for the cost, which some players felt was worth it.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs, poor collision detection, and unresponsive controls, making it frustrating to play.
The map system is inadequate, leading to confusion and excessive backtracking, which detracts from the overall experience.
Many players criticized the graphics and sound design as subpar, with some elements feeling outdated and lacking polish.

graphics
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing the use of outdated retro pixel art that lacks polish and resolution options, resulting in blurry visuals. While some appreciate the nostalgic appeal reminiscent of classic titles like Mega Man, others find the overall quality subpar compared to modern standards, leading to a lackluster visual experience. Despite these criticisms, some players still find enjoyment in the gameplay, suggesting that the graphics may not detract significantly from the overall fun.
- “The graphics are simple but done nicely and remind me a lot of the original Mega Man game on the NES; the music, on the other hand, needs some improvement.”
- “Ok, so this game doesn't look like much, but it's got an appeal that goes beyond the relatively simple graphics.”
- “Story is kind of good and the graphics are just like retro style.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “Resolution is locked and can't be changed, and without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
- “Look, it's fine to use pixel graphics, but when stuff is blurry alongside retro graphics, it looks horrid.”
story
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as charming and engaging, with a moral about perseverance, though it suffers from clichés and a lack of depth. While some players appreciate its retro style and cute presentation, others find the plot poorly written and the quest mechanics lacking, such as the absence of a useful quest log. Overall, the narrative provides a light-hearted experience but could benefit from more substantial development.
- “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.”
- “Love the story and the music.”
- “The plot of the game seems to be a bit poorly written.”
- “There's a bit of a story, but it's not very in-depth.”
- “The story is cute in a childish cartoon sort of way, and I love the general style - the game design just needs a bit of work to make it a recommendable experience.”
music
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being repetitive and overly simplistic, often resembling dance beats with heavy bass. The sound design, particularly the synthesized percussion and quirky voice of the hint companion, adds a humorous element, but many feel that the music lacks depth and seems like an afterthought. Overall, while some appreciate the soundtrack, it appears to be a divisive aspect of the game.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “Part of what made me laugh out loud was the sound design; Starcore heavily uses synthesized percussion for its soundtrack, and your hint companion sounds like an old jazz musician whenever he says 'hey... listen' - I thought it was part of the music at first.”
- “Love the story and the music.”
- “The graphics are simple but done nicely and remind me a lot of the original Mega Man game on the NES; the music, on the other hand, needs some improvement.”
- “Many tracks are just dance beats with a heavy bass drum that pulse hard at my ears; I had to turn the music down to almost zero.”
- “But it feels like the music in this game was an afterthought.”
gameplay
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it janky and unsatisfying due to poor handling and responsiveness, while others appreciate its nostalgic charm and entertaining mechanics reminiscent of classic metroidvanias. Despite its bugs and rough edges, many agree that the core gameplay remains enjoyable and offers good value for the price.
- “Gameplay-wise, it's what you'd expect of a Mega Man/Metroidvania hybrid.”
- “For the price of a cup of coffee, you can get hours of entertaining old school gameplay.”
- “Like some of the other reviews on here, I can agree the game is 'rough around the edges,' but it is far from a deterrent to the core gameplay, which is this game's star.”
- “It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
- “Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
- “The movement, other than the jumping mechanics, is done poorly.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs that can render it unplayable. While some players find enjoyment in its gameplay despite these flaws, the overall technical execution falls short of modern standards.
- “It's a very buggy (to the point of being unplayable) 2D retro pixel side-scrolling 'metroidvania' platformer slapped together with GameMaker Studio, so the developer chose pretty much every way one could fail at game development and ran into them headfirst.”
- “Yes, the game is somewhat buggy and the graphics and game mechanics might not be completely up to today's standards for metroidvanias.”
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for being unpolished, leading to performance issues that detract from the overall experience. This lack of refinement is seen as a significant drawback.
- “The problem lies in the game's optimization and unpolished performance, and this is a bloody shame.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that Gamemaker Studio is often associated with the creation of low-effort, retro-style games that are perceived as cash grabs, suggesting a negative view of its monetization practices.
- “Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious, particularly due to backtracking, but acknowledge that this is a common feature within the genre.
- “Grinding becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel like a never-ending task.”
- “I found myself losing interest due to the excessive amount of grinding required.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is enhanced by its clever sound design, particularly the synthesized percussion that creates a playful atmosphere. Players find amusement in the hint companion's jazz-like delivery of "hey... listen," which initially blends seamlessly with the music, adding an unexpected comedic element.
- “Part of what made me laugh out loud was the sound design; Starcore heavily uses synthesized percussion for its soundtrack, and your hint companion sounds like an old jazz musician whenever he says 'hey... listen' - I thought it was part of the music at first.”
character development
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is noted for its stylish design, heavily influenced by the Mega Man series, which is praised for its strong character design. However, some users feel that this reliance on inspiration may detract from originality.