NIGHTSTAR: Rogue Wings

About

NIGHTSTAR: Rogue Wings is a single player simulation game. It was developed by SOLIDMESH and was released on March 1, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"NIGHTSTAR: Rogue Wings" is a challenging top-down shooter set in space. As a rogue pilot, you must complete dangerous missions, upgrade your ship, and battle against formidable alien fleets. With procedurally generated levels, each playthrough offers a unique experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

story3 negative mentions

The game has a fun arcade-style gameplay reminiscent of classics like Star Fox and Rogue Squadron, with enjoyable flying and combat mechanics.
Visually appealing with decent graphics, the game shows potential for further development and improvement.
The developer has been responsive to player feedback and has made significant updates to enhance gameplay and controls.

The game suffers from poor controls, including overly sensitive gamepad settings and a lack of customization options, making it difficult to play.
It has been in Early Access for an extended period without substantial updates, leading to concerns about its development status and potential abandonment.
Many players report technical issues, such as audio problems and glitches, which detract from the overall experience.

story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being underdeveloped and hard to follow, with many players feeling it lacks depth and coherence. While there are hints of a narrative and choices that can impact the outcome, the overall experience is described as more focused on gameplay mechanics than a compelling plot, leading to a sense of detachment from characters and events. Additionally, technical issues have been noted, further detracting from the storytelling experience.
- “Choices that affect the story and ending (stay with and defend a colony or take the battle to the enemy).”
- “Eg: silence before the storm, so soft music when escorting a freighter on what you thought was an easy mission, then boom!”
- “Story - 1 - dumb and hard to follow.”
- “That said, the arcadey feel of the game might take you away from a driven plot and feel more like an overlay for a set of A-B tasks.”
- “- whether it's down to the plot or otherwise, enemies still feel like drones, or target practice; equally, your allies also seem lifeless.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of Nightstar receive mixed reviews, with some players noting a low-budget feel reminiscent of older console games, while others appreciate the improvements in visuals and user interface. Although the game has potential with decent graphics, issues like blurriness in cockpit view detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are considered satisfactory but could benefit from further refinement.
- “Visuals are more than ok, even for the end of 2017.”
- “Graphics are really good too.”
- “The visuals are also pretty good although I don't like how when in cockpit view mode parts of said cockpit blur when you turn; it's odd but again fixable.”
- “Nightstar is an indie game that looks pretty good from the store page, but on playing it, it feels like a PS3 port in both graphics and gameplay.”
- “The graphics are barely okay, and I ran on ultra, which should have looked much more realistic, but it has that low-budget feeling kind of game.”
- “Con: simple graphics designed for consoles.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay of Nightstar has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the significant overhaul and features like the lock-on system and barrel rolls, while others criticize its outdated feel reminiscent of PS3 titles. The fluid-reality gameplay adds a unique challenge, but the lock-on system has been noted as difficult to use compared to similar mechanics in other games. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as a blend of strengths and weaknesses.
- “The fluid-reality gameplay makes you realize you cannot slow down to a stop while playing the levels; it teaches you that you don't have to kill everything, and sometimes you do.”
- “Great music, scenario, and gameplay.”
- “The lock-on system and barrel rolls are a major gameplay plus point.”
- “Nightstar is an indie game that looks pretty good from the store page, but on playing it, it feels like a PS3 port in both graphics and gameplay.”
- “The fluid-reality gameplay makes it clear that you cannot slow down to a stop while playing the levels; you understand that you do not have to kill everything, and then sometimes you do.”
- “The lock-on system is hard to use; Ace Combat: Assault Horizon has a much better example of the same mechanic.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the dynamic use of sound that enhances gameplay, others find it repetitive and annoying after a short period. Notably, the contrast between soft melodies and intense beats during key moments is praised, but initial levels may suffer from monotonous drum loops. Overall, the effectiveness of the music varies significantly throughout the game.
- “Great music, scenario, and gameplay.”
- “More interesting use of music and sound as opposed to repetitive, unchanging music.”
- “Silence before the storm, with soft music when escorting a freighter on what you thought was an easy mission, then boom! You get ambushed and the music kicks into gear, with beats and heart-pumping bass.”
- “Music gets annoying after 10 minutes.”
- “Music is just a bunch of drums on a loop (at least the first level).”
- “More interesting use of music and sound is needed as opposed to repetitive, non-changing music.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with players reporting low frame rates (30-40 FPS) even on high-end hardware, indicating a need for improved performance and control responsiveness.
- “The controls really need some work, and the game needs to be optimized.”
- “It needs some optimization; I was only getting around 30-40 frames on medium, and I have a beefy rig.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users expressing that it lacks engaging content to encourage multiple playthroughs. Suggestions for improvement include adding sensitivity settings for controls, which could enhance the overall experience.
- “Replayability - 2 - if you're a masochist.”
- “No replay value (yes, it's an EA game, but anyway).”
- “The things I would like to see the devs put in right now to make it more playable are sensitivity settings for the mouse and controller because right now it's either too high for controller or too low for mouse.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported encountering glitches that affect stability, including issues like the continue button becoming unresponsive after mission failures.
- “I encountered some glitches, such as the continue button not working after a mission failure.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress.”
- “I've experienced multiple freezes during gameplay, which disrupts the overall experience.”