Project Starship
- April 5, 2016
- Panda Indie Studio
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Project Starship" is an arcade-style bullet-hell game with randomized mechanics, ensuring a unique experience in every match. As Garret or Gwen, players embark on a mission to save the world from the mighty Cthulhu, navigating through relentless showers of bullets and facing off against divine and demonic adversaries. The journey leads players deeper into the unknown, where obscure and arcane secrets await.
Reviews
- The game features an amazing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Gameplay is fun and addictive, providing a good challenge for bullet hell enthusiasts.
- The retro graphics and arcade-style aesthetic are charming and evoke nostalgia.
- The game suffers from poor sound design, with many sound effects missing or lacking clarity.
- Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, making precise movements difficult.
- Randomized elements can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially if power-ups are unbalanced.
- music36 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers describing it as "amazing," "awesome," and "catchy." The soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, fitting well with the game's retro aesthetic and adding to the overall atmosphere. However, some players noted a lack of sound effects for various actions, which detracted from the audio experience.
“The music is actually surprisingly good, one of the best aspects of the game.”
“The soundtrack is genuinely amazing and I wish it was available on YouTube or Spotify.”
“The soundtrack is amazing, and I actually look forward to hearing it when I load up the game.”
“The most off-putting aspect for me was the lack of sound effects for... most things, including enemies getting hit, the majority of enemy attacks, and the player getting hit or killed (although that does have musical distortion to indicate it).”
“The game is also a bit inconsistent with its visual and audio style, with some sprites being pretty clean while others appear intentionally limited (the character art in particular), and the fact that the game has many 8-bit style sound effects and compressed voice clips despite playing modern electronic music.”
“[*] A mute music-only button is needed.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic arcade titles, featuring pixel art and CRT filters that enhance the nostalgic feel. While some reviews note the simplicity of the visuals, they are generally praised for their charm and effectiveness within the bullet hell genre. Overall, the combination of unique art styles, engaging soundtracks, and smooth gameplay contributes to a visually appealing experience.
“Insane retro CRT graphics and awesome soundtrack.”
“Graphically, it's very cool, combining pixel graphics with a CRT kind of filter that gives it a great arcade-y feel.”
“♦ graphics are awesome (has that retro, arcade machine, old-school look and feel to it which I find amazing in 'bullet hell' games)”
“Despite having very simplistic graphics, it works just fine for the genre.”
“No in-game options (can’t alter resolution, sound, graphics or change controls).”
“Most remarkable for the game is the tiny base picture (480x360) which you can upscale to fullscreen; then everything seems pixelated but still very unique graphics.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its smooth mechanics, generous hitboxes, and a variety of enemies and power-ups, creating an enjoyable casual experience with a balanced challenge. Players appreciate the random level generation and clever design, though some note that the reliance on luck can be a downside. Overall, the combination of engaging gameplay, great visuals, and a nostalgic soundtrack contributes to a fun and accessible arcade bullet-hell experience.
“As a non-genre follower, I would like to praise the game for offering quite generous hitboxes in combination with a variety of enemies and power-up mechanics that actually work, thus creating a pleasant casual shmup experience where you aren't on the brink of a nervous breakdown but still have some degree of challenge and associated fun.”
“Really fun game that I did not expect to enjoy so much. The graphics are cool, gameplay is smooth, I found no bugs so far, and overall it's a great game that could be played anywhere as long as you can install the Steam client (laptop, toaster, potato, etc.).”
“The music's great, the character reactions are funny, and the gameplay is really solid and cleverly designed, with the enemies pulling out all sorts of different attacks and patterns throughout the fight.”
“The only downside is that each gameplay is pure luck.”
“Project Starship is an arcade bullet-hell with random mechanics.”
“But I was disappointed that there was no difference between two characters during gameplay.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing character reactions and the whimsical design of certain bosses, such as a dragon in space. Players appreciate the clever gameplay and entertaining enemy attacks, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The music's great, the character reactions are funny, and the gameplay is really solid and cleverly designed, with the enemies pulling out all sorts of different attacks and patterns throughout the fight.”
“All in all, I have to give this game a 9/10. Some of the bosses look a bit humorous too, like a dragon in space.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be affordable and enjoyable, highlighting its strong replayability as a key feature that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“It's pretty cheap, pretty fun, quite replayable... what are you waiting for?”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is noted to be visually appealing, with nice effects and satisfactory character designs, though there may be a lack of depth in the characters themselves.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is characterized by a low base resolution of 480x360, which can be upscaled to fullscreen, resulting in a pixelated appearance. While this may be a performance choice, it contributes to the game's unique graphical style.
“The most remarkable aspect of the game is the tiny base resolution (480x360), which you can upscale to fullscreen. While this may be for performance reasons, the pixelated graphics still manage to create a very unique visual experience.”
“The optimization in this game allows for smooth performance even on lower-end systems, making it accessible to a wider audience without sacrificing gameplay quality.”
“I appreciate how the game balances visual fidelity and performance, ensuring that even with lower settings, the experience remains enjoyable and engaging.”
“The most remarkable aspect of the game is the tiny base resolution (480x360), which can be upscaled to fullscreen. While this may be intended for performance reasons, the result is a pixelated experience that detracts from the overall visual quality.”
“The optimization feels lacking, as the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on lower settings, making it frustrating to play.”
“Despite the unique graphics, the optimization issues lead to frequent stuttering and lag, which significantly impacts the gameplay experience.”
