Sentinel 4: Dark Star

About

"Sentinel 4: Dark Star" is a strategy game where players defend against alien forces across 31 unique maps, with a huge variety of new and returning enemies. Three commander heroes are available to control, each with unique abilities and loadouts, as players battle to unlock powerful Uber Towers and deploy support units. The enemy is smarter and more destructive than ever, with the ability to damage and disable towers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

The game offers addictive gameplay with a lot of innovations and features, making it enjoyable for Tower Defense fans.
It has a good selection of towers, heroes, and abilities, along with a solid progression system that allows for permanent upgrades.
The graphics and music are well-received, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience despite some dated visuals.

The game suffers from poor design choices, such as a zoomed-in map that requires constant scrolling and a frustrating Pause/Play toggle.
There are significant balance issues, with some towers being ineffective and certain enemy types overwhelming defenses too easily.
The game appears to be abandoned, with no updates since 2015, leading to concerns about its long-term viability and support.

gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The gameplay of Sentinel 4 has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it addictive and appreciating the balance of traditional mechanics with new features, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic and poorly designed. The game offers a solid tower defense experience with 26 levels and a reasonable difficulty curve, but some innovations, such as destructible turrets, have been seen as frustrating rather than engaging. Overall, while it retains some classic elements, the execution has left many players disappointed, particularly regarding graphics and gameplay design.
- “I went in skeptical but it does a great job keeping the same fundamental mechanics, and it introduces a few new things without making it feel like a different game.”
- “Offering a more traditional tower defense experience with solid & balanced game mechanics, there are 26 levels (plus 5 secondary campaign levels) in total with some good map designs & waves that can challenge, throwing your planned strategy into turmoil!”
- “[s4:ds] is not perfect but does offer good value for money, refined gameplay & a reasonable difficulty curve that can keep you coming back for some time after your initial round.”
- “Sentinel 4 tried to innovate upon a proven formula, but it was unsuccessful and made the gameplay worse.”
- “Not many levels, and quite easy gameplay, even on the hardest difficulty.”
- “While players overlooked Sentinel 3's graphics due to its well-designed gameplay, the amateurish graphics were not updated at all for Sentinel 4; in fact, some of the new graphical additions in Sentinel 4 look horrible, and the poor graphics now really stand out when combined with the game's poorly designed gameplay.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
53%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the gorgeous visuals and HD quality, particularly on mobile devices, while others criticize the dated and amateurish appearance, especially in the latest installment, Sentinel 4. Although some aspects, like weapon effects and environments, are deemed competent, many feel that higher quality textures and smoother animations are needed. Overall, the graphical style may appeal to some, but it detracts from the experience for others, particularly when combined with gameplay issues.
- “It's a gorgeous game with stunning graphics, music, and an engaging story.”
- “This game has the same gameplay but features improved graphics and some new elements.”
- “Better to play on mobiles, but it has good HD graphics at a low price, so you can try it on PC too.”
- “Graphics are a bit dated looking, but it really doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment.”
- “There is something a bit uncanny about the graphics which I can't explain, but they look a little weird.”
- “Graphically it's competent but not great; tower weapon effects are okay as are the environments/maps, but could have benefited from some higher quality textures for the PC version and some smoother animations.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's story is largely considered minimal or non-existent, with several users noting that it lacks a significant narrative component. However, players appreciate the engaging gameplay mechanics, including branching mission pathways and strategic tower upgrades, which contribute to a rich gaming experience despite the absence of a strong storyline. Overall, the focus seems to be more on gameplay and strategy than on storytelling.
- “It's a gorgeous game with beautiful graphics, music, and an engaging story.”
- “Probably one of the best sci-fi tower defense games I have played: a lot of upgrades available through money earned in missions, good selection of different commanders to use; unique turrets to play with, allowing you to try out different strategies.”
- “The different branching pathways in the mission mode are cool too; a harder path earns you better towers and mechs to use.”
- “Story-n/a (not really a story...)”
- “Story-n/a (not really a story...)”
- “Story-n/a (not really a story...)”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally praised for its captivating score that lingers in players' minds, contributing to the overall experience. However, some sound effects are considered bland, which some players feel adds a nostalgic, old-school charm. Overall, the music aspect is rated around 3.5 out of 5.
- “The musical score was good, getting stuck in my head long after I exited the game, but other sound effects were a bit bland. However, this does add a bit of an old-school flavor to it all.”
- “It's a gorgeous game with beautiful graphics, music, and an engaging story.”
- “Good graphics and cool music.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the inclusion of an endless mode that enhances long-term replayability, complemented by Steam leaderboards that add a competitive element to the experience.
- “For longer-term replayability, there is also the always welcomed endless mode with Steam leaderboards for some competition.”