Star Drifter

About

In Star Drifter, players explore a procedurally generated universe, battling enemies and gathering resources to upgrade their ship. With a focus on relaxing gameplay and pixel art aesthetics, the game offers a soothing yet challenging experience. Players can discover new planets, meet alien species, and delve into various dungeons to uncover rare treasures.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

35%

Audience ScoreBased on 98 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

The game features great graphics and a nice retro aesthetic.
It offers a low price point, making it accessible for casual gamers.
Some players found it enjoyable for its challenge and the ability to upgrade weapons and ships.

The controls are poorly designed, with no option to rebind keys or support for gamepads.
Gameplay can be confusing due to similar colors for pickups and enemy projectiles, making it hard to see what's happening.
The game lacks depth and originality, feeling like a generic space shooter without any unique mechanics.

graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
31%
13%
The graphics of "Star Drifter" receive mixed reviews, with some praising the retro aesthetic and CRT effects as visually appealing, while others criticize them for being muddy and hard to see. The game's visuals are described as solid and well-executed, but the implementation of scanlines and certain design choices have led to confusion and a lack of clarity in gameplay. Overall, while many appreciate the graphics, there are significant concerns regarding their effectiveness in enhancing the gaming experience.
- “Great graphics!!!!”
- “Graphics and music are nice and I really enjoyed it.”
- “A nice arcady shooter, gotta love the visuals and the CRT effect.”
- “Bad controls, confusing visuals, boring upgrade system and a weird resolution/aspect ratio all come together to form a game that is somehow less than the sum of its parts, if that makes sense.”
- “The graphics are bland and muddy; it's hard to see what's going on, even at full screen (which you have to force with alt-enter as it has no option in-game).”
- “In other news...audiovisuals are the well known 'retro' fad, but the weird scanline effect makes everything blurry and just...bleh...much like the enemy ship design, which is just uninspired and bland.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it relaxing and enjoyable, others criticize it as generic chip-tunes that detract from the experience. Overall, the quality of the music is seen as decent, complementing the game's solid graphics and controls, but it may not appeal to everyone.
- “Great music!!!!”
- “Graphics and music are nice and I really enjoyed it.”
- “Don't expect Star Drifter to play like a £0.79 game, everything is done very well and feels solid, the music is good, the graphics are good, the controls are good (given its key based).”
- “First thing I did after launching the game on Steam was mute the music - now that might be just my reflex when something hurts my ears.”
- “The music is generic chip-tunes, and the sound effects are horrible.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay of Star Drifter is characterized by a slow pace and heavy controls, which some players find unengaging compared to traditional shoot 'em ups. While the game features a progressive system and impressive graphics, it suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of controller support, leading to mixed reviews on its overall enjoyment. Despite some players appreciating its unique approach, many feel it falls short of the excitement typically expected in the genre.
- “I had a quick play through and I'm really impressed with the gameplay.”
- “Steady and fast gameplay.”
- “Star Drifter is a top-down shmup game with a progressive system. It has really good graphics, but let's talk about gameplay here. It's slow, which doesn't mean you won't die, but it means the spaceship feels heavy when moving left and right, and you shoot one bullet at a time. It's a balance between Raiden and Touhou, not just a bomb explosion button while collecting thousands of stars.”
- “To go from 'meh' to bad, add in no controller support, sloppy controls, and overall run-of-the-mill mechanics.”
- “Every mechanic has been done exactly somewhere else; the shop, the energy bar, the primary and secondary guns, etc.”
- “But the gameplay is boring.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story conveys a powerful message about resilience and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that perseverance in the face of adversity can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find "Star Drifter" evokes a sense of emotional disconnection and confusion, aligning with its title, as it leaves them feeling lost throughout the experience.
- “All in all, Star Drifter just made me feel lost, so I guess at least the name is appropriate.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its optimization, with users reporting significant lag and poor performance throughout the experience.
- “It suffers from overall lag and poor performance.”
- “It suffers from overall lag and poor performance.”