Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax
- November 10, 2015
- Dreamloop Games
- 3h median play time
Stardust Galaxy Warriors takes classic SHMUP gameplay and spices it up with the addition of melee attacks and RPG elements. There’s still some bugs the developers are working out and it doesn’t do everything perfectly but that doesn’t stop it from being extremely fun.
Get on Steam"Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax" is a 1-4 player couch co-op action shooter game, combining SHMUP and Brawler-like gameplay with light RPG elements. Choose from 5 distinct characters, each with special abilities and superweapons, and an extensive selection of primary and secondary weapons. Play through a 10-level campaign, Endless Gauntlet-mode, and Challenge mode, all set to an album-length soundtrack. Meet Gundula von Übelvamp, but don't expect shocking plot twists.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Easy to get into with a good depth of mechanics to master, making it accessible for both new and experienced players.
- Fantastic graphics and a killer soundtrack enhance the overall experience, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to play.
- Supports up to 4 players in local multiplayer, providing a fun and engaging couch co-op experience.
- The campaign is relatively short, typically taking around 2 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- Some weapons feel weak and lack impactful feedback, which can detract from the excitement of gameplay.
- The story and dialogue can be cringey and unengaging, making it easy to skip without missing much.
- music41 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its energetic and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Descriptions highlight a mix of genres, including techno and metal, which perfectly complement the gameplay and keep players immersed. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, often described as "incredible" and a significant reason to enjoy the game.
“Awesome music, sound effects and graphics.”
“Good heart pumping action, great music score, and 2D scrolling/parallel mixed with 3D background visuals are brilliantly done.”
“A very fine shoot 'em up, with a fantastic (!) soundtrack.”
“I feel I got my money's worth, though I also somewhat feel the soundtrack is as valuable as the game.”
“Music is okay (opinion), although if I bought the soundtrack it'd probably only be for a few tracks (namely the last boss ones, because that fight had multiple phases and is pretty exciting).”
“The music is classic and not boring.”
- story30 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a lighthearted, comic book style that embraces a self-aware humor, though many players find the writing cringeworthy and minimal. While the narrative is not particularly rich or deep, it provides an amusing backdrop for gameplay, serving more as a training ground for other modes rather than a focal point. Overall, the story is seen as forgettable yet entertaining, appealing to those who appreciate its intentionally silly tone.
“I actually appreciate what little story there is here because it doesn't take itself seriously at all and jumps into b-movie, so-bad-it's-good territory.”
“The story mode even has great humor, made a big smile on my face many times.”
“Fast-paced squad-based co-op shmup with good music and a story that doesn't take itself seriously.”
“There's a story of sorts in the campaign which kinda has a comic book or Saturday morning cartoon feel to it, but I'm gonna be honest, the writing is very cringey.”
“While there is a very minimal story plot in this game, it was amusing to progress through the game with it, but definitely not story-rich.”
“The story is stupid, but I enjoyed it because it was self-aware.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 81 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their fantastic quality, featuring well-drawn, detailed visuals that blend 2D and 3D elements effectively. Players appreciate the vibrant art style, smooth animations, and the overall aesthetic appeal, which is complemented by an impressive soundtrack and sound effects. The combination of beautiful graphics and engaging gameplay creates an enjoyable experience for players.
“Graphics are well drawn, nicely detailed, varied and smooth.”
“Beautiful graphics.”
“Well designed characters, bosses, enemies, with an amazing soundtrack and wonderful graphics.”
“I really don't mind pixel graphics, but so many bad ports in general.”
“Stardust Galaxy Warriors is a pretty amusing horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up, with solid controls and graphics wedded to a very silly plot.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of classic bullet hell mechanics and innovative features like melee attacks and customization options, providing depth and engagement. While many players appreciate the fluid controls, vibrant graphics, and excellent soundtrack, some feel the overall experience lacks polish and depth, with limited content and comparisons to free flash games. The option to simplify gameplay is a notable highlight, making it accessible while still offering a fun cooperative experience.
“Very fun, actually hooked me way more than I expected, classic bullet hell mechanics with a healthy dose of customization.”
“The gameplay is fluid and the soundtrack is excellent.”
“Stardust Galaxy Warriors takes classic shmup gameplay and spices it up with the addition of melee attacks and RPG elements.”
“While the visuals are pretty nice and the soundtrack amazing, there's very little worthwhile in terms of gameplay.”
“Honestly, there are free flash games that have similar gameplay, but longer (this is only 10 levels with 3 stages each, and really only maybe 1.5 hours of gameplay) and just better overall (see Enigmata 2).”
“- The chat box gets in the way of the screen during gameplay.”
- humor6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's humor is generally well-received, with players enjoying the hilarious dialogue and amusing campaign story, which adds to the fun of customization and co-op gameplay. However, some critics feel that certain aspects of the story are intentionally bad, resulting in moments that fall flat and detract from the overall comedic experience.
“So, they sprinkled it with some RPG elements, a humorous campaign story, some good customization, and four different mechs.”
“The visuals were great, the co-op was a blast, the dialogue was hilarious!”
“Fun, super customizable, and a great sense of humor.”
“The story dialogue and plot seem intentionally bad, but they just end up being unfunny and add very little to the experience.”
“The attempts at humor fall flat, making the game feel more tedious than entertaining.”
“What was meant to be comedic often feels forced and awkward, leaving me cringing instead of laughing.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through its campaign mode and the variety of mechs and weapons, encouraging experimentation with different difficulties. While additional modes exist, they are seen as minor extras rather than substantial content. Completionists may find value in replaying the short campaign, but some players desire deeper mechanics for enhanced replayability.
“The differences between the mechs and weapons give extra replayability and a desire to experiment a little.”
“Very much in the vein of Skyforce Anniversary, the RPG elements really bring a lot of replayability to the forefront.”
“There's a few additional modes, but they're more like cool extras than anything you'll be spending a serious amount of time in. I see more replay value in the campaign and trying different mechs and difficulties, personally.”
“This is a wonderful shoot-em-up game with a campaign mode that is unfortunately too short, but there is quite a bit of replay value if you are a completionist.”
“But as PC gamers, we sort of want a little more depth and replayability.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat easy and repetitive, leading to a tedious experience, especially in co-op mode with less experienced partners. While the levels are interesting, the overall grind can detract from the enjoyment, particularly when managing the challenges of teamwork.
“Interesting levels, but it just feels kind of easy and grindy.”
“It's just a tad on the grindy and easy side, at least for the difficulty I'm playing.”
“Playing in 2-player co-op has been fun, but it can be tedious when my partner, who is 8 years old, doesn't understand the game or is unwilling to take advice, leading to me reviving him 75% of the time.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently experiences stability issues, particularly in co-op mode, where users report bugs, glitches, and occasional game freezes or crashes related to ability upgrades. While single-player mode remains stable, the developers are aware of the co-op problems and are actively working on fixes.
“It's still a little buggy at the time of writing, and online co-op would be nice (but understandable that it isn't in), so it isn't perfect.”
“Right off the bat, I'd like to say that I have experienced a few bugs and glitches with co-op (I've never had an issue with singleplayer, but that being said, this is definitely a co-op game, so take that for what it is).”
“Apparently, as of now, certain ability upgrades in co-op play can cause game freezes, crashes, player drops, etc. I've made a forum post about it and I received a dev response saying the issue was being worked on.”
Critic Reviews
Stardust Galaxy Warriors Review - Mechtastic!
Stardust Galaxy Warriors takes classic SHMUP gameplay and spices it up with the addition of melee attacks and RPG elements. There’s still some bugs the developers are working out and it doesn’t do everything perfectly but that doesn’t stop it from being extremely fun.
75%Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax Review
80%Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax Review - KeenGamer
70%
