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Stargunner

If you're in the mood for an arcade-shooter, this is one of the bestit may be as good as Apogee's own Raptor.
Stargunner Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, atmosphere
Most mentioned negative aspects:story, graphics
79% User Score Based on 85 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

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Stargunner Game Cover

About Stargunner

Stargunner is a single player arcade shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Apogee Entertainment and was released on May 5, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In the far distant future, an epic war for survival takes place... Deep within the Andromeda galaxy, the people of Zile grow restless and greedy. The Zilions secretly prepare for a massive strike against the nearby planet Ytima. Fearing such an attack, the Ytimians train an elite squad of "Stargunners." Their mission: To strike the planet Zile and cripple the Zilions’ three strongholds, where the…

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Reviews

79%Audience ScoreBased on 85 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
  • Classic side-scrolling shoot 'em up with a nostalgic 90s arcade feel and challenging gameplay that rewards skill and progression.
  • Robust upgrade and power-up system allowing customization of the ship's weapons, engines, and defenses, adding strategic depth.
  • Vibrant pre-rendered sprite graphics with layered parallax backgrounds and an energetic synth-driven soundtrack that enhance immersion.
  • Controls and compatibility issues due to default key bindings conflicting with modern systems and DOSBox emulation quirks.
  • Repetitive level design and enemy patterns with limited variety and somewhat slow pacing can reduce long-term engagement.
  • High difficulty level with punishing enemy patterns and bosses may feel unfair or frustrating to newcomers and casual players.

  • story

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    17% positive mentions, 66% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions

    The story is simple and primarily serves to connect the action through brief cutscenes and mission briefings, providing just enough narrative context. While effective as a framework, it lacks depth, which some feel could have enhanced the game's appeal. Gameplay focuses more on upgrading gear and progressing through missions rather than complex storytelling.

    • “The story is simple and functional, serving mainly as a framework for the action rather than a focal point.”
    • “The plot is simple but effective.”
    • “The story is conveyed through brief cutscenes and mission briefings, giving you just enough narrative to tie the action together.”
    • “Also, a story or depth would have made the game more appealing.”
    • “☐ story?”
    • “Starting gear you can afford kind of sucks, in particular the very slow engine you start with, so the first couple of levels of each mission will be off to a rough start, until you can afford better gear.”

  • gameplay

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    36% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions

    The gameplay offers fast-paced, skill-based shooting with varied enemy patterns and distinct level hazards that keep the experience engaging and challenging. It emphasizes continuous forward motion and survival, supported by a robust upgrade system and clear visual design focused on readability. While generally praised for its classic arcade feel and satisfying progression, some critique the lack of transparency in customization effects outside of actual gameplay.

    • “Playing it today feels like opening a time capsule from an era when fast reflexes, relentless enemy waves, and pure mechanical satisfaction were the primary goals.”
    • “Each environment brings its own hazards and enemy patterns, ensuring that progression feels varied even though the core mechanics remain consistent throughout.”
    • “This game has ugly mechanics; you can customize your ship, but you can't see the effect in the shop—you have to do it in the game.”
    • “Gameplay is built around constant forward motion and survival under pressure.”
    • “It doesn’t attempt to modernize its mechanics or add unnecessary systems; it delivers straightforward, skill-based shooting with a satisfying progression loop.”

  • graphics

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions

    The graphics are generally praised for their vibrant, detailed pixel art that effectively captures the sci-fi aesthetic and nostalgic charm, especially given the game's age. While some find the visuals dated or prefer a darker, grittier style, the overall presentation remains engaging and well-matched with the sound, contributing to a cohesive and enjoyable sensory experience.

    • “The pixel art is vibrant and detailed, capturing the sci-fi aesthetic perfectly.”
    • “The music is very well matched with the rest, the graphics are very good, for a game that old, and the atmosphere is perfect!”
    • “Sound and graphics are similar to what you'd expect from a classic Amiga action game, with bouncy mod format music, pre-rendered 3D art and animation, and parallax scrolling.”
    • “In the longer campaigns, you’ve already seen all the graphical assets of each environment quite early on.”
    • “This is an old DOS game, not a high-end graphics game, what?”
    • “The only possible negative might be for its aesthetics: Stargunner features a bright, primary color palette and oversized enemies, while I prefer smaller targets and a darker, grittier feel.”

  • music

    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    30% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 30% negative mentions

    The music is generally praised for its energetic, synth-driven soundtrack that enhances the game's adrenaline and nostalgic atmosphere, especially during intense moments. While many find it well-matched and enjoyable, some consider it decent but not particularly memorable. Overall, the soundtrack effectively complements the classic action gameplay and immerses players.

    • “The soundtrack features energetic, synth-driven compositions that escalate during intense sections and boss fights, pushing the adrenaline higher as the screen fills with enemies.”
    • “The sound effects and energetic soundtrack enhance the experience, immersing you in the action and keeping the adrenaline pumping.”
    • “The music is very well matched with the rest; the graphics are very good for a game that old, and the atmosphere is perfect!”
    • “The soundtrack leans into energetic, synth-driven compositions that escalate during intense sections and boss fights, pushing the adrenaline higher as the screen fills with enemies.”
    • “Music is decent.”
    • “The music is very well matched with the rest, the graphics are very good, for a game that old, and the atmosphere is perfect!”

  • atmosphere

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is well-crafted through audio design that enhances the arcade feel, complemented by diverse and immersive settings ranging from the vast emptiness of space to the hostile, underwater environments of the alien world Zile.

    • “Audio design reinforces the arcade atmosphere.”
    • “The settings are diverse and atmospheric, from the vast emptiness of space to the hostile alien world of Zile and its underwater environments.”

  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers strong replayability through multiple difficulty settings and the opportunity to experiment with different power-ups and strategies.

    • “The different difficulty settings and the ability to experiment with various power-ups and strategies give the game solid replay value.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game typically requires a secondary character or life to be effective, indicating it may be time-consuming or challenging to progress without additional resources.

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly without any noticeable bugs since its release.

    • “This game is pretty much exactly the same as when it was released, haven't noticed any bugs as of yet, and it seems to run smoothly.”
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Critic Reviews

80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Stargunner is a arcade shooter game with science fiction theme. Common tags for Stargunner include free to play, science, classic, 2d, space and others.

Stargunner is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, Linux and others.

Stargunner was released on May 5, 2014.

Stargunner was developed by Apogee Entertainment.

Stargunner has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Stargunner for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Stargunner is a single player game.

Similar games include 1993 Space Machine, Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo, Syder Arcade, DRAINUS, Enemy Mind and others.