Starlight Inception

About

In Starlight Inception, play as a United Star Force pilot defending Earth and its colonies from the Non-Aligned Nations in World War IV. With a variety of customizable spacefighters, bombers, and transports at your disposal, complete missions in both first and third-person perspectives across the inner and outer planets. This game offers a unique blend of action and exploration in a relevant space combat experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

17%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

music3 positive mentions

graphics6 negative mentions

The game has a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic space combat games like Wing Commander and Freespace.
Some players appreciate the effort put into the ship models and the overall concept of the game.
There are moments where the game can be enjoyable, especially for fans of the genre who are willing to overlook its flaws.

The game suffers from poor controls, clunky mechanics, and a lack of polish, making it frustrating to play.
Many players report significant bugs and performance issues, leading to an unplayable experience.
The campaign is criticized for being generic and lacking depth, with missions that feel repetitive and uninspired.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
85%
8%
The story of the game has been widely criticized for being bland and unengaging, with many players finding it generic and repetitive. While some appreciate the concept of a conflict between Earth and extraterrestrial colonies, the execution feels hollow, with missions lacking meaningful narrative progression and often feeling tedious. Additionally, the integration of walking sequences between missions is seen as unnecessary and detracting from the overall experience.
- “With an interesting story that bounces between helping your family against a rival business and being a rebel alliance pilot.”
- “The conflict manifests as World War IV (World War III playing a role in the game's backstory) and the player fights for Earth's United Star Force.”
- “From what I understand of the exposition between missions, a military documentary on World War IV is interviewing service members about their role and lives.”
- “Absolutely not, there are clunky games that are fun, there are bad games that are fun, even some boring games can be fun in a casual setup, but this one is not any of them. Every hour that I clocked in this game was spent in hopes that the mission would end quickly so that I could try to advance the plot, but there's no plot, at least not one that I had the patience to witness.”
- “As much as I can tell, the narrative is a generic sci-fi story about conflict between humans living on/from Earth and humans from extraterrestrial colonies.”
- “The story is bland and sometimes horrific to even know what the hell you're doing. Walking around the ship is a cool feature, but it feels like taking a trip back to the mid-2000s with textures that remind you of old 3D software.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
40%
40%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as outdated and underwhelming compared to contemporary titles, particularly for a game developed simultaneously for the PS Vita. While some players find the graphics acceptable for the price point, others criticize the lack of graphical options, poor draw distance, and overall generic appearance. Overall, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the visual quality, suggesting it does not meet modern gaming standards.
- “Beautiful graphics.”
- “The graphics look good, the sound is okay and for 10 bucks you get a very solid game already.”
- “The graphics are acceptable for $20.”
- “Very outdated graphics.”
- “The graphics are underwhelming compared to contemporary entries in the genre, even relative to other indie space sims such as Wings of St.”
- “It flickers, it has horrible draw distance and the graphical fidelity is... indie.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay has received significant criticism for being dull and unengaging, with many users noting issues such as poor controls, frustrating flight mechanics, and a lack of polish in the core gameplay loop. While some acknowledge that the developers are aware of these problems and are actively working on improvements, the overall sentiment suggests that the game currently falls short of expectations, particularly in comparison to better titles in the genre.
- “Surely the first step is to make sure the main gameplay loop is fun over and over.”
- “Good news, the developers are well aware of the problems and are constantly working to improve and fix gameplay issues.”
- “I forgot about it for a while in the hopes that when it got released on Steam as a full release, that the feedback would be taken on board and they would really sit down and take a long look to tweak the gameplay and make sure the PC version felt and played like a PC game.”
- “As I say in my video, it seems that the gameplay was implemented quite late and never really looked at again.”
- “But the core gameplay is still dull and not engaging; the laser fire still bends a crazy amount with auto-aim style.”
- “The flight mechanics are disturbing at times as you find yourself struggling to get the ship to right itself on a trajectory.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The optimization of Starlight Inception is widely criticized, with users reporting poor controls, laggy mouse responsiveness, and unacceptable performance levels, particularly following a recent update that rendered the game unplayable on some systems. Overall, the game's optimization issues significantly detract from the experience.
- “A recent update to the game rendered it unplayable on my PC, killing what had been acceptable performance.”
- “Mouse feels laggy and optimization is poor at this stage.”
- “Last but not least: the performance is not acceptable.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and overall low quality, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The game is plagued with bugs and crashes, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced frequent freezes and glitches that ruined my gaming experience.”
- “The overall stability is poor; I can't enjoy the game when it constantly crashes.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The music and sound effects in the game are generally well-received, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- “The music and sound effects are fantastic, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “The soundtrack is incredibly immersive and perfectly complements the gameplay.”
- “The variety of music tracks keeps the game fresh and engaging throughout.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The atmosphere of the game is primarily driven by its intriguing premise and engaging gameplay, rather than its average graphics or realistic physics. Players find themselves immersed in the experience, suggesting that the game's concept and mechanics effectively create a captivating environment.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into a world that feels both vast and intimate at the same time.”
- “Every sound and visual detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful environment that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
- “The game's atmosphere is rich and layered, making every moment feel significant and filled with tension.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected from a game set in such a vast universe.”
- “Despite the intriguing premise, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to evoke any sense of wonder or excitement.”
- “The game's environment feels lifeless, making it hard to get lost in the experience or feel any connection to the world.”