Starr Mazer: DSP
- August 26, 2016
- Subpixel Studios
Get on Steam"Starr Mazer: DSP is a single-player Science Fiction Action game with outstanding gameplay, awesome graphics, and a wonderful soundtrack. In this side-scrolling shoot'em up, you control a squadron of pilots with diverse skills and weapons, battling through nine intense levels to take down the G'ell Super Ship. The roguelike twist on the lives/continues system, combined with the ever-evolving SK:ORE system, ensures that the fight never ends."
Reviews
- Great retro graphics and music that evoke nostalgia for classic shoot 'em ups.
- Unique gameplay mechanics with a roguelike twist, allowing players to buy new pilots as lives, adding depth and replayability.
- Challenging yet fair difficulty that encourages players to improve and try different strategies.
- The game has been in Early Access for a long time with little progress, leading to concerns about its future development.
- Some players report issues with hit detection and collision, making gameplay frustrating at times.
- Limited content currently available, with only one act playable, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
- music61 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its catchy and energetic soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly for its retro and synthwave influences. However, some players find the music repetitive and forgettable, suggesting that it could benefit from more variety and additional tracks. Overall, while the current soundtrack is generally well-received, it is noted that it has undergone changes due to copyright issues, leading to some uncertainty about its quality compared to the original.
“The game offers some very retro gameplay and graphics, topped off with some really challenging difficulty but gives you that feeling of 'just one more' and has some fantastic catchy music even though it's changed since the copyright incident.”
“A fantastic take on the shmup genre by introducing entire squadrons as opposed to lives gameplay, with era aesthetics and a synthwave soundtrack to match.”
“The music, effects, voices, pixel art, and gameplay all come together to create an outstanding experience; I have a handful of much more expensive shmups in my library, and none of them are this fun.”
“Audio design is perhaps the worst part of the game, with a forgettable soundtrack and very lousy sound effects.”
“Muting the game entirely and playing your own music is pretty much a must.”
“While I can say that the current music fits the theming of the game, I can't really call it excellent.”
- gameplay52 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fluidity, engaging mechanics, and nostalgic retro feel, with many players enjoying the unique roguelike elements and character-driven pilots. However, some criticisms include a lack of clarity in certain mechanics, such as the health bar, and a repetitive nature that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game successfully combines catchy music, appealing graphics, and solid controls, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.
“The gameplay is fun, the presentation is cool, exciting, and enthralling as a throwback to old 16-bit era shoot-em-ups.”
“The gameplay itself is fluid; you learn quickly how to play and what to do.”
“The music, effects, voices, pixel art, and gameplay all come together to create an outstanding experience; I have a handful of much more expensive shmups in my library, and none of them are this fun.”
“The gameplay decision to reset the entire game on loss is annoying and sucks out the fun.”
“Definitely buy on sale too; gameplay is both a little slow and a little repetitive.”
“However, the gameplay mechanics are somewhat obscure, for example, how the health bar works.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their outstanding artwork, vibrant pixel art, and retro aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for classic arcade games. Many reviewers highlight the colorful visuals, detailed environments, and engaging character designs, while some note a modern twist that enhances the overall experience. However, a few critiques mention that the graphics may feel simplistic or dated to those familiar with more advanced visuals, yet the overall presentation remains appealing and well-executed.
“Outstanding artwork with large cities, parallax scrolling, and varied enemies.”
“The graphics are colorful and bright, with the stages showing some variation (night/day) between runs.”
“Excellent music, amazing graphics, high detail and polish to just about everything.”
“Large pixel-y graphics.”
“Graphics: 6 meh, I lived through 8-bit; it's not all that, kinda lazy in my opinion.”
“In all, I probably would have passed over this one due to the graphics if it were not for the issues the studio faced, but I'm glad I did find this game.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story is considered mediocre, but it effectively uses humor and character to enhance the overall experience, particularly in a genre that typically lacks depth. The unique mechanic of losing hired pilots instead of lives adds a fresh twist, and the lighthearted banter among the pilots, referencing pop culture, contributes to an engaging atmosphere that leaves players wanting more narrative depth.
“Any cracks in the overall storyline are filled in well with humor and character. This game captures the atmosphere and humor to fill those cracks.”
“Makes me want to play the full story game even more!”
“Game is good, just needs a better OST, mediocre story, and a faster pace.”
“The pilots on the way to their doom are chipper in their own right, quoting from great works such as Firefly and Duke Nukem as they go about their hopeless mission of death.”
“Any cracks in the overall storyline are filled in well with humor and character; not that a roguelike (Nethack anyone?) has a whole lot of story in general, but this game captures the atmosphere and humor to fill those cracks.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the entertaining quips from the pilots and the engaging voice acting, particularly from unique character types like the jersey girl and dudebro variants. While the humor can become repetitive for skilled players, it effectively fills narrative gaps in the otherwise light storyline, contributing to the game's overall atmosphere. Players appreciate the combination of funny dialogue and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the experience.
“Any cracks in the overall storyline are filled in well with humor and character. This game captures the atmosphere and humor to fill those cracks.”
“The voice acting is legitimately funny: I especially like the Jersey girl pilot and the dudebro variant.”
“There's even some good humor here and there as the pilots and your commander, a cat, say a variety of interesting lines as things go mad-crazy around you.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been positively noted, particularly in relation to performance on the Steam Deck, where users share experiences and recommendations. The game's mechanics, such as death as progression and reward scaling, are also tied to its performance optimization.
“Death as progression and reward scaling up with performance.”
“If you liked this review (or even if you didn't), consider joining the nt2g group for more reviews and recommendations, including discussions where we try to share our experiences on game performance on the Steam Deck.”
“The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“Despite its potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
“I was disappointed to find that even on high-end hardware, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its humor and character, effectively compensating for any narrative gaps typical of rogue-like titles. The music and voice acting of the pilots complement the overall ambiance, maintaining freshness even through repeated gameplay.
“Any cracks in the overall storyline are filled in well with humor and character. This game captures the atmosphere and humor to fill those gaps.”
“The music and the voices of each pilot mesh well with the game's atmosphere and don't reach the point of repetition nausea, even after repeating the same level multiple times.”
“The music and the voices of each pilot mesh well with the game's atmosphere and don't reach the point of repetition nausea, even after repeating the same level over and over.”
“Any cracks in the overall storyline are filled in well with humor and character. While a rogue-like (Nethack anyone?) doesn't have a lot of story in general, this game captures the atmosphere and humor to fill those gaps.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game's high replayability, noting that it remains enjoyable and engaging even after multiple playthroughs.
“Ultimately, this is a very fun game with a lot of replay value.”
“Great replayability.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs reported by users, leading to concerns that no fixes will be implemented in the future.
“The game is extremely buggy, and most likely no fix is ever coming.”
“I experience frequent crashes that make it nearly unplayable.”
“The stability issues ruin the overall experience; I can't enjoy the game when it keeps freezing.”
