Starry Nights: Helix

About

"Starry Nights: Helix" is a retro-style side-scrolling shooting game with four protagonists, SOA, BLUE, ECO, and JOSHUA, each with unique storylines. The game features vibrant stage designs and challenging bosses, as well as a variety of original attack skills for each hero. As the game progresses, players will be immersed in the unfolding reality of the mysterious vortex that has appeared in the city center.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

music5 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The art and character design are fantastic, with colorful graphics and appealing visuals.
The soundtrack is enjoyable and adds to the overall experience of the game.
The game offers a challenging experience with a steep learning curve, making it engaging for players who enjoy bullet hell games.

Gameplay suffers from issues such as overly fast character movement and unclear hitboxes, leading to frustrating experiences.
Visual clarity is compromised due to the main character's projectiles obscuring enemy attacks, creating a chaotic screen.
The game lacks a save feature during play sessions, forcing players to restart from the beginning if they quit, which is particularly frustrating in a story-driven game.

story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story in "Starry Night: Helix" attempts to provide a narrative-driven experience typical of shmups, featuring dialogue sections and character backstories. However, the poorly worded translations and grammatical errors hinder player engagement, making it difficult to connect with the characters or fully grasp the story. While the characters are deemed cute and have unique gameplay features, the overall narrative feels lacking and somewhat tedious.
- “High score, and a full story playthrough (in one sitting) is expected.”
- “Each of them has its own gameplay features and story line.”
- “The characters are interesting enough but the poor translation makes it a bit difficult to fully connect with the characters or even understand the story.”
- “Now this is not an uncommon thing for shmups to do; but since Starry Night: Helix presents itself as a story-driven shmup experience, as evident with the dialogue sections before and after each level (albeit with poorly worded sentences that are full of grammatical errors), the overall feeling of the game is also more boring and lengthy thanks to its difficulty. I believe progression saving was totally necessary here.”
- “The characters are interesting enough, but the poor translation makes it a bit difficult to fully connect with the characters or even understand the story.”
- “The characters are cute, but there's not much to the story.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting the enjoyable and pleasant soundtrack that complements the colorful graphics and engaging stage themes. However, some note that while the audio experience is strong, it does not fully compensate for the gameplay's shortcomings. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature.
- “The art is fantastic and I really dig the soundtrack.”
- “Pros: colorful graphics, interesting characters, fun stage themes, decent soundtrack.”
- “Not too easy and not too difficult 'bullet hell' with nice graphics and soundtrack.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The graphics in the game are praised for their colorful and vibrant design, featuring interesting characters and fun stage themes. However, some users noted that the graphic resolution settings can only be adjusted after character selection, which may be inconvenient. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's appeal, complementing its engaging soundtrack.
- “I enjoyed the characters and colorful graphics, but the game is way too difficult in comparison to other shoot 'em ups such as Death Smiles or Gundeadligne.”
- “Pros: colorful graphics, interesting characters, fun stage themes, decent soundtrack.”
- “Not too easy and not too difficult 'bullet hell' with nice graphics and soundtrack.”
- “In-game graphic resolution settings can only be adjusted after character selection?”
- “The graphics look outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
- “The textures are low quality, which detracts from the overall visual experience.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The gameplay has been criticized for lacking the same quality as the art and soundtrack, suffering from significant issues despite each character offering unique features and storylines.
- “But the gameplay?”
- “Each of them has its own gameplay features and storyline.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers appreciate the character development in the game, highlighting the appealing design of both the main character and the enemies, which enhances the overall narrative and engagement.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with both the main character and the enemies.”
- “I love how the character arcs evolve throughout the game, making every decision feel impactful.”
- “The depth of the characters' backstories adds layers to the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.”