Starward Rogue
- January 20, 2016
- Arcen Games
- 7h median play time
Starward Rogue is a complete title and is worth playing if you are a fan of roguelike games. It may not be a masterpiece, but it belongs next to other great games in the genre and it will sure to have you stuck playing it for hours.
Get on Steam"Starward Rogue" is a twin-stick shooter roguelite where you play as a "head in a mech" from the neck of a Space Hydra. Explore evolving catacombs, choose from 9 starting mechs with unique abilities, and encounter 150+ enemies across 500+ rooms. Level up and buy upgrades through the perk system to create varied builds. Play with keyboard+mouse or gamepad.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Starward Rogue combines bullet hell mechanics with roguelike elements, offering a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The game features a variety of mechs, each with distinct abilities and playstyles, enhancing replayability.
- The graphics and sound design create an immersive atmosphere, with colorful visuals and a catchy soundtrack.
- The game can be overwhelming at times, with many bullets on screen making it difficult to distinguish between player and enemy projectiles.
- Some players find the tutorial lengthy and not very informative, leading to confusion about gameplay mechanics.
- There are reports of balance issues, particularly with certain enemies being too difficult or bullet sponge-like.
- music154 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its catchy and energetic techno soundtrack that complements the gameplay. However, several reviews note that the soundtrack can become repetitive due to a limited number of tracks, leading to a desire for more variety. Overall, while the music enhances the game's atmosphere and pacing, some players feel it could benefit from additional tracks to maintain freshness during longer play sessions.
“The music is some of the best I've heard in any game, to the point where I paused the game and figured it out on my keyboard (all in C minor, in case you were wondering).”
“The general mix of exploration, upgrading, and combat are fleshed out and dialed in to provide what I consider to be near perfect pacing, and it is all backed up by the rare soundtrack that I actually turn up.”
“A pumping soundtrack helps keep you moving at breakneck speed as you look for the next boss to thrash.”
“The music track does not change thematically much from room to room.”
“There are, like, 4-6 different loops (not including the boss music) that play during the different floors, and it gets kind of tiring after a while.”
“The music in this game is particularly awful, especially compared to the beauty of Isaac's soundtrack.”
- gameplay114 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fun mechanics, engaging roguelike elements, and smooth controls, while others criticize it for being generic or poorly designed in certain aspects. Many players appreciate the variety of enemies and the challenge they present, particularly in bullet-hell scenarios, but some find the overall experience lacking in depth or compelling narrative. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable mechanics and chaotic action, appealing to fans of the genre despite some design flaws.
“Awesome game with fun game mechanics.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's really refined.”
“Fast, frantic, chaotic gameplay that will keep you on the edge of your seat with the permadeath.”
“The visual design is, quite frankly, horrific, and the gameplay suffers because of it.”
“Not worth it, there's some fun to be had but stupidly designed mechanics make it unfair and unfun after a while.”
“Some room and obstacle design slows down gameplay more than I'd like.”
- graphics88 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them functional yet reminiscent of flash games, while others appreciate the vibrant and crisp 2D visuals that enhance gameplay. Although there are mentions of glitches and an overwhelming UI, many agree that the graphics effectively support the game's theme and mechanics, making it enjoyable overall. While not universally appealing, the graphical style is often described as simple but effective, with distinct backgrounds and intuitive elements that contribute to the overall experience.
“The graphical style is crisp and clean, with nice bright bullets that make shooting and dodging intuitive.”
“The visuals are crisp and the juxtaposition of the dark (but detailed) backgrounds with the searing bursts of neon fire from enemies just works beautifully.”
“The graphics are solid, functional, and vibrant.”
“Graphics are okish, but they feel like flash game graphics, to be honest.”
“- Unappealing graphics (as with all 2D games from Arcen).”
“Honestly, the graphics turned me off a bit when I first discovered this title, but since it came highly recommended by a befriended shmup'o'holic, I decided to give it a try.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, with players praising its challenging mechanics, diverse character options, and extensive customization features. The inclusion of randomization, adjustable difficulty, and various mech suits enhances the experience, allowing for countless unique playthroughs. Overall, it offers an engaging experience that encourages players to return repeatedly, making it ideal for both short sessions and longer gameplay.
“With six different mechs to try and a variety of enemies and power-ups, there is a lot of replayability.”
“There's a good deal of replayability with randomization, and you can turn the difficulty up or down to suit what you can handle.”
“Selectable characters, adjustable difficulty, and some freedom of choice within the game to customize your build add up to a game with quite a lot of replayability, and potentially a lot of challenge.”
“Replay value and challenge.”
“Selectable characters, adjustable difficulty, and some freedom of choice within the game to customize your build adds up to a game with quite a lot of replayability, and potentially a lot of challenge.”
“Lot of replayability.”
- story28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being weak and generic, with many players noting that it fails to develop after an intriguing start. While some appreciate the gameplay, they feel the lack of a compelling narrative detracts from the overall experience. Developers are reportedly aware of these shortcomings and are considering improvements for future installments.
“Genuinely wasn't sure about this game despite Arcen's other games (almost) universally being amazing and really wanting to see the story of the last hydral continue.”
“The plot is straight out of God Hand; the game itself is so good, so fundamentally satisfying to play, that it doesn't even need a real story.”
“+ cool storyline”
“This game has almost no story; the charm is based on gameplay alone.”
“Almost non-existent plot with little to no execution.”
“The only flaws I can see are these: story, which has been mentioned before on the forums, and Arcen says they're aware of the lack in story and are working on that, so it's not a concern.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding can be tedious, particularly due to lengthy tutorials that fail to provide essential knowledge. However, recent updates have improved the experience by eliminating unnecessary backtracking, enhancing the overall pacing of the game.
“Such a lengthy and tedious tutorial that doesn't even teach you what you need to know.”
“Together, these features completely eliminate tedious backtracking, leading to a much better pace.”
“- room connections sometimes force tedious backtracking (addressed via 'backtracking teleporters' as of 06.08.2016)”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features appealing graphics and a unique visual style, but players have reported occasional glitches that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the gameplay remains enjoyable.
“The game offers some pleasant graphics and graphical style, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
“The game has a lot of potential, but frequent crashes and bugs make it frustrating to play.”
“I encountered several stability issues that disrupted my gaming experience, including random freezes and crashes.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the excellent soundtrack that complements the overall experience. The combination of engaging mechanics and fitting music contributes to a captivating and immersive environment.
“Great atmosphere, great soundtrack, great mechanics.”
“They're all good songs, and fit the game's atmosphere well.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as unintentional, particularly highlighted by the lackluster boss intros, which feature a simple still sprite zooming in before battles, undermining the tension and resulting in a comedic effect.
“The boss intros are hilariously lackluster, featuring just a still sprite that zooms in toward the camera for a second before you jump into the fight, which really undercuts the tension of the upcoming battle.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers extensive optimization options, allowing players to individually adjust sound settings and providing a variety of graphics and performance configurations to enhance their experience.
“All aspects of the sound can be adjusted individually in the options menu, and there are plenty of options for graphics and performance, too.”
