TWINKLE STAR SPRITES

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 60 reviews
  • gameplay
  • music
  • graphics
TWINKLE STAR SPRITES Game Cover
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Twinkle Star Sprites is a competitive 2D shooter game featuring cute characters and intense battles. Play in Arcade mode with 9 different characters, or embark on a journey with Lord Ran in Story mode. Challenge friends in Versus mode, or compete with players worldwide through Steam. The game also includes leaderboards and customizable settings for an enhanced experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Dreamcast
  • Sega Saturn
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews
gameplay6 positive mentions
optimization5 negative mentions
  • The game is fun, challenging, and features great character designs with a charming aesthetic.
  • It offers a unique blend of puzzle and shooter mechanics, providing deep gameplay that is enjoyable, especially in multiplayer.
  • The nostalgic value and replayability of the game are significant, making it a beloved classic for many players.
  • The port suffers from severe performance issues, including input lag, frame drops, and audio problems, making it frustrating to play.
  • Many players recommend avoiding this version in favor of better alternatives, such as emulators or other console ports, due to its poor emulation quality.
  • The multiplayer experience is lacking, with a dead online community and significant lag affecting gameplay.
  • gameplay16 mentions

    The gameplay is described as a unique blend of shooter and puzzle mechanics, reminiscent of titles like Puyo Puyo and Dr. Mario, offering a fun and challenging experience, especially in multiplayer. While players enjoy the depth and skill development involved, some report issues with gameplay slowdown that can hinder the experience. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging mechanics and the excitement of executing combos in a frantic, charming environment.

    • “Once you understand the game mechanics and have someone to play with, it's super fun and escalates quickly.”
    • “The addicting gameplay can get some people hooked, and it did for me; I expect long play sessions soon.”
    • “A frantic and very unique vs. bullet hell that's charming and actually very challenging with deep gameplay despite its cutesy demeanor.”
    • “But the slowdown during gameplay makes it unplayable.”
    • “You need fighting mechanics with an idea similar to Puyo Puyo!”
    • “Gameplay: so as a shooter, you obviously have your standard and charged shots, which can be upgraded by killing enemies, and you have screen-bombs when things get dicey.”
  • music13 mentions

    The music in the game is generally upbeat and fitting, enhancing the overall fun experience; however, it suffers from significant playback issues, including choppy sound, syncing problems with framerate, and instances of stuttering. While the soundtrack is colorful and occasionally epic, these audio glitches detract from the enjoyment, making it less polished compared to previous versions like the Dreamcast release. Overall, the music is a mixed bag, with a vibrant score overshadowed by technical shortcomings.

    • “The music is good too, just an overall fun time!”
    • “Sound and soundtrack: there is a very happy soundtrack that is upbeat and fitting to the game's style and mechanics.”
    • “Heck, the OST even goes epic when needed.”
    • “The music in menus and cutscenes will also slow down and start back up, and sounds very choppy.”
    • “Music plays poorly due to being synced with framerate (which never is stable even in the original game but works well there).”
    • “You'll face slowdowns that weren't in the original, odd speed ups, the music is off in many places as a result, and even the intro has glitches in it.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, overly cute, and colorful aesthetic reminiscent of old-school anime and pastel art styles. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and engaging character designs, which enhance the overall experience and contribute to the game's appeal. The combination of these elements creates a satisfying and frenetic atmosphere that complements the gameplay.

    • “Graphics and presentation: wow!”
    • “Funny, lovely aesthetics and characters, and of course really frenetic.”
    • “It's a combination of puzzle fighter and a vertical shooter that has an overly cute and nonsensical graphic style.”
    • “Insert an old-school anime, pastel art style and you have Twinkle Star Sprites.”
    • “The cute and colorful graphics and characters really give the game its charm.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and poor emulation quality in the Steam port. Many recommend purchasing the game from alternative platforms like GOG or Humble Bundle, where emulated versions offer better performance. Overall, the lack of testing and optimization in the native port has left players disappointed.

    • “Buy this on GOG or Humble Bundle instead, because those versions are an emulated ROM instead of this native port here, and you will be able to swap out the emulator it's running on to get good performance.”
    • “Whoever ported this game to Steam clearly didn't test it because it has horrendous performance issues.”
    • “No game this old should have stuttering.”
    • “Sure, the game is adorable and entertaining, but it has paid for itself so many times over since 1996 that releasing a digital-only straight emulation of the original with poor performance and without extra content, even extra content that was already made for previous remakes, is straight-up hungry ghost levels of greed.”
  • story5 mentions

    The story mode offers a basic narrative experience, but players noted a lack of polish and depth, as it simply loops back to the arcade's main menu after completion. While there are achievements tied to replaying the story, the overall replayability is limited, with few incentives beyond high scores in arcade mode.

    • “Also, after I beat story mode, I watched the credits and the game continued back to the real arcade ROM's splash menu where you choose between character mode, story mode, and vs, exposing just how this port works and how it lacks any kind of polish.”
    • “I had to beat the story mode a couple of times for the achievement to unlock.”
    • “Replayability: now with this game, you can go for a high score in arcade mode, and there is a story mode, and online, but besides that, there isn't much reason to go back.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers decent replayability through its arcade mode and online leaderboards, providing opportunities for high scores and achievements. However, the lack of a vibrant multiplayer scene limits its long-term appeal, making it less engaging for solo players after the initial experience. Overall, while there are some replayable elements, they may not sustain interest for extended periods.

    • “Other than that, you get Twinkle Star Sprites, an old versus-shmup from the NeoGeo library, which despite its genre, does serve us some chunks of single-player hours thanks to its replay value, which is even enhanced with the added online leaderboard.”
    • “So many hours of replay value.”
    • “Replayability: now with this game, you can go for a high score in arcade mode, and there is a story mode, and online, but besides that, there isn't much reason to go back.”
    • “Since multiplayer is dead, the game has little replay value besides achievements unless you have a friend to play.”
    • “Replayability: now with this game, you can go for a high score in arcade mode, and there is a story mode and online, but besides that, there isn't much reason to go back.”
    • “Other than that, you get twinkle star sprites, an old versus-shmup from the NeoGeo library, which despite its genre, does serve us some chunks of single-player hours thanks to its replay value, which is even enhanced with the added online leaderboard.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is severely compromised, with frequent freezes and slowdowns that disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences, such as appearing in harm's way after unfreezing. Additionally, achievements are buggy, causing further interruptions, and overall, the port suffers from numerous glitches that detract from the classic experience.

    • “Half of the time you lose is because the game froze for a second, making you appear somewhere else when it unfreezes, usually in the way of projectiles.”
    • “The game itself is a classic, but this is a very shoddy port. It's basically just the arcade ROM wrapped in a fancy menu and is very buggy.”
    • “The achievements are also buggy, and every time you unlock one, the game freezes for a second.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its frenetic and messy action, complemented by charming aesthetics and characters, resulting in a fun and hilarious experience.

    • “Funny, lovely aesthetics and characters, and of course really frenetic.”
    • “Versus shmup action that is messy, hilarious, fast-paced, and most importantly fun.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers appreciate the game's character development, highlighting the engaging and challenging gameplay alongside well-designed characters that enhance the overall experience.

    • “I love this game; it's fun and challenging with great character designs.”
    • “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form meaningful connections with each character.”
    • “Each character evolves throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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