|
I am a big
sucker for space games, especially those that put me in a cool ship
to blast down aliens and other assorted bad-guys. So, when a startup
developer Moonpod decided to create just that, a space game where I
get to shoot alien scum, I just HAD to get all over it.
For a bit of background, Starscape is the very definition of an
old-school shooter, except you aren’t limited in flying in one
direction. Well, on to the actual review.
Graphics – 2D, Yet Decent
Well, it’s not really entirely 2D. The environments, like ships,
enemies, and random asteroids, are all in 2D. They are fairly well
done and capture the old school shooter feel. What is rather
impressive are the effects. On top of the somewhat basic 2D models
are 3D effects you would expect from a top of the line space sim.
Laser blasts, explosions, missile trails, and your engine draft are
colorful and light up the screen. Also, the Mothership and the other
larger objects in the game, like enemy bases, are also done in a
form of 3D. It oddly blends in well in the top-down shooter. It is
not overall the loveliest thing on the market, but the interesting
mix of new and old technology is creative.
Sounds – They work
Nothing really big to report here. You have your standard laser
shots, explosions and ship movement sounds. Nothing impressive, but
it allows you to hear your environment. Not bad, not astounding, but
they work.
Music is pretty good though and works well with the whole space
theme.
Gameplay – Tough to get used to
While the gameplay is smooth and impressive, the control part is a
bit tough to get used too. Fortunately, Starscape has a good
tutorial, and fits into the story to boot, to get you started.
Still, it took me a good hour to really get used to the controls.
This is how they work, to give you an idea. There is no mouse, so
everything goes back to the glory days of DOS. Movement is done
entirely with the directional keys. Turn, forward, and backward.
Your standard laser attack is with the Q key, W for missiles, and E
for your mining beam. You also use R, but that is to dock and move
your mothership around. Beyond that, there aren’t any other keys
really used. So, combine this with a bit of a physics system (simply
releasing the move key doesn’t stop you), it is a pain for a bit,
but once you get used to it, it is actually fluid. It is amazing how
spoiled I got by the mouse.
Now, the other portion of gameplay is resource gathering and
research.
First, resource gathering. This isn’t your typical resource
gathering that you would expect. There is only one of you, and your
job is to shoot asteroids, suck in what comes out, and return to
your ship. Problem is…you aren’t alone. The enemy is also out there,
constantly, to hound you in your quest, so you have to work smart to
get resources in a hostile environment. To make things worse,
resources aren’t exactly abundant, nor do they regenerate (other
than a couple of places I discovered through my travels, but then
again, they usually don’t have large quantities of the specific
resource I am looking for). And to make things EVEN worse, the enemy
is also harvesting resources for itself, so you have to fight them
and beat them to the deposits, as well as take down their own
gatherer, a huge ship, to slow them down. Resource gathering is
hectic and very entertaining, and not just sitting and hitting a
mining beam in a safe location. Even the one that seem safe have
their hidden dangers.
Now, once you gathered these resources, what next? Well, time to
research new technology and build yourself some better stuff. You
have a limited number of people to work on things, and finding a
safe place to do your research is not easy. Starting any building or
research projects requires you to be in hyperspace. Then, by
accessing your research screen, you can then decide what projects to
start. After you start them, you can simply skip time, in which case
you can be pulled out of hyperspace and get attacked, or sit in
space to let it work in real time while gathering more resources, in
which case you can get attacked. Either way, it is not safe.
Another good move is the large number of areas to visit. All you
have to do is jump into hyperspace and move on to the next area,
which you can visit, get pulled into by bad guys, or move on.
Story – Good Stuff
The story of the game is partly in-game and partly done by a very
artful animated cut-scene. The cut-scenes aren’t like something
from, say, Final Fantasy, but they have a very unique art style. The
story, the part that won’t ruin the game for you anyway, goes like
this. You are part of a research team that flew 5 years into space
to conduct a sort of wormhole travel experiment. While conducting
the trial run, a big galactic oopsie pulled you into a sort of
pocket dimension filled with hostiles. To make things worse, your
wormhole drive was stolen by aliens and your crew was scattered to
the solar winds. It is up to you to find your crew and your drive
and get the heck out of this loony bin. It is well told and well
done in the game.
Loading, Stability, and Cost
Both of these are highly impressive. Loading and saving the game is
a snap of the fingers and I have not once crashed or locked up in
the game. This baby is fast and rock solid. And, considering its
relatively light system requirements, 300MHz and pretty much any
decent 3D accelerator, it isn’t going to give you a hard time.
Now, how much does this game cost? For the gameplay inside, not much
at all. You have two options to buy this. First, you can download
the game and insert a registration key, this method runs $24.95. Or,
you have the option of getting it in a standard CD format, which
runs $34.95. Either way, this game is a good deal for the level of
entertainment within.
Bottom Line
Apart from the initial learning curve, Starscape is a very artful
and quality title. It is challenging, fun, and immersive. This is
old school goodness through and through. I suggest anyone who likes
shooters or anything to do with space give this game a shot. You
shall be impressed.
|
