2013: Starchaser

Interesting indie game time? Interesting indie game time.

I’m a big fan of the doujin (independently-developed) games that Playism brings to the West. Japanese indie games have a very distinctive character about them; they’re rarely the most technically impressive games in the world (though there are exceptions, like wonderfully gorgeous shoot ’em up Astebreed) but it’s rare to find one that doesn’t feel like it’s been infused with heart, soul and love. The doujin culture in Japan breeds people who are passionate and enthusiastic about their work; these aren’t people who are making games to prove a point, these are people who are making games because they love making games.

One of Playism’s most recent releases is a peculiar little platformer called Starchaser: Priestess of the Night Sky. This is the work of a doujin circle called Nonlinear, and the designer’s philosophy behind the game is an interesting one: he wanted to make a 3D game where the concept of 3D actually mattered. He has a point; there’s a lot of games out there that are presented in 3D, but which actually only practically play in two dimensions at once. Even renowned games like Super Mario 3D Land/World tend to only have the player worrying about two dimensions at a time for the most part; it’s rare you have to worry about the width, length and height of an environment at the same time in a Mario game, and that format works well for its accessible, family-friendly formula.

Starchaser, then, takes a slightly different approach to 3D platforming. Unfolding through a series of levels on both the inside and outside faces of a series of cubes, you control a young girl as she learns to commune with the stars by navigating through several perilous labyrinths of these cubes. The game starts very simple, but it’s not long before it introduces one of its core mechanics: gravity floors. These checkerboard cubes have their own gravitational pull, so if you’re airborne (through jumping, falling or walking off the side of something) you’ll be sucked towards the nearest one if you’re within its zone of influence. This may well be at a completely different angle to where you were standing a moment ago; Starchaser’s levels unfold making full use of all three dimensions, and you’ll have to look around in every direction carefully to negotiate a pathway towards your destination, making quick-witted use of the gravity mechanic and more conventional platform skills in order to survive.

It’s actually a really delightful game to play. It reminds me somewhat of PS1-era puzzlers like Kula World, Kurushi Final and the like. At least part of this is due to its somewhat… functional presentation (it won’t run in 1920×1080, and it won’t exceed 30 frames per second) but even with its (apparently deliberate) technical limitations, it’s a joy to play, once you get used to the peculiar control scheme. It’s a very distinctive, original take on the 3D platformer, and a great game to dip in and out of when you fancy banging your brain against some fiendish environmental puzzles and enjoyable boss fights.

Starchaser is available now either direct from Playism or on Steam — buy on Playism and you get a Steam key for free.