StarDrone, the latest downloadable from Beatshapers, was something of a surprise. It seemed to land out of the blue, with little build up and even less fanfare, onto the PlayStation Network Store. It follows some reasonably solid releases from the Ukrainian studio in the form of Enigmo and BreakQuest so there is a certain pedigree for it to live up to.
Like all great puzzle games, StarDrone is deceptively complex and can be utterly compelling. It’s the sort of game that you can load up for a quick ten minute burst of play only to then spend a couple of hours trying to perfect techniques and beat high scores.
[drop]The premise is simple, you must fire a drone into the level in a similar way to a pinball plunger. It will continuously drift in whatever direction it is cast until it meets some element of the level. In this regard, it’s very similar to a pinball game. There are even bumpers and rails in certain places as well as elements that rush you through sections like a pinball machine’s kicker pads and tracks might. Breakable rock fields and keycard-activated electric barriers further complicate matters too.In addition to the elements that ape similar mechanisms from a pinball table, you have hubs placed around the levels which act as slingshots for your drone. You can grab the drone at any time it’s close to one of these hubs and it will immediately start swinging the tethered drone like a ball on a rope until you release the button and watch the drone fly away in whatever direction momentum carries it. This element of the game is the way you must direct the drone away from perils and towards the stars and gems you need to collect , areas you need to reach or enemies you need to kill in order to finish certain levels.
Each level is precisely designed and built so that it is usually reasonably easy to achieve the completion requirements and finish the level. Sometimes this means collecting all the stars, sometimes gathering up gems and returning them to fill a large star and sometimes you have to destroy all enemies or simply cross a finish line.
Completing a level is only part of the battle though. Each level has a target time which is incredibly tricky to meet. So you will find yourself trying to plot routes and perfect your timing in an effort to get closer to that target time. Naturally, your friends list’s high achievers are also listed for each level you encounter. This top ten leader board (as well as global leader boards) shows you what you’re aiming for to claim those bragging rights and, as ever, hold the potential for some heated competition.
[drop2]Beatshapers are obviously confident in the mechanics of the game as once or twice, fairly early on, there are levels thrown at you which can easily become die-and-retry nightmares taking a dozen frustrated restarts to conquer. Stick with it, or level select to one of the later levels (you unlock a few ahead of your current level so this is always an option) and you’re back to some relatively easy levels. Often, success in the hardest levels felt more like a fluke than actual skill and even when we’d passed the level once, we couldn’t replicate that success later.The game is also fully Move compatible and this control system completely changes the way it’s played. What is a fairly comfortable set of controls with a DualShock, similar to PixelJunk Eden crossed with a fairly a relaxed pinball game, becomes a nervous struggle for precision and expert timing as you use your Move wand like a laser pointer to direct an on screen cursor. Move support is a nice addition, and it certainly serves as an attractive way to show off the hardware, but ultimately it makes progression slightly too much of an endless struggle for pinpoint precision.
Pros:
- Great visuals.
- Responsive controls, perfect for the interesting mechanics.
- Compelling gameplay.
Cons:
- Move support makes the game a touch too difficult.
- Music sometimes seems to loop awkwardly.
spooferbarnabas
Hmm looks interesting, if i get funds in my PSN account soon i’ll have to consider it. By the way, if the music is ‘pumpimg’ would i be right to assume it’s dance music? If so that’d be good :)
colossalblue
yes, it’s dance music. It’s really simple though, not in the same league as the Shatter soundtrack, for example. Good enough but not much to it.
bunimomike
I. Am. Loving the visuals! I’m off to see if there’s a demo as that’ll look stellar in HighDef.
Thanks, Peter.
colossalblue
No demo yet, I don’t think, but it is only £3.15 to PSPlus members!
mynameisblair
Dammit, I doubt I’ll be home whilst the offer is still on :(
moshi
When does the offer end then.
bunimomike
Looked good but I’d really like a demo to win me over. I’m not a PS+ subscriber so will sit tight for now.
Demos, Sony, DEMOS! Make them all produce demos!
amiga_dude
Demos cost.
The publisher has to pay per GB download to Sony, it not a free service. And only Sony can host the file for download on PSN.
So as publisher you have way up the pro’s and con’s. And think are going to make a profit if everyone downloads it.
bunimomike
Good to know. Will it pay for itself if they have a demo available? I’d like to think so. Especially with positive reviews. Also, it’s not a big game (in resources) so shouldn’t take too much bandwidth.
aerobes
If that is indeed the case, do all XBLA games pay or do Microsoft pay for them to make put up demos?
Even though it costs, I still think demos for every PSN game is the way forward.
kivi95
The offer is ending 3rd April.
moshi
Just from the small info box I’m sold.
aerobes
I thought that. Eden and Shatter are two of my favourite PSN games.
aerobes
I think I have little choice but to take advantage of this with my PS+ subscription ending today.
Voganlight
Very good review. You hit it right on the head, you can play it for a couple of minutes or hours.
Beatshapers
StarDrone US date is 5 of April, taking part of Spring Fever promo.
colossalblue
Thanks, I’ve fixed the info box to reflect this.
matthangzhou
Thanks for including the price of the game :-) and the move discount details.
dude90
Nice review, don’t suppose you can mention this for me:
http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/03/18/japan-tsunami-appeal-on-psn/comment-page-3/#comments
Smallville2106
Those screens look great. Thanks for the review. I might pick it up while it’s on offer with PS+
Beatshapers
Shall we do codes giveaway?)
bunimomike
I’ll answer that. Yes please! *waits with open hands*
aerobes
Rats! I just bought it! lol
But yes, emphatically, yes. No better way in my experience than to promote via word of mouth. The more hands this little beaut of a game makes its way into, the better.