It’s no secret that I am a huge anime fan. I have watched all kinds of anime and know a good amount of the Japanese culture. So it feels like Stardust Galaxy Warriors was made especially for someone that is into the same culture, although it is a lot more basic in its references than other parodies. It references the most basic tropes in old style anime and games, and the gameplay itself is actually really good. It verges right on the edge of a side scrolling arcade shooter and a bullet hell, which the latter itself is also a genre very popular in Japan.
The game itself is very fun; it has a total of 5 different mechs to play that each have their own special abilities and super abilities. The game seems to be designed around four players, as two of the mechs are designed for support abilities and seem to be more useful with more players. They don’t seem to hold up too well on single player alone. One of the game’s biggest weaknesses, however, is that it does not have online co-operative play. For a game that revolves around multiplayer, this is quite a blow, as I never got to experience it in four player, simply because I didn’t have three other people at the ready in order to be able to play the game.
The main mode is Story Mode that has New Game+ afterward, which can be beaten in around three hours – a good length if you keep at pace for that long. There is also a Gauntlet Mode that lets you fight an infinite wave of enemies and unique challenges, which can keep the gameplay up after you have completed the story. There is a good amount of content here for the price you pay and I think it’s very much worth it. The guns are varied, with you being able to select a primary and secondary gun to use. They vary a lot as well, and there is enough choice to find your own style in the two you elect to use. Stardust Galaxy Warriors leaves it up to you to decide which guns and mechs work best for your style of play. I personally found myself utilizing the speedy Silver Wolf mech for its dashing ability with the minigun and homing missiles, simply because I felt like it was the easiest combination for me to use.
The 3D graphics in the game are actually very well done; the particle effects for shots and enemies are actually well constructed and good looking, and the game looks great running in 1080p. The mechs look awesome, even if they are pretty small in the game itself. Still, Dreamloop Games made sure to put a lot of effort into how they look. The models are very detailed and the overall look is fantastic! The enemies are well detailed, although basic, and some of the models are reused a few times, which was disappointing, but they still held up well for an indie developed game.
The sound in the game is quite basic, but it nonetheless catchy. It does get repetitive after a while, but that doesn’t mean the game music was particularly bad, it was competent enough, but it simply didn’t jump out at me. This is not a weakness of the game music itself; I simply end up tuning out the music if it repeats long enough. So while basic, the game music is good, and you can even download the tracks with the game if you so choose.
The game’s dialogue is gold, and while the story itself is nothing grand, the dialogue had my sides hurting. The game is super meta and really funny, with it playing on itself with all kinds of tropes and quips. Stardust Galaxy Warriors never takes itself seriously and that’s what makes it so endearing and funny. It ensures the game stands out, purely because of the comedy in play and that brings the game score up for me.
So all in all, Stardust Galaxy Warriors is a well done arcade shooter, with just enough variety and gameplay to keep you going, and enough funny dialogue to keep you laughing. The graphics are beautiful, and the game will keep you going with a fair challenge, but will never feel ridiculously unfair. The dialogue will keep you laughing with the game’s sheer absurdity, and I was laughing until the last level.
A PC Review Code for Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax was provided by Dreamloop Games for the purpose of this review