Starward Rogue

Preliminary Note: I played Starward Rogue As an Alphatester and therefore already know all the Features before Release. Starward Rogue Is very much comparable to "The Binding of Isaac." The Gameplay is very similar, you control a Character through multiple Corridors and have to defeat a Boss on each Corridor to get on. On the last Floor, the Final Opponent waits. You can raise Money to buy Upgrades and other Items in Stores. Most Shops, however, you only have to open with Key Cards, so you have to open pretty much as in Isaac. But that's it with the Similarities, because while I never really thought Binding of Isaac was great, Starward Rogue captivates me properly. For one thing, you are not limited to being able to shoot in only 4 Directions, you can shoot in any Direction you show. There are 6 different Mechs to play with, each with a Main Weapon, a Secondary Weapon based on Energy and a Rocket Launcher that can blast structures and block bullets. Each Mech plays Uniquely differently, the "Standard Mech" White Gloss is a massive Tank that Endures a lot, the Redshift Mech lasts as long as you don't move or act, awesome when you want to dodge Opponents, but set yourself up for a long Game . In the Game, you will find new main or Secondary Weapons over Time. Main Weapons have an infinite amount of Ammunition, while Secondary Weapons require energy that regenerates Completely between Spaces. Each Weapon is unique and serves a specific Purpose in the Game, so the Hornet Nest is a very fast and scattering Main Attack with little Damage. Each Opponent you meet demands a different Tactic and can be divided into different Categories. There are Enemies who wait until you get too close before they get active, Opponents who haunt you, which ones can fire through Walls and much more. The Bosses in the Game in particular demand tactical Action. Each Boss has a fixed Pattern of attack that you need to master. Wallmaster sends you Wall beams that you have to avoid by moving up and Down, Centrifuge Shoots with Bullets that perform a spinning motion. During your Run, you will find Modules and Upgrades in addition to Weapons. Modules are kind of special Armor that assign you special Abilities, either you get less Damage or you leave Flames running. But You can only own one Module at a time. Upgrades, on the other hand, you can use as many as you find, usually you get them in the Shop against Credits. Upgrades increase your primary Values such as Life Points, Energy, damage, or Running Speed. To round it all off, you'll get Experience points for every Opponent you defeat, have you accumulated enough, climb your Mech in the Level and you can choose an Upgrade for them. The Graphics of the Game are colorful (especially all the Balls that fly around your Ears) and, of course, very much trimmed to Science fiction. Personally, I like the Design of the Opponents very much. As Music, Arcen Games composer Pablo Vega opted for techno-tracks to match the Sci-Fi setting this time around. I would have liked a little more Variety in the Tracks, so far I have the Feeling that there are only 3-4 Music Tracks and even if these are very good, they will be a bit monotonous sometime after the hundredth Time. The Difficulty of the Game is somewhere from normal to very high, depending on how good you are in dodging. People who often play such Games will have to overcome problems at the normal Difficulty level and find Challenge at the higher Level. Beginners will have a bit of a hard time at first, but you can quickly come in and by now I've even defeated Bosses on Perfect (without taking any Damage). What I like better about this Game about Isaac, you don't depend on the stillall Randomness of the Dropsystem. In Isaac you often have the problem that there are too many different Items, but you only see a very small Part per game run. If you didn't find exactly what you needed, you were lubricated. In Starward Rogue, you're not so much at the mercy of this System. The Level System allows the Player to have more Control over the Structure of his Mech and there are enough Shops to buy what you want. Of course, a Master in dodging will never be interested in getting certain Upgrades, whether at ISaac or here, but not everyone can be that good. Overall, I find Starward Rogue To be a very solid Game and anyone who likes Rogue-like games with Shoot ' em up elements (like Isaac) will love this Game. Especially since every Game Run is a very individual Experience.