Star Renegades is one of my favorite games this year. The premise is simple, classic turn based RPG combat with some roguelike elements. I am sucker for turn based strategy and turn based tactics games, so this was right up my alley.
The audio and visuals in this game are stellar. Nice music and sound effects, though one or two more background music pieces would be nice. The graphicsStar Renegades is one of my favorite games this year. The premise is simple, classic turn based RPG combat with some roguelike elements. I am sucker for turn based strategy and turn based tactics games, so this was right up my alley.
The audio and visuals in this game are stellar. Nice music and sound effects, though one or two more background music pieces would be nice. The graphics are a dream; old school 16 bit style with beautiful animations. Each character and enemy has wonderful color and detail, and their movements are unique and satisfying.
The gameplay is fantastic. Like I said before, old school turn based RPG combat. It does have some new spins to it; you can interrupt enemy attacks if you plan your attacks appropriately, and you can unlock combo attacks for your characters if you improve their "relationship meter" with each other. There is a sort of minigame that breaks up the combat, where you play cards that give your characters combat boosts. Playing a character's card on another character boosts their relationship, and upon leveling up their relationship enough, you can confer stat bonuses, unlock a combo attack, and in some cases unlock new characters permanently. Speaking of permanently, the roguelike elements of the game involve unlocking new items that then become available in subsequent playthroughs, as well as alternate setups for the characters, providing them with slightly different stats and maybe one or two different abilities. It's lighter than what would be considered a full roguelike in that you can actually beat the game your first playthrough; these upgrades are not necessary for completion. They do make it much easier though. All together, these elements work somehow.
Another point I want to address is how good the game stability is. There are virtually no bugs. This game released in an excellent state; I played maybe a good 50 hours before encountering one or two audio/visual issues, but nothing that affected gameplay or caused crashing/freezing. The couple of minor bugs that did arise have been patched promptly. This is such a welcome departure from what has unfortunately become the norm in the gaming industry. Too many game developers release games in haphazard states and then halfheartedly fix their crappy games over the course of weeks or maybe even months. I'm looking at you Wasteland 3. The fact that these guys did not do this is so refreshing.
There are a couple of negatives to Star Renegades. To start, the story is non-existent. The premise is interesting, but beyond setting the stage there is nothing else. This is disappointing for me, because a strong story will keep me invested in a game that is otherwise subpar. Thankfully the gameplay more than compensates for me.
Another negative is the simplicity of the achievements. They are woefully simple, as in kill this type of enemy a million times, complete the game X times. They are extremely grindy and feel tacked on. I honestly don't give a **** about getting all of a game's achievements, but I do like to go for the ones that seem interesting or challenging. There are none of those here.
The biggest drawback for me is the game's map. In between fights you navigate around an area map, picking up items and choosing your next battles. At best, the map is fiddly. At worst, it is convoluted and frustrating. It is difficult to actually click to other sections of the map, and for no reason really. Also, as you play through an area, sections of the map become locked. So you have to plan your route as you fight. However, sometimes there are sections of the map that lock without you having any way to access them in the first place, so what's the point of that? Also, you're constantly having to scroll around the map because you can't see the whole thing at once; there isn't even a temporary zoom out feature to get your bearings. I almost reduced my rating by a point just because of the map functionality, or lack thereof.
Ultimately, I kept my score at a 10 because, despite the obtuse map and lack of story, I have put a good 120 hours into this game, and I will most likely put more hours in. The combat is incredibly satisfying for me; it scratches that turn based combat itch in an undeniably satisfying way for me. If you are a fan of turn based games, if you like SNES style graphics, this game deserves your time.… Expand
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