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[jariw]

Star Ghost - NeoGAF Official Thread

"Take control of the Star Ghost and patrol the galaxy. Navigate the fragments of exploding planets, survive intense asteroid fields and dogfight deadly Sentinel ships in a desperate bid to defend Astron from the onslaught of the Metagon Empire.

We are all counting on you Commander."

Genre: Arcade / SHMUP
Platforms: Wii U
eShop Release Date: March 10th, 2016 (NA + Europe + Australia)
Price: US$8.99 / CAD$12.99 / €8.99 / £7.99
Player(s): 1
Developer: Squarehead Studios Ltd.
Supported controllers: Gamepad only
Online: None. High score lists are local only.

Home Page: http://www.squareheadstudios.co.uk/star-ghost.html


FEATURES

• Dynamic level generation
• 12 Star Systems
• Sound track by David Wise
• Simple control system
• Off-TV play

GAME DESCRIPTION

• Levels are dynamically created, but the skill curve is similar for each new game.
• Each star system have around 6 stages, except the very first star systems (these star systems have less stages).
• The ship is controlled in a similar way to how the rocket barrel levels in Donkey Kong Country Returns or Tropical Freeze control, using the thrust to control the height.
• Movement left/right of the ship doesn't exist.
• Left stick controls the fire direction. Fire direction is crucial on star systems 4 and above.
• Moving the left stick to the left controls the traction field.
• Fire rate is automatic, but can be changed with boosts.
• Different kinds of boost pick-ups can be collected during a stage.
• Virus pick-up disables all systems on the ships for some time. The virus pick-ups can also be used to your advantage (
  Spoiler

  fly in a straight line until the virus becomes an exploding bomb that clears the screen
  ).
• Weapon and ship abilities decrease as countdowns - but only when they are used. If the traction is activated, fire abilities stop their countdown, for example.
• Ship can be upgraded between each stage.
• Bonus multiplier is reset when the ship is hit.
• Maximum bonus multiplier is 5.
• Credits are collected as pick-ups.
• The game ends when the ship's health bar runs out, unless the player has 50 credits or more.
• Sentinel battles are the boss fights, against powerful enemy ships.

DEVELOPER

The game has been developed and designed by Rhys Lewis. Prior to founding Squarehead, Rhys was the A.I. lead at Retro Studios, and before that he was at Rare. He has contributed to a number of well-known titles, including Banjo-Kazooie, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.


MUSIC

By David Wise.

SCREENS

TRAILERS

Release Trailer


INTERVIEWS

Nintendo Life Interview (March 8th, 2016)

WiiWareWave Interview (March 8th, 2016)

Reddit AMA with Rhys from Squarehead (March 14, 2016)


REVIEWS

Nintendo Life (8/10)

Star Ghost is an assured eShop debut for Squarehead Studios, and shows that quality breeds quality; the combination of a former Rare and Retro staffer with one of the most iconic video game musicians of all time has resulted in a game which initially seems quite simplistic, but has a surprising level of depth, replayability and charm.

nuGameNetwork (8.5/10)

Overall, the game is varied enough, and offers enough of a challenge that you will want to keep playing and playing. Once you get past the first level, which you will play a lot, the game really opens up and shines. This is a game I can see myself playing for a long time, both through casual gaming sessions and hardcore gaming sessions.

whataboutthegame.com

Overall, Star Ghost is a simple but fun and addictive game. Maybe the lack of precision will put off hardcore shooter fans but I certainly found it an enjoyable and challenging experience that I can’t wait to keep playing and hopefully master.

nintendoloveaffair.com

Star Ghost is a wonderful first title from Squarehead Studios and is a promising sign of what’s to come. It is a simple arcade shooter with a unique way to play and keeps you coming back for more. Randomly generated levels keep the game interesting for quick pickup and play sessions, while high score leaderboards encourage you to get as far as possible.

Vooks (4/5)

Star Ghost really came out of nowhere and surprised me. What looked like another ho-hum space shooter turned out to be far deeper than I first suspected. As I dug deeper and understood the systems at work in the game, particularly the interaction between the traction and firing systems, I found myself more and more compelled to keep playing and improving on my next run.

Video Chums (7.5/10)

Where Star Ghost lacks in content, it makes up for in its addictive gameplay. Any shoot 'em up fan who wants to try out a new take on the genre will definitely enjoy their time blasting away these neon enemy forces.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

 

[maxcriden]

Very psyched to play it. Also seeing if I can do something cool. stay tuned...

 

[jariw]

I found yet another review that I added to the OT.

Does anyone have the eShop download size for the game? I can't seem to find that info after the game has been installed.

 

[jariw]

And one more review added to the OT.

 

[TheMoon]

Gonna buy this after MyNintendo launch since I'd like to know about reward stuff first.

Dat David Wise music, tho.

 

[jariw]

Gonna buy this after MyNintendo launch since I'd like to know about reward stuff first.

Dat David Wise music, tho.

Yes, it's a game worth getting IMO. It's a game that rewards both skill and strategy, it's extremely polished, and yet it's very simple to learn.

I now found out that it was released in Australia as well, so I added that to the OT.

Also found this Australian review of it (also added to the OT). I think this is the most in-depth review yet. It covers the left stick functionality very well:
http://www.vooks.net/star-ghost-wii-u-eshop-review/

 

[TheMoon]

Yes, it's a game worth getting IMO. It's a game that rewards both skill and strategy, it's extremely polished, and yet it's very simple to learn.

I now found out that it was released in Australia as well, so I added that to the OT.

Also found this Australian review of it (also added to the OT). I think this is the most in-depth review yet. It covers the left stick functionality very well:
http://www.vooks.net/star-ghost-wii-u-eshop-review/

It's almost (!) safe to assume EU = all of PAL these days thanks to IARC. Can't imagine anyone not using it with new releases.

 

[G.O.O.]

I was checking the eshop yesterday, looking for something I could play off-screen, and that seemed good enough.

It's very basic but I can see myself going back to it, so I'm pleased.

Anyone know what the purple item does ?

 

[TheMoon]

Anyone know what the purple item does ?

Did you try the manual?

 

[G.O.O.]

Did you try the manual?

nope, I never think of that actually ._.

 

[jariw]

Anyone know what the purple item does ?

It's the boost for traction range.

 

[Terrible_Majesty]

Going to get this too after MyNintendo opens

 

[tolkir]

It's the boost for traction range.

And it's useful to not waste upgrades.

 

[jariw]

And it's useful to not waste upgrades.

Yes, my current tactic is to not buy any upgrades at the easy stages in the beginning, until I get around 100 credits. That way I have 2 extra lives available for the more challenging stages.

 

[G.O.O.]

It's the boost for traction range.

oh god, I didn't know I could use the left stick...

 

[jariw]

oh god, I didn't know I could use the left stick...

The left stick is the brilliance of the hole game. ;-) The balance between when to use traction or fire aiming with the left stick is one of the things that give the game a surprising depth.

 

[navco79]

Playing it with my 3 year old daughter the one button control is up her alley she can get by the first level on her own

 

[TheMoon]

Playing it with my 3 year old daughter the one bottom control is up her alley she can get by the first level on her own

did you unlock balance board mode?

 

[navco79]

did you unlock balance board mode?

Not yet hmmmm cant wait.

 

[jariw]

Learned a new thing today:
Virus pick-ups can also be used to your advantage (

Spoiler

fly in a straight line until the virus becomes an exploding bomb that clears the screen

).

 

[Cheeseman Battitude]

One of the best games on the Wii U.

 

[jariw]

I've added one more review to the OT.

I also added the link to the Reddit AMA wih Rhys:
https://www.reddit.com/r/wiiu/comments/4ae6th/im_rhys_from_squarehead_studios_star_ghost_ama/

Some interesting stuff in that AMA, where he also mentioned other things like his work at Rare and Retro.

Regarding the design process of Star Ghost:

My hope was to make a control package where each element reinforced the others. I wanted the player to feel like they are making interesting choices in the heat of the moment and so it couldn't just be about shooting, there is a lot of focus on pickup collection too.

This led to the idea of using a stacking, temporal design for the weapon upgrade system. Each upgrade only lasts for a short period which means that you are constantly on the hunt, trying to balance fighting the enemy with collecting pickups. I think this creates a nice tension and a subtle depth to the gameplay.

In terms of the power-ups, I tried to use an orthogonal design principle, so that each one does something very unique but also very helpful in its own way. The vaporizer feels pretty satisfying but I'd probably go with the missiles as they are pretty overpowered and make you feel almost invincible, while they last.

EDIT: Perhaps a mod could add " (Wii U)" at the end of the topic title? Reading the AMA, it seems like this title will stay Wii U exclusive.

 

[navco79]

Game is intense i havecto focus like a mofo in the later stages

 

[TheMoon]

https://twitter.com/NintendoHall/status/710849670461972480

There's an update available. But of course no info on what it does.

 

[maxcriden]

The game is being given away here, for those interested:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=198888952