Bandango
11-05-2009, 06:10 PM
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/SGT.jpg
Green, red, yellow, black, white; all the colors you need to make a game. And a little blue, but not much of it. Star Guard is a side-scrolling shooter/platformer, reductive in both aesthetics and gameplay. Its scope is small and does not overreach in any way. What it does, it does well, and while it doesn't break any new ground, it achieves everything it tries to do while managing to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/SG.jpg
You play a stick figure in a world of simple geometry. You fight small-bit enemies, all of whom are charmingly animated, and you will contend with difficult jumps and timing puzzles. As you can see from the screenshot, everything in Star Guard seems almost luminescent. The simplicity of the environments and characters (plain lines, solid colors) accentuates this tron-like ambiance. It all feels virtual, if that makes sense, and looks even better in motion. It reminded me of those movies from the 80s where stuff that was supposed to be computer generated was hand drawn in a very colorful way.
http://gravitasfreezone.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/babelfish.jpg
The sound extends this unique look and completes the game’s overall feel. Perfect, zingy pew-pews; muted, bass-y jumps; and the soft, electronic echo’s of exploding bad guys all gave me this feeling of being plugged into something.
The only reason any of this matters is because the game plays well. It’s fun and fast paced; challenging, yet not impossible. There are nine stages, each of which brings you deeper into the lair of the evil space wizard. Yup, space wizard. I know this because of the charming story text that appears in the background as you progress. These little blurbs are surprisingly interesting and literate; they won’t provide you with any transcendental revelations, but they do help build the world.
Along the way you meet up with friendly cannon fodder that help you fight the wizard’s minions. Strangely enough I was compelled to protect them. Maybe it was the sob story about their homes being laid to waste; maybe it was because they were green like me. Either way, I found these sequences the most engaging. The lower levels felt a bit lonely without them, especially as the difficulty ramped up. Death is handled via a checkpoint system, and respawns are instant. Death won’t stop you, and will barely slow you down.
The final boss, however, will kick you in the nuts until you give up, most likely.
Star Guard is:
- a pitch perfect side-scrolling, shooter/platformer.
- simple, elegant, and a pleasure to play.
- challenging, but not frustrating.
- mac compatible.
Download it here:
http://vacuumflowers.com/star_guard/star_guard.html
Green, red, yellow, black, white; all the colors you need to make a game. And a little blue, but not much of it. Star Guard is a side-scrolling shooter/platformer, reductive in both aesthetics and gameplay. Its scope is small and does not overreach in any way. What it does, it does well, and while it doesn't break any new ground, it achieves everything it tries to do while managing to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/SG.jpg
You play a stick figure in a world of simple geometry. You fight small-bit enemies, all of whom are charmingly animated, and you will contend with difficult jumps and timing puzzles. As you can see from the screenshot, everything in Star Guard seems almost luminescent. The simplicity of the environments and characters (plain lines, solid colors) accentuates this tron-like ambiance. It all feels virtual, if that makes sense, and looks even better in motion. It reminded me of those movies from the 80s where stuff that was supposed to be computer generated was hand drawn in a very colorful way.
http://gravitasfreezone.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/babelfish.jpg
The sound extends this unique look and completes the game’s overall feel. Perfect, zingy pew-pews; muted, bass-y jumps; and the soft, electronic echo’s of exploding bad guys all gave me this feeling of being plugged into something.
The only reason any of this matters is because the game plays well. It’s fun and fast paced; challenging, yet not impossible. There are nine stages, each of which brings you deeper into the lair of the evil space wizard. Yup, space wizard. I know this because of the charming story text that appears in the background as you progress. These little blurbs are surprisingly interesting and literate; they won’t provide you with any transcendental revelations, but they do help build the world.
Along the way you meet up with friendly cannon fodder that help you fight the wizard’s minions. Strangely enough I was compelled to protect them. Maybe it was the sob story about their homes being laid to waste; maybe it was because they were green like me. Either way, I found these sequences the most engaging. The lower levels felt a bit lonely without them, especially as the difficulty ramped up. Death is handled via a checkpoint system, and respawns are instant. Death won’t stop you, and will barely slow you down.
The final boss, however, will kick you in the nuts until you give up, most likely.
Star Guard is:
- a pitch perfect side-scrolling, shooter/platformer.
- simple, elegant, and a pleasure to play.
- challenging, but not frustrating.
- mac compatible.
Download it here:
http://vacuumflowers.com/star_guard/star_guard.html