Starlight Alliance is a third person action-rpg set in a dystopian earth, in which everything is automated and run by a drone network. You play as two characters, Cyris and Lea, who get caught up in a mystery when the drone network starts failing, and nobody knows why.
I’ll preface this review by stating that Starlight Alliance is an indie game, and it’s a a budget one – it’s going to go on sale for about £7.19 when it launches on October 13th, so I won’t be holding it to the same standards as a triple A title. The game starts off with you playing as Cyris, an alien reptile sort of character, who is having trouble at his workplace as a cop with drones malfunctioning. Cyris is the heavy hitter, with his main attacks all revolving around punching.
Eventually, he meets Lea, who is the ranged character, and can shoot projectiles from her arm blaster. When the two come together, you can switch between them at any time, with the non-player character being controlled by the AI. The AI can be a little bit wonky, often running quite close into enemies or into danger, but the game seems to give it a little bit of leeway, and it doesn’t take as much damage as if it was controlled by a player.
Due to the primary antagonist being the drone network, most of the enemies are robots of various sorts. These range from small drones, turrets, and eventually larger enemies. The combat can be a little clunky. The basic mechanics are get close and punch, then use the shield to reflect the enemies attack or jump out of the way, before punching and repeating. If you play as the ranged character, it’s much the same, but shooting instead of jumping. It’s not particularly engaging, but it gets the job done.
I think the games style will probably be the deciding factor for most people as to whether or not they decide to purchase. Much of the game is set in this dingy, dimly lit, Blade Runner-esque dystopian city. Whether or not that style appeals to you, will likely impact how much you like the game. From my point of view, I’m not a huge fan, I prefer more brightly lit games, but if that style appeals to you, the game would be much more attractive. The character graphics are somewhat quirky too, and I couldn’t stop thinking of Postman Pat or Playmobil for some reason.
Being an action RPG, the game does have a levelling system, with skills and an overall narrative. The skill system is fairly basic, levelling up gives you skill points, which you can use to advance various attacks and skills, like a ground pound or energy regen. There is also equipment to find and buy, which upgrades defences and attack. It is very easy to take damage, so stocking up on health regenerative items is key to getting through some of the bigger parts.
There isn’t any voice acting, so a lot of the story beats don’t hit as well as they possibly could have. I do like the music though, it’s sort of a chiptune meets space style, and I think it fits the world quite nicely. I think Starlight Alliance is a fairly ambitious title, it’s a fifteen hour game and it features a number of side quests and some quite large areas. Ultimately, if you like the graphical style and can get past some of the more clunky elements, it’s not a bad weekend play.
You can purchase Starlight Alliance here. If you’re looking for an action-rpg on the PS4, why not try Xuan Yuan Sword 7.
