BattleStrats StarDrone Review - Oddly Intriguing

StarDrone, a newly released PlayStation Network download, delivers a very oddly unique and enjoyable experience. From the developers who brought us Enigmo, comes an addictive addition to the downloadable game arena. Although only mildly hyped and a surprise release to many, StarDrone has some fairly large shoes to fill. Enigmo proved that the development team at Beatshapers were masters at creating realistic feeling games due to the precision of the physics engine. Every drop of liquid seemed to move and flow as if it would in your hand, not on your screen. So that begs the question, were they able to transfer a similarly outstanding feeling game to StarDrone?

Absolutely. Probably the single most impressive aspect of the game is, unsurprisingly, the way your drone moves and interacts with the environment around it. The purpose of the game is simple and well described at the beginning of each level. Some boards have players trying to get their drone through a maze full of deadly traps, while others pit the drone against all odds by having to destroy every enemy in the level. And those are only two of the many different objectives StarDrone gives players a chance to complete. As players play through the ever-increasing difficulty of the levels, they will come across more and more types of puzzles to solve and movements to master. The games physics, from the interaction to the environment to the movement of the drone, are precise and rewarding. This creates an experience that all players, young and old, can sit down and play without a large learning curve. The drone is not controlled simply by pressing a direction on the joystick, but by latching on to stationary objects set throughout the level and then propelled in the direction aimed. There are fast (turbo) tracks that increase speed and give a break to the rope-swinging antics, which is great, as well as walls of breakable materials and other interactive objects within each level. This unique way of making your way through each board is what makes the game fresh and different than many of its predecessors in the action-puzzle genre.

The graphics are what you would expect from a game on PlayStation 3, crisp and clear even during high speed moments of the game. It is simple to differentiate between friendly portions of the level and enemy critters, which is odd because they all carry similar shapes and are all about the same size. Thankfully, Beatshapers gives many different objectives as you travel through the game to keep it fresh, because the colors and shapes of each environment are unchanging. Players will have a hard time differentiating, for example, between level 5 and 15 due to the monotonous look of each board. Although the drone will change shapes and colors, it would have been nice to see an overall change as players progress through the game. Perhaps starting with a rounded, slow looking object and then progressing to something resembling an F-18 plane would allow people to get even further invested into the experience.

Like the physics of StarDrone, the gameplay and controls are well designed. Each time the appropriate direction is pressed, the drone moves exactly as ordered. In many game similar to this, players would find situations where there was either a small delay when the button was pressed or slight framerate issues when the action was extremely fast-paced. This is not the case with StarDrone, so rest assured that at all moments of the game, the drone will move and interact exactly as directed. Considering the speed and the amount of button pressing or joystick use needed in the game, Beatshapers showed they were up to a task much faster than the movement of dripping water, like in Enigmo.

Overall, StarDrone delivers a game that is a unique look at a popular downloadable genre. By allowing players to swing and use physics to get from one area to another, Beatshapers has created a fresh look and a fun experience for people of all ages and gaming abilities. If you're looking for a game to get either your significant other or your kids involved in the gaming world, without throwing them to the dogs in todays popular first-person shooters, then StarDrone is a great place to start. The level color and shapes get repetitive at times, and it would be nice to see an upgradable drone, but there's no denying that the overall experience is an excitingly unique one. StarDrone is available now on PlayStation Network (PSN) for $4.99, a bargain considering there are 50 levels and hours of gameplay. Also, scores for each level are sent to the leaderboards, so players are able to compare their success to their friends.

StarDrone is also available for use with the PlayStation Move controller and has 3D capabilities.

Controls - 9/10
Graphics - 8/10
Gameplay -8/10
Replayability - 6-10

Overall - 7/10