Review: Super Star Path

SuperbA hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.

Space puzzles, the final frontier

Recommended Videos

Space shooters used to be popular. Back in the 8-bit and 16-bit days, everyone knew Gradius and R-Type, amongst others. These days they are few and far between, at least quality ones. Sure Steam is flooded with them, but rarely do they stand out, unlike Super Star Path.

Super Star Path somehow manages to combine the space shooter, roguelike, and puzzle genres into one tight package. I just wish it had a bigger, longer, more girthy package.

Super Star Path (PC)
Developer: DYA Games 
Publisher: DYA Games
MSRP: $2.99
Released: June 22, 2015

Flying through tons of enemies to get to a boss at the end of a level is nothing new, but how Super Star Path makes you get there is unique. Enemies approach from the top of the screen and are mostly static aside from some small animations. Shooting them causes them to blow up, taking any adjacent enemies of the same color with them. The final enemies to explode in a chain will cause nearby enemies of different colors to crystallize which then can’t be cleared from the screen. 

After navigating through the maze-like wave of enemies on every level, a boss will appear. Boss battles play similarly to what you’d expect see in a bullet hell shooter; tons of bullets covering the screen with a boss that requires a lot of shots.

Luckily the difficulty of a bullet hell boss can be curbed by purchasing upgradeable ships. After normal enemies are destroyed, they leave behind crystals that are used as currency to buy one of the 10 ships. Each ship has some kind of added benefit — like being immune to certain attacks or increasing the value of crystals — and stats that can be upgraded.

During each stage, three special enemies appear that, when killed, drop upgrade points; one for speed, health, and damage. These upgrades can then be applied to each specific ship to power them up. Upgrading health allows ships to take up to five hits before exploding and is really necessary for some of the later boss fights, unless you’re a veteran bullet hell player.

Each level has its own unique twist. Some levels have added enemies flying at you, while others have mines that explode when you get too close or lasers that shoot in straight lines, clearing anything in their way. Figuring out which ship to use for each level feels almost Mega Man-like, as each stage’s hazards have a ship that is immune to them. Every level also has three black bat enemies that drop green emeralds that are required for completing the game; thankfully, you can play levels over until you come across them without much trouble.

While blasting through each 16-bit-esque level, an awesome soundtrack plays and the main character makes quips about what is happening around him. Something these quips include swearing, which may be off-putting to some, but they are far and few between. Nothing you wouldn’t see on Dtoid every day. If anything, the swears add some flavor and character to the game, something most space shooters are lacking. 

Super Star Path nails the mixing of space shooter, roguelike, and puzzle genres in a way I didn’t even know I wanted. Sadly, the whole experience is over within an hour. But at a measly three dollars, I find it hard to complain — though it did leave me wanting more. If that’s the only complaint I had with the game, it is easily recommendable. I just hope we get to see more space shooter puzzlers in the future!

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]

9
Superb
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
Review Guidelines

Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Narrative studio Deck Nine Games lays off 20% of its staff
Chloe Price in Life Is Strange
Read Article Berserk Boy looks like a high-speed spin on Mega Man Zero
Berserk Boy
Read Article Best games that you’ll finish in less than one hour
Stanley in his cubicle in The Stanley Parable.
Related Content
Read Article Narrative studio Deck Nine Games lays off 20% of its staff
Chloe Price in Life Is Strange
Read Article Berserk Boy looks like a high-speed spin on Mega Man Zero
Berserk Boy
Read Article Best games that you’ll finish in less than one hour
Stanley in his cubicle in The Stanley Parable.