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'Casual astronomy story-'em-up' Stargazing is out now on iOS and Android

A tale told beneath the stars

'Casual astronomy story-'em-up' Stargazing is out now on iOS and Android
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| Stargazing
Stargazing is a new indie game from Paul Burgess - an ex-industry veteran who has worked on the likes of DJ Hero, Need for Speed, and NaturalMotion's Clumsy Ninja.

It's out today on iOS and Android for £1.49 / $1.99. I've spent some time with Stargazing since its release this morning, and it's a pretty unusual experience.

Stargazing coaxes the player into appreciating - and perhaps even learning - the patterns that appear in the night's sky. The usual pinch-to-zoom and drag functions allow you pan around the sky. Tapping stars in sequence draws a line between them, thus identifying constellations.

Stargazing's pretty forgiving. Realising that most of us are not gifted astronomers, simply jabbing at stars in a haphazard manner seems enough to muddle through here. Think of it as gently dipping your toe in the world of constellations, rather than immersing yourself fully.

Stars in their eyes

Clearly, Burgess wants the appeal to be broader than the astronomy niche. We follow two characters, James and Cece, throughout their lives, giving us some human appeal besides the basic star-tapping and pattern-making.

We see how their lives are progressing through these sparse, shared moments beneath the stars - we see them grow up, and we see the importance that constellations play in their lives.

It's an acquired taste, sure, but if Burgess's vision of minimalistic sky-searching sounds in any way appealing to you then this might just be your bag.

Matt Suckley
Matt Suckley
Achingly contrarian. Proud owner of an N-Gage and a PSP Go. Matt spends most of his time writing about indie games of which you've never heard. Like that one, yes. Matt is an English student, and largely terrible at games. Go figure.