Game Reviews

Dark - Star - Fumbling around in the dark

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iOS
| Dark - Star
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Dark - Star - Fumbling around in the dark
|
iOS
| Dark - Star

That looks pretty. Oh, wait, no it doesn't. And now it does again

Yeah, this is Dark Star. It's a reasonably slick looking shooter that runs at 60fps. Well, sometimes it does. Other times it just sort of chugs along on my iPad Air and I get a bit sad.

That's not a great start

It's not, I agree. And it doesn't really pick up from there to be honest. The control scheme isn't all that great, and while the game does have its moments, there are so many better shooters out there that are worth your time.

What's wrong with the controls?

They don't really work. You swipe around the screen to move your space fighter, tap on things to shoot them, double tap to barrel roll, and poke a button in the top right corner of the screen to fire off your special rockets.

Doesn't sound too bad

No, but in practice it doesn't come together. When you're swiping it's pretty hard to tap, and when you're tapping it's pretty easy to double tap. So you're never quite in control of what's going on. And then you'll fly into an asteroid or a shower of missiles and die.

Hmmmm, that sounds a bit pants

Yup. The game underneath the controls is probably quite good as well. You're swooshing through a variety of levels, diving through hoops, collecting stars, and shooting everything that moves. Or you would be, if you weren't crashing and sighing.

Crashing and sighing do not a great game make

Unless the game is about crashing and sighing. But this one isn't. Or at least it's not supposed to be. You can feel the patterns of a decent game dancing around under your fingers, but it's almost impossible to make them stay still long enough to enjoy yourself.

Does it have anything going for it?

Er, it's sort of hard to pinpoint anything. The problems with the controls sort of supersede any quality that might be lurking around the next corner. It feels cumbersome and stodgy, when it should feel slick and light.

Not one to try then?

Not unless something is done about the controls, no. There are a few sparks of light here, and the occasional moment when things click, but they're too few and far between, and the rest of the experience is too confused, to recommend it.

Dark - Star - Fumbling around in the dark

A potentially interesting shooter that's let down catastrophically by its underwhelming controls
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.