STAR GHOST Ep 4 (Wii U) FIRST LOOK - Gameplay and review for Star Ghost Wii U | Let's Play/Gameplay
14Welcome to The Basement, let's play Star Ghost on the Wii U! Today we go to Flight School and finally figure out how to use TRACTION CONTROL!
If you missed the first episode, check out the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQuNqdD01xI&list=PL_veZ-o3N4ZVxh9QvvuVBEGS3-fwHtvta
We found an excellent review of the game on Nintendo Life:
http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/star_ghost
[more at the website] ... and points are really everything in Star Ghost; while the game does have a definite structure - with each stage following a pre-determined theme despite being randomly-generated - the ultimate objective is to rack up as many points as possible. Chain together hits and you'll build up your score multiplier, paving the way for mammoth totals. This multiplier can be enhanced further with the Turbo Multiplier pick-up, but taking a hit from an enemy or colliding with an environmental feature knocks your multiplier down to nothing, so keeping that score high becomes a real challenge - especially in the later levels, when the difficulty ramps up considerably. Because the game loops when you complete it, the opportunity to claim a massive high score is limited only by your skill, but because stages are created at random there's enough incentive to keep playing even when you've seen all of the 12 star systems. Sadly for a game which is so focused on high scores, there's no online leaderboard in Star Ghost at present, limiting players to boasting on Miiverse. Lewis has stated that this is something he could potentially add in the future, assuming there is demand.
While the learning curve might be considered harsh, Star Ghost harks back to the good old days of the coin-op era where repeat play yields better results as you slowly but surely hone your skills and concoct new tactics to survive. Initially it feels quite brutal, a fact which no doubt has something to do with the unorthodox control scheme. However, like the best game experiences, Star Ghost slowly but surely opens up as your own skills and confidence grow; masterfully controlling the momentum of your ship while simultaneously directing your guns at a wave of enemies is incredibly satisfying - even more so when you're able to combine this with deftly collecting pick-ups to maintain your ship's slowly-decaying weapons.
Star Ghost's impeccable presentation is made all the more remarkable when you take into account the small size of the team behind it. The visuals owe a lot to the seminal Geometry Wars series, with lots of neon lines and flashy explosions. Levels are somewhat basic, with environmental features being little more than straight lines, and enemy types repeat throughout. Still, there's enough visual flair here for the typical player, and this extends to the excellent use of speech. Keeping track of your shield and weapon power is hard when you're focused on avoiding incoming fire, so the friendly female computer constantly keeps you informed, stating when weapons are at full capacity or have dropped down a level. While we're on the subject of visuals, it's worth noting that Off-TV is enabled by default, mirroring what's happening on the main screen - the game doesn't attempt to make clever use of the Wii U GamePad's display outside of this.
On the audio side of things, Star Ghost's connection with Rare and Retro is increased by the involvement of David Wise, a near-legendary name in video game music circles. Wise was Rare's in-house composer for many years and worked with Retro on creating the fantastic soundtrack to Tropical Freeze. The spaced-out and retro-sounding music used here is the perfect accompaniment to the on-screen action; despite the low number of songs they never outstay their welcome, with the main theme being a particular highlight. Sound effects - such as the gentle hum of your ship's engines when you engage thrust and the abundant number of punchy explosions - enhance the aural experience even more.
Star Ghost is an assured eShop debut for Squarehead Studios, and shows that quality breeds quality; the combination of a former Rare and Retro staffer with one of the most iconic video game musicians of all time has resulted in a game which initially seems quite simplistic, but has a surprising level of depth, replayability and charm. While it's true that the core gameplay doesn't possess all that much variety, the stern challenge calls for a level of concentration that is rarely asked for with modern games; merely surviving is tricky enough, but when you add in the allure of improving your score, it's easy to become hopelessly engrossed. [...]
Still, this is a minor point in the grand scheme of things, and fans of old-school shooters will lap up the nostalgia - both from the gameplay and the presentation - while those players who weren't around during the 'golden era' should surely appreciate the unique control mechanics which reward perseverance and skill.