Starfire shot its way into my Steam library and made its mark almost instantly, as I was introduced to my charming, fiery-haired character who was ready to brawl in her cosmic adventure. With the hive spawning out endless monstrosities and our hero ready to make a stand for humanity, I quickly got the feel of standing and deliver or die trying. Starfire: Eternal Cycle holds itself steady in a modern take of the classic beat ’em’ ups with that dashing roguelite twist in a sci-fi setting, just to pull it all together.
As I entered my first run of the game, I was quickly thrown into the deep end by the nameless rogue, whose aim was clear: kill all who oppose. The main character has a unique flair, with her ability to stand and look pretty whilst out punching bug-like creatures, and the ability to flicker from one side of the screen to the other with an almost flash-like dash. The story is as rogue-like as it gets, brassic with hints thrown in through logs dropped from battling elite enemies and engaging in tight and tense boss battles! Starfire kept me locked in the task at hand, though, while handing me bustling stages filled with enemies of varying size and stature, all with unique tools and attacks to throw at me, not to mention the boss stages, which get hairy as the bosses are usually triple the size of our MC.
As I headed deeper into the game developed by Ethereal Fish Studios and published by Indie Herb Games, I got a sense of “damn, these guys know what they’re doing.” However, I noted this was their first outing and just knew that they were aiming for the stars in choosing the mode of an anime-styled, sci-fi brawler. The gameplay, to say this, is a fresh IP, was really solid. It follows the style of the beat ’em’ ups of old, whilst also taking things in its own direction, such as the insectoid cores and the select choice of weapons, which range from a boxing-style lightening gauntlet to a huge battleaxe. I was hugely impressed by the fluid movement and ranging replayability I was offered, as every run and every encounter is always different, and not to mention how you basically get to choose your next stage on the select screen, from core grabs to a treasure hunt, there is always something that caught my eye and kept me focused on the road ahead, that and darting around the screen faster than what Muhammed Ali could box!
The art style of this game, by the way, is uniquely incredible. I was at first sceptical, as usually when I see an anime art style my mind instantly goes to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures and how wacky it is, but this brilliant title offered up a cool and shockingly good graphical style that never failed to take me in. The character design is awesome, and sets the tone for the game, and staying true to anime style, the bosses are ludicrously large, the backdrops are intriguing as they range from rocky cliffs to a faraway robotic humanoid chained up aiming that the hive is winning the battle against earth. Starfire truly had me itching to get back to it, just to see what each and every stage was awaiting me in the next space car journey across the cosmos!
As per every single one of my reviews, here comes how your track stacks, with Ben! The backing track to this intriguing title was one that gave its flowers to Cyberpunk 2077, as it had that retro-futuristic flair that has that techno beat running all throughout! The core of the soundtrack stays true to the game it is injected into as it stays on course as you punch, slice and rain down purple thunder on those pesky Insectoids with vicious combos and sweet techno thump. How does this track stack? It stacks a solid 9/10, reminds me of Cyberpunk with flairs of Deus Ex intertwined!
As I enjoyed Starfire: Eternal Cycle, it left me wondering, could there be room for improvement? Sure, as nothing is ever perfect. For me, however, this surprisingly good sci-fi brawler gave me a good time, which had me constantly saying “one more run” whilst then hitting it another good few times for good measure. It just has that style that gives you a craving for more, and that is what brings me in. For the first time game from Ethereal Fish Studios, it certainly delivers on what it wants to be. The foundation of the title is solid and holds its own. However, there is scope for improvement, in terms of knowing who I am playing as and what the end goal is as I wail through countless victims who toil for no mercy. Another thing I would love to add is a little introduction, just to give you a drop on the tastebuds of what this cosmic journey could entail, but I digress, I truly enjoyed the hell out of this brawler!
My final verdict on Starfire Eternal Cycle is one of no expectations met with a unique and enthralling side-scrolling brawler expertly crafted with a dash of rogue-like, just to give it a little zing on the side. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience playing this, and I honestly will come back for more as it is such an easy pickup for me. I played this in my trusty stead in the way of my Steam Deck, and it played solidly with no drop-offs or bugs encountered, which really exceeded my expectations, as new developers don’t think too much about the Steam Deck sometimes! If you are a fan of easy-to-play beat ’em ups that can be replayed and is different every run, this is the game for you!
Overall score – 9/10! A solid first entry from the guys over at Ethereal Fish Studios, and the guys at Indie Herb Games. Here’s to more hits in the future!
Starfire: Eternal Cycle is now available only on PC via Steam, but hopefully it will come to consoles! It is priced at $15 but is currently on sale!
