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| Wish I could say I was having as much fun as these gals are! (source) |
That’s not to say the game isn’t fun – the environments have become exponentially more interesting as I’ve progressed through the game, and the characters and dialogue continue to be an adorable treat. Actually playing it doesn’t quite live up to the idea of playing it, but I’ve gotten to the point where I just won’t feel satisfied until I can say “yeah, I beat it.”
Does this mean my February BBC pick, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, will suffer? I have to admit, it already has. What little time I’ve spent away from Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Ni no Kuni has generally gone to The Legendary Starfy, mostly because it’s much easier to get through a quick level of that than trudge through more boring tutorials Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (that should make it glaringly obvious how early in the game I still am…). I’m not sure what this will mean for my Beat the Backlog Club project, but I’m not ready to give up now!
Anyway, let’s get back to The Legendary Starfy. Here are a few reasons why I just can’t stop playing it:
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| absurdly adorable takoyaki minigame |
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| collectable Starfy costumes |
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| everything just keeps getting cuter… |
… Correct me if I’m wrong, but Starfy is starting to sound eerily like a significant other you really don’t have anything in common with but can’t leave because they’re just too good looking (or heart-meltingly cute, in this case). Regardless of the moral implications of my sojourn with Starfy, I’m content to see the game through to the end, but I won’t be sticking around for any sidequests or 100% completion nonsense. Will I finish it before the end of February? Time will tell…
Bonus photos:
Starfy’s idle animation is him whipping out a sleeping bag and going to bed right in the middle of the level!
Pretty much what the screen looks like 100% of the time I’m playing the takoyaki minigame.
OK, that *does* look adorable. Too bad it’s not too much fun, though. I wonder if all Starfy games are so boring? BTW, is that your red DSlite or DSi? If so, it looks great!
From the little I’ve heard, the Starfy games are pretty well known for having tons of style but not much substance. My guess is that the developers wanted to try to cater the gameplay towards a younger crowd, and perhaps in the process alienated older platforming fans, but I could be wrong.
Keep in mind that you might find it far more enjoyable than I do, though! I’m historically not very fond of platformers. Hell, I don’t even like 2D Marios very much (sorry, but it’s true!). I think it comes down to the fact that I generally don’t like how unforgiving platformers can be, and I don’t really get my kicks from timing jumps and stuff like that. The most fun I’ve had with a platformer was definitely Rayman Origins, but that’s about the extent of my interest in this particular gaming genre.
Actually, it’s my pink DS lite! I seem to only play Starfy at night, so it was pretty dark when I took the photos, hence why it looks so red 🙂
Is that…is that some sort of largely-sentient starfish creature so perfectly adorned with aviator sunglasses, American flag-stylized trunks, a loose-fitting salmon-colored button-down shirt, and a golden necklace that also has a pendant in the shape of some sort of largely-sentient starfish creature?
…There’s only one viable reaction to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUph092Wyec
The cuteness. It’s lethal.
I wouldn’t bet that I’ll like it more than you have so far, Anne. Although I definitely like platformers, I don’t much like easy ones. Kirby’s the only exception to that rule, and that’s because those games are the definition of charming. (Plus, all of the different abilities/skills are a joy to use.)
Still, I have a feeling I might pick this up someday if I can find a cheap enough copy, as the screens you’ve shared here are *really* adorable.
That’s too funny that your DSlite is pink, BTW. I thought it might have been one of those glossy DSis that both Europe and Japan got at one point–which would have made me *very* jealous 🙂
I finished this game last week and felt the same way as you describe, Anne. There’s another 2 worlds worth of epilogue, but I didn’t stick around.
I love the dialogue, I love the cuteness, I love Moe, but the gameplay is very plain. Each world is based around its own concept (like swimming in bubbles or changing water levels), but the concepts themselves aren’t very engaging, there’s not a lot of variation to them, and they’re stretched thin. In any other platformer, these gameplay concepts would be enough for one level, but in Starfy, they fill 6-8 levels. There’s so much white space in the levels design, too many gimmicky elements (a rock, paper, scissors boss battle, really?), and Starfy’s mechanics lack nuance.
Hi Daniel! You really articulate how I feel about the game perfectly. I can’t believe there are two extra worlds after you finish the game >_< I really don’t think I’ll stick around either, but I’d like to be able to say I at least beat the main storyline! How many worlds are there before the final boss? I just finished the cloud/rainbow area, I believe.
Haha, glad to see you agree with me, Voltech! Starfy’s weird and wacky outfits are definitely one of the highlights of the game.
You have another two worlds. The final boss is in 8-4. The last two
worlds throw a bunch of silly gimmicks (the rock, scissors, paper
boss battle, I think) at you and the level design is a bit strange
(the ship).
I guess the reason why this game feels like such a drain is because
there’s no dynamics, risk/reward, nuance, and there’s a lot of white
space in the level design, where you’re just holding down a button as
you wait for Starfy to get to the next area. It’s so easy to just
switch off.
Phew okay, I’m just going to power through the last two world then, heh. Yeah I haven’t fought this silly rock, paper, scissors boss you speak of yet, so it must be in one of the last two areas!
And yeah, I think the levels seem way too big, like they tried to stretch out a little content as far as they possibly could. if they condensed everything into 4 really tight worlds it’d be a bit more fun, but as it stands, it’s a real shame the cute art design and dialogue couldn’t be backed up by some good gameplay.