Overview – developed by LunarCitySeven and published by Eastasiasoft, StarLightRiders: HyperJump is an arcade style bullet hell shooter, with frantic shooting action. As the pilot of the HyperJump ship, take down the alien invasion that is attempting to take over the earth, with their goal to destroy all life. This version of the game is available for all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of StarLightRiders: HyperJump that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, the thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is little in terms of a main plotline for this release, so I will be adding the plot details available into the gameplay segment. I will be referring to the game as StarLightRiders during the review for the sake of brevity.
Gameplay – in StarLightRiders, the player battles the alien forces that are attempting to invade the earth, piloting their HyperJump ship to fight the alien menace. This game can be played in single or multplayer action, blasting through the waves of intergalactic enemies to save the earth. There are five stages for the player to challenge, taking place in vertically scrolling action across space, separated into segments in each stage.
As the player makes their way through the stage, they will be able to use two different basic attacks. The first and most useful is the rapid fire shot, which will spread across the screen and deal a lower amount of damage. Then there is the laser shot, which is a singular focused beam attack, which deals increased damage to enemies. This is at the cost of movement speed, leaving the player open to being shot down by the enemy forces.
While fighting back against the enemy forces, they will drop blocks, which will fill up the rank meter on the screen when collected. If the bar is filled to past red markers, the player will be able to access the HYPER shot, an all-powerful attack that will obliterate the alien threat. This is limited in its use, as it will only last a limited time when it is activated. After a limited amount of time, the attack will go back to the standard power level.
That is not the only bar that will fill up on screen, as there is a combo meter that will increase with each hit against enemies. When the player stops firing, the bar will deplete and the combo will end. Next to the combo meter is the warp meter, which can be activated when filled, allowing the player to jump to another point on screen to avoid bullets. This is filled by collecting the glowing blocks, using up the energy when it is used.
Each time a warp is used, time will slow down and the player will be able to select their jump point. After the jump, energy from the rank meter is used, making it a risk and reward system that players can use. A black hole will also be left behind, turning enemy bullets into points added to the score. The player can also use bombs, which have a limited number to use with each life. They can be incredibly helpful as they will clear enemy shots.
Players need to be careful when fighting the extraterrestrial horde, as they will only have a limited amount of energy for their ship defences. If the player takes three hits, the ship will be shot down and the player will need to continue. There are limited credits available to the player, which will lead to a game over if all are used. Thankfully, there is a stage select option on the main menu, allowing players to choose the stage that they want to start from.
While this game only has 5 levels, there is a decent amount of replay value, as the combo system can provide some big scores, although the game lacks a leaderboard system. For those on the big box consoles, there are achievements and trophies to obtain, with the digital trinkets adding to the replay value on offer in this game. It may be short, but it does offer plenty of content for solo and pairs who want a quick bullet hell shooter.
Now with the gameplay covered it is time to cover the other aspect of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this is a pretty easy to pick up arcade style shooter, with a simple control system that allows players to get into the action with little trouble. All of the game inputs appear on screen, with the buttons for each feature showing up when they can be used. This makes it easy to get into the game with ease, but it would be helpful if there was a how to play for the mechanics. Sadly, there is a small amount of input delay that can be a frustration.
Difficulty – this is a bullet hell shooter that uses dynamic difficulty, so at the start the challenge will be manageable. However, the better the player performs, the more aggressive the enemies will get. This will have the player needing to dodge more dangerous bullet patterns, which is where the bombs will come in handy. Due to the limited continues, it can be hard to get through the game in one go, but thankfully there is the level select to jump back in.
Presentation – from a visual perspective StarLightRiders has that classic arcade look to it, with some good sprite work and backgrounds, making a good use of the theme and colors. It feels like it would have fit in the early bullet hell scene, with the way that it looks and the anime portraits used for the playable characters. The sound is pretty good too, with some exciting music that works with the setting, gameplay and overall tone of the experience.
Final Thoughts – I do enjoy bullet hell shooters, having played and covered many of them over the years, so this was an easy choice to review. However, it did not occur without some hiccups. In general, this is a fun and enjoyable experience, offering a solid challenge that escalates at a decent rate. But it is not without faults, as there are some minor bugs and glitches, with a couple of exploits that are a result of how the game was made.
This is a decent game, but sadly it is lacking some of the polish that could make it great. I experienced a couple of crashes during my time playing, with the game locking up after pausing for too long, or just don’t responding after dying during a boss. This can be frustrating when on a good run with a good score, but for the price of admission, I don’t think it takes away from it. So with all of that said, I can recommend this to those looking for fun on a budget.
In the end, I give StarLightRiders: HyperJump a final score of 3.5/5. This is a challenging bullet hell shooter that has a lot to offer in a modest price, with good visuals and an experience that is satisfying, but sadly there are some technical hiccups that bog it down. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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