Star Guard
Platform: PC/Mac
System Requirements: Adobe Flash Player 10
Price: Free
Star Guard is a Flash-developed platformer developed by Vacuum Flowers, and is available from their website.
This game contains excellent design and animation. It is distinctly retro, and the pixelated graphics are a major shift from the 3D models we are now comfortable with. The developer also makes great use of passages of text to describe the story. We are told that an Evil Wizard and his minions have invaded the Hero’s land in his absence, and it is up to him and his fellow soldiers to thwart the Wizard’s scheme. The small passages serve as a stark contrast to the player blasting his way across levels:
“The Last Assault must succeed, or all is lost.”
The simple yet successful sound effects reminds one of the classic sidescrollers of the CGA era, especially Mega Man 3 and 4, right from the offset.
The controls stay true to the game’s simple formula, using Z to jump, X to shoot, and the direction keys to move, like a true 8-bit platformer.
The plethora of checkpoints and the option of unlimited credits make the game one of those rare options for those easily frustrated, and will easily tend to a casual gamer or novices.
The game’s weakness however was the large difficulty spike at the beginning of level eight. The first seven levels seemed to be a breeze, but level eight and nine were quite tricky, and the final boss fight was seemingly impossible. Perhaps a building degree of difficulty, with the final battle being something that requires a fiendish puzzle to solve is something to for the developer to address. It is a shame that the many great ideas introduced earlier on were undone by the moments where it seems that every step requires a near-kamikaze death. Perhaps this was what the developer intended? It is hard to say.
However, despite its flaws it is refreshing to play a free download that harkens back to the days of arcade games, especially in days where video games are designed with mindblowing graphics and incredible visuals.
Some of will play for 5 minutes, and then return to their XBOXs. Others will revisit to try to beat their high score and have a blast. And they’ll be bloody lucky.
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