Game Review: Starlit Adventures by Rockhead Games is a star among game apps!
It has been long since I last enjoyed a game so much to the point of becoming obsessed with it. And no, it’s not because Starlit Adventures is dangerously cute, with adorable characters and lovely settings. I mean, of course this plays a huge role into enjoying it, but the whole atmosphere and gameplay is so carefully carved that it really makes you wonder how far the game app industry has come in terms of quality. No matter how many games I try out, I’m always impressed by the amount of care and attention many developers put in their games.
Plot
The game takes us in a world where cute creatures live happily and spend their days playfully with no problems to worry about. All that until an evil (yet cute) giant creature named Nuru appears and steals all the stars from the sky and hides them on the Lower Lands. Now it is up to our heroes Bo and Kikki the Starlit (a cute mole-like creature with a star on its forehead) to travel to the Lower Lands and track the stolen stars. Enemies and obstacles are waiting for you to make things harder but more challenging at the same time.
Gameplay
After an introductory trailer, you are positioned on the 1st level. What’s interesting is that you can only move left, right, and down as you only need to make your way to the bottom (it’s not called Lower Lands for nothing). As you can guess, this means you can’t go back up to collect missed gems or change your course. With that said, the controls are at the bottom of your screen and very easy to get the hang of. There is only one more control button and that’s by tapping above the control line. This action works only if you’re wearing a suit, since it activates its special power- which could be arrows, throwing bombs (be careful not to be blasted away yourself though) or other weapons, depending on the suit. The suits also affect the way you’re playing plus there are levels that require a specific suit in order to be cleared. To unlock them you must collect an x number of green tokens through leveling up.
As you dig, you’ll come across many gems/jewels that are either visible to you or hidden in smashable rocks. Many of the blocks of soil you come across also hide gems, so if you’re not bored, try to clear as many of them as you can. Different jewels give different amounts of points (10, 20 or more). You’ll also uncover sticker packs (this really hit a soft spot in me as I used to love collecting stickers for albums as a kid), keys to unlock treasure chests that offer a large portion of gems, and most importantly, the 3 stars that are available in each level.
Now, regarding the enemies, they come in many forms and unfortunately all of them are too cute to destroy! Some look like small balls of fluff, others are pink, and others look like an improved version of gummy bears. Some even have cute wings to fly! But don’t let their appearance fool you, as getting in contact with them means instant death. You can fight them in various ways, the most common of which is falling on top of them. Of course, while you progress stronger enemies appear, and you’re going to need stronger attacks- this is where suits prove their usefulness. Defeating the enemies is not really hard and you’ll find the whole experience very fulfilling.
The game consists of 8 worlds and each one includes a large number of levels. To get permission to move from one world to the next you must first clear all levels of the world you’re currently playing at. The levels look like mazes and need a lot of digging to reach the bottom. Plenty of enemies and obstacles are there to block your way and spice things up for you. While soil blocks can be deal with a simple digging, there are others, like crystalized blocks or rocks and more that require other actions, like moving them until they fall in an opening or using your special attacks to destroy them. Blocks can also be used to destroy enemies by dropping them on their heads.
Every day you are given a daily reward which increases depending on how many consecutive days you decide to play. The green tokens allow you to start from where you lost but they’re hard to collect so use them wisely. Alternatively, you can spend a life to start the level again. The life meter charges every 10’ and gives you one heart. The maximum number of hearts is 5 so be careful with their usage too. Each level has plenty of checkpoints, and the levels themselves are small so losing and starting over is not really frustrating. Revisiting levels is also fun, especially if you change your suit to achieve things you previously couldn’t and get a perfect 3-star score.
In-App Purchases
The game’s currency is the green tokens. You can use them to purchase sticker packs and suits from the shop. To buy tokens though you must spend real money with prices that range from $0.99 for 60 tokens and reach up to $19.99 for 1600 tokens. The same applies for purchasing health, with various options to choose from.
Graphics & Sounds
From the way I fangirled at the beginning of the review, you can probably imagine how much I love the 3D graphics and designs of Starlit Adventures. This game is seriously a treat for the eye and there is literally nothing negative to say about its visuals. Vibrant colors and lovely animations and characters you want to grab and hug, completes the set. The BG music is fitting with cutesy melodies.
Conclusion
Despite the bad taste the IAPs leave to the mouth (which is the case for most FTP games), Starlit Adventures is one of the best puzzle games that have been recently released. It is challenging without being too hard, cute and funny, and is sure to keep you coming back for more.
Download Starlit Adventures for iOS devices here.
Download Starlit Adventures for Android devices here.
Starlit Adventure Screenshots above, Trailer below
