Review: Super Star Path
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Your progress is automatically recorded at the end of a run. If you need to pause the game during a level, press ESC at any time to bring up the pause menu. Time needed per session:You can make good progress in about fifteen minutes, so use this as your baseline when you want to fit this game into your day.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | Some players may have concerns This isn't any more violent than classic arcade games like Space Invaders or Galaga, but the way the player character talks may be an issue. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/super_star_path_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/super_star_path_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/super_star_path_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Everyone loves a good shoot 'em up, but while there are some shoot 'em up elements in Super Star Path, the majority of the gameplay has more in common with puzzle games like Puyo-Puyo or Dr. Mario. You're still going to be fighting a large number of aliens, it's just that you'll be doing so with precision and strategy, not the typical spray and pray approach you'd normally use.
Each level has you piloting a starship through a trench towards a boss. This trench is filled to the brim with all sorts of alien baddies, and you'll need to carve a path through them to complete the level. There's a trick to it though: when you zap an alien, they'll pop and start a chain reaction with any nearby aliens of the same color. When the chain reaction can't continue any further, the aliens near the final explosions will turn to crystal. Crystallized aliens can't be damaged in any way, so careless shots can create solid walls that block your progress. The good news here is that you can touch most of the aliens in a level without being harmed, so hold your fire until it's needed.
Every level is also home to a small number of special aliens. Three of these aliens hold powerups that you can collect and apply to your ships, while three more carry the special Green Emeralds that the drive the game's plot. Once you've collected their cargo, these aliens won't reappear and you can focus on getting through the maze.
At the end of the level you'll face off against a powerful alien boss in a more traditional bullet hell fight. Be careful though: despite the boss' fairly large health meter, your ships aren't capable of taking many hits before they explode. Survive their dizzying attack patterns, and you'll complete the level, unlocking some new ships in the process. Each ship has its own strengths, so choose carefully!
This turned out to be a fun little game, and while it's fairly short, I'd say that it's still a good fit for any shoot 'em up or puzzle game fans who are looking for something different.
Each level has you piloting a starship through a trench towards a boss. This trench is filled to the brim with all sorts of alien baddies, and you'll need to carve a path through them to complete the level. There's a trick to it though: when you zap an alien, they'll pop and start a chain reaction with any nearby aliens of the same color. When the chain reaction can't continue any further, the aliens near the final explosions will turn to crystal. Crystallized aliens can't be damaged in any way, so careless shots can create solid walls that block your progress. The good news here is that you can touch most of the aliens in a level without being harmed, so hold your fire until it's needed.
Every level is also home to a small number of special aliens. Three of these aliens hold powerups that you can collect and apply to your ships, while three more carry the special Green Emeralds that the drive the game's plot. Once you've collected their cargo, these aliens won't reappear and you can focus on getting through the maze.
At the end of the level you'll face off against a powerful alien boss in a more traditional bullet hell fight. Be careful though: despite the boss' fairly large health meter, your ships aren't capable of taking many hits before they explode. Survive their dizzying attack patterns, and you'll complete the level, unlocking some new ships in the process. Each ship has its own strengths, so choose carefully!
This turned out to be a fun little game, and while it's fairly short, I'd say that it's still a good fit for any shoot 'em up or puzzle game fans who are looking for something different.
Points of Interest
Six worlds to explore
Each world represents a different level to challenge your skills. They all have a unique special enemy type, and some of the later levels even have hazards for you to try and navigate around. Note that many of the available ships are specifically tailored to be used on specific levels, so if you have trouble completing a world, try a different ship and see if that improves anything. As an example, the ship that's impervious to explosions can completely ignore any of the mines on the rocky planet, while the ship that's immune to small bullets can just tank the enemies found on another planet.
Boss Rush mode provides a final challenge
Once you've finished the main game, you'll unlock a special Boss Rush game mode. This mode has you face off against all six of the game's bosses using any ship you want, but you only get one hit point and no upgrades are applied to your ship. This is a real challenge for bullet hell pros, so I can't see most players coming close to completing this mode.
Adjustable difficulty
In the game's option menu, there's an option to tweak the game's overall difficulty. You can choose between easy, medium, or hard modes. If you're having real trouble with a specific level, you can lower the difficulty, try again, and then turn it back up afterwards.
Steam community features
It's not often I'd say this, but in this case, the Steam trading cards for Super Star Path are more interesting than the achievements it offers. There aren't many achievements, and they mostly revolve around either gathering sets of things (eg, collecting all powerups, buying all ships). The hardest achievement to earn is the one for completing both the main game and the boss rush bonus mode, and I can't say I'm surprised that hardly anybody has earned it.
Commentary can get annoying
As you play through a level, your ship's pilot will make remarks about the current situation. While he has a larger than expected list of stock phrases, it can become annoying after you've heard the same line a few dozen times. Thankfully, there's an option to disable his commentary in the game's option menu.
Concerns and Issues
Mild violence
As per any old school style shoot 'em up, aliens go pop, ships go boom, and gems go ka-ching. There's no gore, no blood, or anything particularly worrying about the game's violence, as it's presented in the classic family friendly style that arcade games have become known for over the years.
Swearing
For most of the game, the closest anybody gets to swearing is the phrase "Holy crap that's a lot of them!". This generally isn't a big deal, as it's not swearing per se. Unfortunately, the developers decided to have the pilot actually swear during the ending. Since this is the only family-unfriendly thing you'll encounter in Super Star Path, it stands out like a sore thumb.