'Stellar Blaster' A Well-Balanced iPhone Space Shooter
posted October 24th, 2008 3:09 PM CDT by Blake Patterson in $4.99, Retro, Reviews, Shooter, iPhone games, iPod touch gamesJPMartineau has just released Stellar Blaster [App Store], a 2D top-down space shooter inspired by "the best elements of 1980s arcade classics."
Stellar Blaster will look to most like a sort of advanced take on Asteroids where it's not just asteroids but also enemy spacecraft that must be destroyed. To me it looks more like portions of a 1990 Amiga shooter from Psygnosis known as Awesome [video]. Either way, Stellar Blaster provides satisfying space-shooter action, complete with the occasional and highly challenging level Boss.
Stellar Blaster utilizes the iPhone's accelerometer for yaw control and features a thrust and fire button at the lower left and right corners of the screen. And more than is the case in most iPhone titles, the accelerometer control feels particularly "right" in this game.
Stellar Blaster consists mostly of levels that are completed by destroying all alien craft, with the occasional power-up unlocked by destroying asteroids. There are also bonus levels where the goal is to destroy as many asteroids as possible within a time limit. There are Boss levels too, in which a single, enormous and heavily armed ship must be systematically disabled–not a simple task.
Features, as listed by the developer:
- 25 action-packed levels with increasing difficulty
- Player-centric top-down scroller with 360º of liberty
- Power-ups, extra lives and surprises
- Beat the clock bonuses
- Saves progress on exit and on incoming phone calls so you can pick up your game later
- Upload your highest score to our worldwide leaderboard (if you want to)
While this is a retro-inspired title, people simply looking for a modern shooter will most likely find this an enjoyable title. The control coupled with the game pacing makes for an engaging and well-balanced top-down shooter experience. Fans of the genre will likely find this $4.99 App Store title [link] worth checking out.
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October 25th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Developer JPMartineau left a rather helpful tip to defeating the Bosses as a comment on the YouTube video:
"The trick to fight the bosses is to fill up with powerups. If you have a shield upgrade, you won't get 1-shotted. Also, it's wise to let go the throttle when attacking boss to maximize attack time. One last trick - going counter clockwise around the boss, it's easier to avoid the enemy fire. Remember to go fill up on energy when you're hit."
Thanks JP. The more I play this game the better I like it.