Nice game... maybe a little busy for my old eyes, but still cool. Problem I have is that it crashes after I beat level 5. Restart the game and I play level 5 again... and it crashes again. Tried 3 times - I guess I'll reboot...
Love Super Stardust on both the PS3 and Vita, and while this game is a really good representation of that experience for iOS, I don't know if I like it enough to buy the full version or not. The play field just seems too small, no room to maneuver, plus I can't get used to the slow response in controls when changing direction. I just end up pinballing off everything. Just doesn't have the pinpoint precision I'm used to on a game like Super Stardust. I realize the control is using momentum to be more realistic when switching direction, but with the smaller area to play on and the amount of stuff on screen, it just doesn't work for me. Last thing is the brightness of the weapon when firing along with the exploding enemies, while looking really impressive, makes seeing rocks and other enemies hard to see. Just my quick impressions. Still it's a great game and I'll probably buy the full anyway to support the dev, plus it looks like the dev will be tweaking a few things via updates...
While I agree a bit with some of the comments about the playing field being too small, I actually like that it forces you to adopt a different strategy than you do in other DSS games. To avoid the "pinball" effect people are mentioning, you have to adjust your gameplan by firing at asteroids (in particular) further away from them so you can move out of the way of the remaining rocks that come darting out from the explosion. And even though what you see is what you think of as the playing field, moving around the planet opens it up as far as getting out of sticky situations. To me, I have no problems with the controls. Some of the missions get challenging because of the aspects mentioned above, but I still haven't hit one that I couldn't get past after a few tries. I can definately see where some people used to other DSS games could get frustrated, but I think part of it is a learning curve. Honestly, I'm having more fun with this than with Super Stardust. And while Meteor Blitz has been mentioned, it's a great game as far as precision controls, but other than that I think it's very overrated.
Although I wouldn't say it was a game to suit everyone, as awp69 mentions it is possible to adopt different playing styles: 1) The movement stick, isn't all or nothing ... it's analogue, move it a little and you'll travel slowly in a more controlled manner. Of course this takes practice with touch controls, but it's possible to increase the size of the sticks to make this easier. Switching to non-fixed may also help as each time you place your thumb on the screen, you'll start from the stick's central point. 2) It is possible to let go of the firing stick ... firing less means you can concentrate more on what's going on (especially in the Missions mode). More importantly you wont end up generating 100's of small asteroids (when this happens you have only yourself to blame). As an added bonus, you'll conserve ammo and your power ups will last longer. Darkside is not intended to be a game where you just hold down the firing button all the time, but if you come to a point in the game where it is safe to do so, then it can be fun if enjoyed responsibly ; ) As mentioned, I will make it possible to adjust the ship's momentum in the first update as I appreciate it won't be to everyone's taste ... I always tend to over do momentum and camera movement. As a programmer I seem to love smoothing values out : D Thanks again for all the feedback! George
Very nice take on the Super Stardust style, at this price is really a must buy for me. The play field is a tad on the small side but I like it, makes things more franctic and intense, and also not having any trouble with the controls.
I have that same problem when running it on iPad 2,not tried my other devices yet though to see if same.
This is an outstanding shooter and it did not take long to get my dollar and my 5 star App Store review.
Will there ever be a seperate app for the full version, or will it always be available only through IAP?
Hi, thanks for purchasing! Just wanted to mention, the original PC version was released in 2007 so not a take on Super Stardust, just a happy coincidence (more info posted previously) : ) I've had several comments on the small play field, which has taken me by surprise. There are a few small asteroids thrown into the game to keep the levels varied, but they tend to appear when there aren't many asteroids (opening levels of the Arcade mode for example). I'll take a look into making these levels larger for the next update. Thanks for letting me know ... might be good to try a reset (holding down the power button, then sliding the 'Slide to power off' slider). Sometimes if you're running lots of apps in the background, memory usage can effect some games. Other than that, there is an achievement awarded at the end of level 5, so I'd be interested to see if you have Game Center enabled. Yes, I am going to keep the single unlock IAP in Darkside. It is a 'Full Version' IAP and includes any and all updates : ) Thank you!
Somehow I never played Meteor Blitz, but I have played Vertex Blaster which is another game like this. If you like either of those my guess is you will really like this one too.
IMO, it's better than Meteor Blitz, but know there's a big following for that game. Controls might not be as tight in this, but there's a lot more to it and amazing graphics to boot.
Very impressed by this game. A ton of fun, with beautiful graphic. A must have for evey dual stick lover.
This game is actually about 4 or 5 years old, it's an indie game for Windows. From the screenshots it looks identical. Fun little game from what I remember. I was playing this long before Super Stardust was even announced for PS3, so this is definitely not a clone of anything.
Love all the lighting effects and explosions! Great eyecandy. And good gameplay - was an instant buy for me, thanks! One request to consider? A lot of dual stick shooters have incorporated the feature of when you stop touching the movement and fire controls the game will auto-pause. I didn't see that setting for this game - if it's not available, can you consider adding? That pause button in the upper right corner feels pretty far away on the iPad when a game like this has so much action going on, you can die before you can pause, lol.
This game is shockingly good. I went ahead and bought the .99 upgrade to support the developer. The game is really nice looking and reminds me a ton of the super stardust game on the PS3 (which is a good thing.)
I see... and I assume if I delete the app and re-install it at a later period I can always "restore" my IAP purchases, right?
