Armature Studio is really coming into its own as a developer and 'Dead Star' is proof of that. It's one of the most accessible MOBAs to date, and doesn't feature the high barrier of entry that plagues so many of its contemporaries. This is largely circumvented thanks to a wonderfully done tutorial. There's not another game quite like it on the market, which ensures that I'll continue to go back to it frequently.
Dead Star combines the appeal of classic space shooters with the depth of RPG elements. It’s fun, fast paced, founded both on cooperation and strategy.
One of the sadest stories in recent gaming was the fall of Dead Star, a game which relies on an online userbase sadly went under the radar and had to be closed down less than a year in. A massive hidden gem ****, initially dismissed by many.
The month I am writing this marks the 1 year anniversary of the game, a time that should be for celebration.
Dead Star is a twin stick shooter meets MOBA. The game centers around grid-like maps containing 2 team home bases and a varying number of outposts which either team can capture and upgrade for more points per second as well as extra defence, additionall capturing all outposts surrounding an enemy home base can allow you an optional 'decicive victory' by destroying the home base instead of waiting for a victory on points.
There were a variety of ships that all came under 3 main categories: Scouts which are mobile, fragile, decent firepower and capture outposts faster. Cargo ships which carry more resources for upgrading and are balanced in other stats. Frigates which are large, slow, tanky and contain the most firepower.
As with many MOBAs these ships while already fundementally different can also vary depending how you upgrade them in the match, changing your build to suit play. At the maxmimum level in match you can never have every ability maxxed out which means a large variety of ways to play as just one ship, combine that with the 9 total ships and theres many ways to play. For example, the Justicar ship can be a tanky aggressive damage dealer or he can be a healer/supportive role just by choosing different ability paths.
So thats a rough explanation of whats going on, one of the most exciting parts to the game were the additional contracts you can collect randomly from winning games. These task you and a team of freinds with defending a large capitol ship from AI opponents while upgrading it, the joy however comes from the fact this capitol ship can also be spawned in the middle of a live match, creating a 3 way battle of sorts for a period of time.
Its incredibly sad this game was overlooked, and honestly the negative reviews on here are only from those who never actually gave the game a chance, it debuted on PS+ 5th of April yet somehow attained scores of 0 a mere day of two later.
This game had potential to be my all-time favourite game and sadly only misses out because it has since closed it's servers so early into the games life.
Easily my GOTY for that year.
I made an account here just to post this review.
I picked up this game for free on PS+ and have nor regretted it in the least, it's currently my favourite game to may and I'm starting to consider where it ranks in my personal favourite games of all time.
The beginning was a bit rough, I went for about 20 hours solo and had a lot of both good and bad matches. I eventually found a mix of ships and skills that suited me and began to consistently win games and be the top player in the match. Having read the other reviews here, I gotta say that you can ignore the bad reviews.
Tossed up solo against a really good coordinated team? Leave the lobby and find a lobby that is fill of solo players. More and more people are playing everyday and the Dev team is working hard to improve matchmaking.
Playing with people who don't know what they are doing? Try to use the tools at your disposal to get their attention. Take a ship in your mix that has support functions and help keep your team alive. Get on the forum or in one of the game's communities to find people to team up with. Bring a mic, we love hearing you.
The community in the game is frankly awesome and I've spent tons of hours with some really cool people. There are a lot of us who are willing to take newer players along with us to help them out. We love the game and want it to succeed, and helping you play is part of that.
Unless you don't like MOBA's, this is a game to check out for sure.
Testing a new ship and learning the best situations to use each weapon and ability feels thoroughly satisfying, especially when playing against human opponents. All the while, Dead Star still manages to feel tense and exciting, and the strong community suggests that it will continue to be a worthy addition to your gaming library.
Dead Star is an interesting idea, but also quite risky. The whole experience revolves around its community, so the success of the game is in your hands. Being available on PS Plus, if you're looking for a team-based experience, it's worth a try.
Forward thinking but roughly executed. Lacklustre shooting and winning base-building aren't the best of bedfellows, but they make an interesting couple. [July 2016, p.86]
I wanted to enjoy Dead Star. After all, it's a twin stick shooter that you play with others — on paper, that's pretty dope. Sadly, any potential the game may have had is lost in its execution.
Give this game a chance. Try the ships, get the hang of one of them. Dead Star comes off like it doesn't have much depth, but it does. A lot of players aren't giving the game a fair shake because it's not an established AAA title and has released on PSN Plus during a drought. Don't make this mistake.
I like the art style of the game and some of the gameplay elements, but unfortunately, this game gets boring way too quick.............................
Game is good. Gameplay is fine, but there isn't much depth into it. I got bored 3 hours in. And of course game has server problems, you'll often play with 3 people instead of 10.
Game only works half the time if even that, several server problem, and it is hard to connect. It is a fine idea for a game, but the execution is just not there, and with unstable servers it is hard to recommend
Its a moba... i dont know what it is, but i really hate mobas... witch is the reason i cant give this more then 3, it boring slow and repedetive... i am really sorry devs but i hate all mobas, never liked a single one i played.
SummaryTEAM-BASED SPACE COMBAT - Select from a variety of unique ships as you engage in intense 10v10 dogfights, capture outposts to expand your presence, gather resources to upgrade your defenses, and discover secrets buried within galactic battlegrounds. LEVEL UP AND LOOT - Explore the unique skill trees of each ship to customize your gamepla...