Thank goodness Starr Mazer is now on Kickstarter. A few days back I received an email about its impending release and knew instantly that this game was going to be hot. You can’t always predict if something will succeed, but every once in a while it’s almost impossible to deny. So, what the heck was it that got me so pumped about Starr Mazer? Oh, pretty much everything. The game pulls from two excellent genres: point and click adventures and shmups. Despite it seeming like an odd pairing, the game then weaves these together so it feels cohesive instead of just a weird smorgasbord.
The game stars manly man Brick M. Stonewood, a skilled space pilot from a different era. His abilities are needed desperately as, in the world of Starr Mazer, space is a dangerous place filled with dangerous creatures. During your adventures you’ll engage in point and click-styled 2D segments which look pulled from a LucasArts game. You’ll talk, interact with, and likely solve a few puzzles in this mode. Then there are the shmup segments which throw you into bullet-filled screens – so be prepared! Apparently it’ll all play out in a sort of “episodic” fashion with story bits able to be seen in different orders. All help to build up the core storyline.
Starr Mazer is looking toward a launch on Windows, Mac, and Linux. They’ve also mentioned HuCards (aka a PC Engine/TurboGrafx release?!) if things do overwhelmingly well. Right now Imagos Softworks is hoping to raise $160,000 via their Kickstarter.
