Recently, a number of high-quality Roguelike side-scrolling action games have been hitting the market, and one standout is Star Fire: Eternal Cycle (Endless Stardust), developed by the Chinese indie studio Ethereal Fish Studio. This game features a fluid and dynamic action experience that, despite having some puzzling design choices, offers a remarkable level of enjoyment overall, earning it some extremely high reviews.
As a Roguelike side-scrolling action game, Star Fire: Eternal Cycle follows a gameplay style similar to other titles in the genre. The main activities include defeating enemies, randomly upgrading abilities and items, enhancing permanent attributes, and unlocking various weapons and skill combinations. Fans of Hades and similar games should find it easy to dive right in.
This game offers a variety of main weapons, each featuring unique moves and enhancement paths. As players progress, they can unlock various alternate costumes and secondary weapons. Along with the new moves, there are passive effects and attributes that capture the allure of Roguelike games, leaving players wanting more.
The combat experience in the game is incredibly satisfying, allowing players to weave through enemy lines and easily take down multiple foes. Attack indicators are clear, making it a breeze to dodge enemy strikes. Perfectly timed dodges even reward players with slow-motion effects, showcasing the cleverly designed combat loop. After defeating enemies, players collect Bug Core which enhances their abilities, and matching elemental attributes grants additional effects. Once players complete the early levels, they're empowered to craft their own combat strategies, like summoning minions or using elemental orbs, while the enemies' difficulty adjustments maintain a solid challenge.
However, other aspects of the game feel a bit lacking. First off, the visuals don’t align with the story's tone. The opening and the background story cards featuring enemies center on a world on the brink of human extinction, but there's a noticeable absence of dialogue and character development, making it hard for players to immerse themselves. The enemy designs are simplistic, resembling toy characters from an animation, and the boss battles come off as forced, with jarring dialogue that diminishes the game’s immersive experience.
Despite the abundance of game elements, they fail to merge effectively, resulting in an experience that feels more like a patchwork than a cohesive whole. The distinctions between random scenes are unclear, and the battle process can quickly become tedious, particularly because the design of the bosses forces players to continually upgrade their character's permanent abilities. Unlocking new levels relies on increasing difficulty, ultimately leading to a disappointing conclusion that lacks a reasonable explanation, making it hard to accept.
Star Fire: Eternal Cycle (Endless Spark) has potential, and the combination of side-scrolling action games with Roguelike elements is a perfect match. If the development team invests more effort into the story and settings, they could achieve even greater success. The current version feels more like a game where players can just mash buttons on Cool Adventure, lacking depth and engagement. Hopefully, Ethereal Fish Studio will continue to update and fully leverage their existing resources to create a more compelling product.
Star Fire: Eternal Cycle (Endless Starfire) is now available, compatible with the PC Steam platform, and supports Traditional Chinese.
