Far Star

Far Star is actually a very solid game. It's a mix of adventure game and metroidvania, most similar perhaps to games like Wuppo, Gunbrella and Treasure Adventure Game. Having said that, it leans a bit more toward the metroidvania side and isn't quite as charming as some of those titles. I managed 100% completion pretty easily, which took me a little over 6 hours. There is a main hub/town where you complete quests for people. The map has good labelling, it marks any unclaimed items, quest locations, points of interest.  I was never lost, while usually having a few different locations I could visit. Combat is simple, you acquire up to 4 different characters who can fire a variety of guns.   You occasionally solve quick, basic mini-games and puzzles (like in Plague of Yamorn) which serve to break up the gameplay a bit. I liked this, they were mostly trivial, though I can imagine some of the 'fit the objects into the space' type puzzles perhaps stumping those that aren't any good at spacial puzzles. In some of the longer hallways I was wishing I had an ability to move faster, it took a while to get an ability to alleviate that. I managed to get softlocked a couple of times by managing to jump ‘out of bounds’. I was able to save and quit out, which returns you to the last tapped checkpoint which was fine. Far Star is very solid and only having 3 reviews after this much time is pretty ridiculous given the decent quality.

Far Star is a joy to play! I had the opportunity to play the demo previously, and was happy to discover that the full game recently released. Far Star is a sci-fi Metroidvania with a setting and game play that are both up my alley. The game takes around 10 hours for a complete play through, and there's a lot of unique content packed into it. The world has a fun art style with several unique environments which you can explore as you proceed with the story. The missions, known as jobs, vary, and there are a number of side jobs and mini-games you are incentivized to complete. I also thoroughly enjoyed the humor present throughout the game and its dialogue. One final note: this game plays great on the Steam Deck!

I enjoy looking for obscure metroidvanias, so I stumbled upon this one and noticed that it is one of the least reviewed games here on Steam. After having played and finished it, I think there must be something wrong with the algorithm, since this is somewhat of a hidden gem! There's lots of things to do, controls are precise (played it with a Xbox gamepad), the mission system is interesting, it has several mini-games to break the monotony, interesting boss battles, backtracking is not an issue if you unlock the spaceports; also, since we're controlling a group of mercenaries, if an ability is needed to complete some mission we can just either hire a new recruit or buy the appropriate skill from the terminals, so the frustration is reduced to a minimum. There's even some character customization, a lot of gentle humour that never feels too forced and a typical sci-fi plot that however is fairly optimistic, good-natured, not the usual dark dystopian stuff (still with some commentary on the world of today). What's better, it has mostly been made by a single person who put a lot of details in it (ever noticed that you can't shoot while you are in a city?)! I just don't know why it has been ignored by the general public... maybe it's the simple pixelated mobile-style graphics? The jazzy soundtrack that may feel out of place? The somewhat awkward beginning (before you get the breathing helmet)? But it gets better after that. Anyway, if you enjoy exploration-based platformers, you should try it!

Far Star is an indie space adventure game that is full of charisma and sense of humour. It takes inspiration from metroidvanias and has lots of pop-culture references all over the place. You are a space adventurer who provides general services (literally, even cleaning services) across the galaxy. Eventually, you find yourself with a golden record that holds the solution to the mystery of the Far Star, an advanced civilisation that lost contact with the rest of the galaxy. Gameplay-wise, the game is a sidescroller 2D metroidvania with the basic actions like shooting, jumping, dashing, etc. You can have a team of up to four members and different jobs, each job providing you with a different skill. The job system is very simple though; the main difference is the skill that the character has access to and some weapons restrictions. Apart from the hacker and mechanic jobs, the other jobs are not really necessary in your playthrough. I wish the jobs had a little more depth and impact on the gameplay, like medics, hackers and mechanics being weaker in combat or having even more restrictions with weapons. Maybe in a future update? ;) There are lots of costumes to be unlocked and some side characters. You need to find them to unlock some of the jobs in the game. Sometimes you will need to solve puzzles with more than one character at the same time. The puzzles are not very difficult though, so you probably will not find yourself taking too long to solve them and move forward. The art style is very charismatic and lovely, and the music is moody. I loved all the mini-games you find while adventuring; they provide a nice change of pace and gameplay, even being as simple as they are. Most, if not all of them, are inspired by other cult games or movies/cartoons. It took me around eight hours to complete the game and I still have some achievements to unlock. I am a bit biased given the fact that I know the creator/developer, I know he did everything himself and how much work, sweat and love he put into it. You can see and feel his love while you play the game and complete the adventure. I highly recommend this game if you’re looking for a light-hearted game full of personality. It will definitely put a smile on your face as it did on mine.

This game was an absolute gem! Love the various game play across the different tasks and zones. It kept things so interesting having so many mini games and puzzles! The story is incredibly satisfying, I would definitely recommend to a friend!

Nice relaxing little Metroidvania that can be completed with 100% in under 10 hours. I enjoyed to play it. Also it runs great on Steamdeck without any issues.

nice game