Starshifter

Bark bark dig bark bark dig bark bark dig

I REALLY want to like this game, the concept is really exciting, but after playing it for a little while I have to say it doesn't really feel like a complete or necessarily even really very playable game. Moving around in coyote form feels clunky and difficult to maneuver. There's no sense of being an agile, clever creature that seems like should be. Flight as a crow can stretch further if you use it right than you'd expect from its challenges, but intuitively it feels like you slow down way too fast and managing speed feels awkward and precarious. Combat with the dark creatures feels awkward (due to the awkward controls) and it isn't really clear whether you're "supposed" to fight the rats, since fighting is hard and they keep respawning for at least enough waves to feel like the fight might go on indefinitely. Defeating the very first enemy in the game feels like way more a challenge than it should be if is actually intended to, thanks to the controls. I didn't find the weasel form, though the game settings indicate it exists and so do other reviews, which seem indicate there's more content in the game that's actually reachable. There's a lack of easily findable signals as to what to do, though- I resorted to "rock climbing", jumping on the canyon walls which isn't even clear if is an intended feature, and got one start that seemed like maybe was supposed to be inaccessible if that WASN'T intended, but if it is the routes and usable "pawholds" are very unclear and require a frustrating amount of trial and error. (as a small note, it seems to be possible to get immersed deep in water by jumping in, however swimming doesn't seem to be built for vertical movement.) I reached 26 stars, but don't feel motivated to keep experimenting and rechecking every nook and cranny to see how to get through the game, as playing hasn't really been very fun or intuitive and the game, despite its promise, has felt mostly like an exercise in frustration.

Starshifter is a great game. Moving around areas is enjoyable (which is very important in these kind of exploration-heavy games), and the artstyle and characters are great. The environments you are in are well done and have a good feeling in them too. The one problem I'll note is that certain things in the game can be somewhat cryptic (it's not entirely obvious how to get from the first non-tutorial area to the second, I found it by mistake), although i found that less of a problem as the game goes along, and, if you're the kind of person who really can't enjoy a game unless you get to 100% it, finding all of the stars can be quite difficult (you don't need to though, I didn't bother). However, the game still stands well above that for enjoyable movement and great environments. Also, playing as a shapeshifting coyote is Extremely Good.

As an early backer I have to say I am happy to finally finish this wonderful game! Yes, there were times when some bugs showed up or times when I did not know what to do (especially with the few last stars), but after finishing it I have to say I really enjoyed it! The beautiful coozy music or the environment. I had a really great time playing this game!

I like the gameplay and the story, and the music is lovely and relaxing. The controls can be complicated at first, but it's easier when you get used to it, I also struggled a bit with the crow's controls. Keep making this awesome game!

Incredibly cute game! Very well made and it's a fun challenge to collect all of the stars. Would recommend <3

Starshifter is an amazing game, that I have enjoyed watching over it's development, I simply wish I had more chances to play it. I can not wait to see what else we might see from these developers!

+Relaxing and funny. -Steam-Trophys did not really work for me. -On highest settings performance problems on my mid- to highend system.

Will wait for the game to be finished. At this state I found it to be unplayable. My PC crashed (Not really game related), when I opened my save again, it put me back in the tutorial, nowhere near the tutorial spawn point, and I had to look where the crow was to interact with it and get rid of control tutorial message. Could not delete my save, nor start a new one. Game and story looks cool tho and I'm really looking forward to when it's finished ! But this is so unfinished it feels like a free itch.io demo

I bought this game just to support ONE of my FAVORITE artist: RayJ (@TheRoguez). Hey man, you rock and i love ur artwork Coyote. Keep it up! Let me know if ya planning on any others game too ^^