This may be the best way to play Starshot: Space Circus Fever today.
It's relatively sad, because, as it's been said, it is a bad port.
This being said, all of the issues can be overcome, and you can have an enjoyable experience with a few precautions.
----------------------------------------
TECHNICAL ISSUES
----------------------------------------
...obviously we'll have to live with these homemade "fixes", I have no hope these devs will ever take a second look at the game.
First of all, the FRAMERATE. The game becomes completely unplayable at some points in the first level. You have to exit the game and restart, you get 1 frame per second or something. I solved this problem running the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP - Service Pack 3. After I did this, my save file got deleted (?), but then I completed the game with ZERO FRAMERATE ISSUES, FROM BEGINNING TO END.
I played with an Xbox 360 controller, and I can't even imagine doing some of the platforming without a control stick (although I didn't try it). The game recognised the controller right away, and I used the default button mapping for the whole playthrough. HOWEVER some buttons can NOT be mapped, and will only be available on pre-determined Keyboard keys: the button to open the pause menu (ESC), the button to open the map (TAB), the button to see your collectibles (SPACEBAR) have to be pressed on the keyboard. That's right, I had to play with the controller AND the keyboard.
Another issue: the Steam overlay doesn't seem to work at all, and if you Alt+TAB you can't go back to the game (the controls won't work). The fix here is pressing Alt+Enter first, entering "windowed mode", and from this mode you can press the Windows key or Alt+TAB, do what you want, and then seamlessly go back to the game. Pressing Alt+Enter again brings back the full screen. There is an option for "windowed mode" in the ingame menu, but it just doesn't work. The only way to do it is Alt+Enter.
When you change the screen resolution, you will notice that the game doesn't even seem to register the change in the menu. HOWEVER THIS IS UNTRUE. If you change the resolution and quit the game, you WILL be able to get the resolution you selected when you start the game next.
One last issue: Some "Ambient Sounds" are labelled as "Sound Effects", which is terrible in some areas: the water flowing and the lava sizzling are as loud as an explosion, and if you lower the "Sound Effects" volume you can't hear sound effects anymore.
----------------------------------------
THE ACTUAL GAME
----------------------------------------
My two main gripes are as follows:
1) If you load a save file where you finished the game, the end cutscene plays. There is no replaying old levels unless you start a new file.
2) I think I spent 4 hours (no joke) walking around Tensuns looking for Mega Fuel. In truth you don't need to find it all, it is very easy to get the quantity required to finish the game, and additional units of Mega Fuel do nothing ...but I WANTED to find it all. I'm almost sure the game is bugged or something went wrong, because I can NOT find those last three or four Mega Fuels in the first level, and I looked EVERYWHERE. Minor issue, but I'm still miffed.
...Now for the good.
I played and finished the Nintendo 64 version in the past. This Starshot looks gorgeous in comparison. It really stands the test of time, and the French art style is very reminiscent of Rayman in the best possible way.
This game has a LOT OF DIALOGUE, which is VOICE ACTED in FRENCH and ENGLISH, with an excellent translation and very good acting. The French dialogue in particular sounds very natural. The songs and the accents are re-invented to suit both languages. All characters call the main character "Starshort" in both languages, which is weird. You can change language in the middle of gameplay, and the voices and text instantly change. Cool!
The music is NOT THE N64 MUSIC. It is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK which was composed BEFORE THE N64 MUSIC. As far as I can tell, by the same composers. It is a bit of a pity, because the N64 music was insanely good and catchy, but this version's music isn't bad at all. (The PC soundtrack is available online for free on the website of the composer: look up "Gilles Benois music").
This game is not really just an action platformer. It has action platforming sections, and puzzle sections. Those go unmentioned because they aren't there in the first level, but they are truly a BIG part of the game. Starshot loves to lock you up in a tiny room with no way out and two or three elements of a puzzle mechanic you've never seen before.
You will have to solve puzzles, and you can EASILY get stuck without knowing what to do.
...I figured everything out though, so you can too.
The attention to detail is astounding: there are characters, enemies and even background extras who are very carefully modeled, textured, animated, voice acted, and you only meet ONCE in the entire game.
Many characters are there only for flavor, and flavor is THE POINT of the game.
The developers want you to go through the story to enjoy the dialogue, the jokes, the art.
The atmosphere and the jokes are unexpectedly dark, and slowly you begin to realize how horrible and dystopic the universe of Starshot is. I believe this is unintended, but by the end of the game, it is truly bleak and grotesque. For example, of the six planets in the game, three of them have their entire population dead, and all of them are devastated by consumerism and capitalism (the game has that focus).
The action and platforming parts are considered unforgiving and hated by some, mostly with the usual 3d platformer complaints about "the camera", but if you get the hang of it, none of it is bad.
Much of the level design is rather badly designed, rough around the edges, with difficulty spikes, paths that go nowhere, and obstacles that can be easily avoided just jumping to an unintended platform. This, for me, adds to the charm.
You can jump very high, and in almost all levels you can fly, so you can cheese the game if you want to.
There is some frustration, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The game is RIDDLED with issues, and it is not a masterpiece to begin with. But I love Starshot, and I really enjoyed my time with this version too.
I will give it a "Yes" for recommendation, because likely, aside from mine, it will never get another positive one. If more reviews come in, they will all be negative. i really wish I could give a neutral rating.
Anyways, I want to demonstrate that it is possible to play and enjoy this version of Starshot and overcome its issues.
Because likely some of us care about this game more than these devs ever will, and this game will NEVER get ANY re-releases or ANY updates in the future.
