Stardust

Meh, another Asteroids?

Stardust was released late in the ST's life by Bloodhouse in 1994. It's not only one of the last commercial games, but it's a STe-only product. Developed by famous names from our demoscene (thank you, Aggression), these guys burnt the midnight oil to deliver a wicked twist on the Asteroids arcade genre.

It not only plays similarly to the old favourite but features modern aesthetics for extra zest. Such as ludicrously awesome colours and sampled sounds; all are quite stunning and complement the frantic action.

Wanna see the war plan? It's technical but translates to "kill everything and don't die!"...

A clear and accurate war plan, I'm sure you'll agree? lol

Bam! Bam! Bam! Blast the rocks!

There are a total of five levels, with each containing six missions. All are host to a variety of rocks along with the expected baddies. After each level is completed, you must travel through a wormhole-like tunnel onto the next part of the galaxy like something from Buck Rogers!! These tunnels are filled to the brim with oncoming rocks for you to dodge or destroy - no easy task, but it's a thrilling moment that I never expected to play!

Bonus levels pop up regularly and feel similar to a particular Thrust clone. These are optional, but you must be daft to ignore the fun. Of course, a game like this wouldn't feel right without End-Of-Level Bosses. Each mission has them, and these guys are tough! Much perseverance will be required during these enjoyable romps.

It's time to stop reading and enjoy the pixels! Let's take a peep at a screenshot...

Check out these outstanding and colourful visuals!! Amazing stuff.

Enhanced gaming!!

Stardust is on another level with gritty, fast-paced gameplay. The basic mechanics are what you’d expect: asteroids, and it feels more or less the same. This is great as you can jump straight in and begin playing without that learning curve. Heck, it's all about dodging and shooting. Are you tough enough?

The controls are also familiar: left and right will manoeuvre your spacecraft. Pushing upwards will thrust forwards into hell, and we have a shield that aids during those sticky moments. Finally, our ship's main weapon is more than capable of gratifying rock-blasting!! Nothing wrong here - all this is super-spacey-gun-fun!

This next screenshot does itself no justice. Seriously mind-blowing effects...

Buck Rogers' side event is absolutely exceptional. Impossible not to be impressed.

Enhanced Aesthetics

Stardust is utterly glorious. Everything is bold and colourful with stunningly smooth animations. The rocks are also something else, with jaw-dropping 3D renditions that look beautiful. Not only that, but the display is running in overscan!! Yep, it looks so HOT in overscan, which means lots of extra pixels to blast.

Equally impressive is the audio with thumping stereo tunes, accompanied by BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! DMA sound effects. This is one shooter that's gonna blow your socks off. If I can offer one piece of advice: crank up the volume!! Yes, I guarantee you will love everything Stardust delivers, so turn it up high.

This is one of the best-looking/sounding Atari STe games released. Let's have another screenshot...

Look out! Move quick and keep on firing - are your reactions good enough?

The CryptO'pinion?

A spectacular showcase of what the Atari STe is capable of when in the hands of talented people. These guys didn't rehash an old idea or produce a weak Amiga port. No, they unleashed a product that feels fresh and exciting. The effort put into the gameplay, visuals, and audio is far beyond praiseworthy.

Stardust is a joyride of rock-blasting thrills and a perfect shooter. One of the best games I've played.

Download for floppy or hard drive.