Star Horizon
Release Date: March 20, 2014
Action, science fiction, in space, rail shooter, shooters, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
A rail shooter developed by Tabasco Interactive, a Polish dev studio. The player assumes the role of John, a pilot of the Federation woken from a thousand-year cryogenic sleep initiated by an artificial intelligence called Ellie during a great war against the Rebels. His task is not only to discover how the conflict ended but also to defend humanity from a new threat.
Star Horizon is a space shooter for PC, iOS and etc. developed by Tabasco Interactive, a Polish development studio. The production was created with mobile devices in mind, for which it came out in 2014. The following year, a visually enhanced edition was released for PC.
Plot
In Star Horizon, we assume the role of John, a pilot serving in the Inter Galactic Federation during a grand galactic war with the Rebels. It had seemed that the defeat of the latter is just a matter of time when the main cruiser of the Federation was destroyed in mysterious circumstances. In response, the artificial intelligence that steered John’s fighter, Ellie, hibernates the pilot and wakes him up after a thousand years have passed. He has to discover what really happened during the war and defend humanity from a new threat.
Mechanics
While playing, we mostly fight in grand space battles. The player can side either with the Federation or the Rebels, while the course of the campaign is shaped by our decisions to a large extent. The game puts great emphasis on the story and the development of friendship between John and Ellie.
Star Horizon for PC, iOS and etc. belongs to the genre, which is commonly called rail shooter. It means that in the game the ship is steered by artificial intelligence. The player can only modify the vessel’s location in an invisible tunnel without changing its direction. Our role boils down to aiming at enemies and maneuvering in order to avoid collision with enemy projectiles and elements of the environment.
The game is enriched by a ship enhancement module that lets us replace individual parts and mount increasingly powerful armaments. The title also offers a well-made soundtrack composed by a musician who worked on one of Behemoth’s albums.
Last updated on July 26, 2017
Videos and Screens
NintendoWorldReport: 5.5 / 10 by John Rairdin
Levels are often large and expansive but without the enemy layout to fill them up. There are plenty of fun weapons at your disposal, but the targeting system makes them all less functional. While it runs well on Switch and certainly has its moments where everything lines up just right, overall it is at best a mediocre rail shooter. Even if you're desperate for this underrepresented genre, there are already better entries available on the eShop.
Video Chums: 3 / 5 by A.J. Maciejewski
Star Horizon is a basic rail shooter that looks fantastic for a Switch indie so it's sure to provide some entertainment for genre fans.
Nindie Spotlight: 7.2 / 10 by Justin Nation
Ever since the days of the classic Wing Commander series I've been a huge fan of space dogfighting mixed with a bit of operatic drama...
Star Horizon Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows May 28, 2015
Android OS June 19, 2014
Apple iOS March 20, 2014
Windows Phone August 7, 2014
Developer: Orbital Knight / Tabasco Interactive
Publisher: Orbital Knight / Tabasco Interactive
Age restrictions: 12+
Star Horizon System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Dual Core 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, graphic card 256 MB GeForce 8500 GT or better, 1.7 GB HDD, Windows XP(SP3)/Vista/7/8
Recommended: Dual Core 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 512 MB GeForce 8800 GT or better, 1.7 GB HDD, Windows XP(SP3)/Vista/7/8