Starfighter Origins

Release Date: April 25, 2017

Simulation, FPP, science fiction, in space, indie games, singleplayer

47%

Steam

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A combat simulator which places the player in control of a starfighter. Developed by an independent British team - Mad About Games Studios Ltd., the game was inspired by space simulators from the 90s. Starfighter Origins is set in a futuristic world, where humans explore space and pirates are waiting among asteroids for unarmed transport ships and other easy loot.

Plot
Mechanics
Game modes
Technical aspects

Starfighter Origins for PC, XONE and PS4 is a combat simulator, which gives the player control over a spaceship. The game borrows from the heritage of titles similar in genre and popular in the 90s, such as the Wing Commander series, the Freespace dilogy, or simulator games from the Star Wars universe. Among the sources of inspiration for Starfighter Origins, one should also notice science-fiction series such as Battlestar Galactica or Babylon 5.

Starfighter Origins is the next game belonging to the Colonial Defense Force universe, after Ghostship Aftermath and CDF Ghostship. The CDF world was created by Shaun Williams, who is the head of the independent studio behind production of this game; Mad About Games Studios Ltd. is located in Blackpool, Great Britain. The game gained the approval of the community on Steam Greenlight.

Plot

The game is set in distant future times, when humanity has managed to establish space colonies, and the technology behind interstellar travel is widespread enough for space piracy to thrive in certain areas. An organization committed to maintaining order is known as the Colonial Defense Force, and each citizen is obliged to serve their part for 3 years. The service begins at the age of 18 and one spends that time as part of a branch belonging to the CDF, but not all the branches are assigned to military actions. One can choose mainly from corps of engineers, logistics, scientists, marines and pilots.

The player takes on the role of a young man who has decided to serve his three years as a pilot. After discovering his talent in controlling spacecraft, the protagonist decided to remain in the fleet and continue the career he has begun, through learning at the academy for fighter ship pilots. Graduating from the academy gained him a post aboard a CDF's ship – "Churchill". Later on, the protagonist faced the events afterwards described as the Pirate War.

Mechanics

Piloting different kinds of fighter ships and fighting enemy units constitutes the core of the experience. Thanks to the futuristic propulsion systems, the ships can move freely in all the six directions ("6DOF" - Six Degrees of Freedom). In combat, the player uses a variety of modern-day weapons, such as plasma/ion cannons or auto-targeting missiles. When fighting space battles, the player not only has to maneuver their ship appropriately and eliminate the enemies, but also needs to deal with the issues of limited fuel and ammunition. Some of the missions give the player an opportunity to acquire fuel and ammo, as well as to repair the ship during an on-going operation.

Starfighter Origins for PC, XONE and PS4 offers a choice between six different ships from the Colonial Defense Force. The quick Scout is equipped with a long-range radar; the modern Starfighter Type-Y has the best handling on the other hand; Combat Fighter is a universal fighter ship equipped both with double plasma cannons and a load of rockets; Heavy Starfighter is the long-range vessel; Light Gunship has quadruple plasma cannons, and Heavy Gunship is the heavily armored one. The ships have different kinds of cockpits; inside them, useful elements of the interface are located, such as an additional screen with zooming or another screen displaying the current objective.

Game modes

The game offers four modes, all of which are single-player only. The story campaign tells about a war against pirates. Simulation, is a mode which gives new players an opportunity to get acquainted with the game and experience battles important for the CDF universe. The Challenge mode delivers the player with a series of difficult challenges prepared for experienced pilots. Instant Action is a mode featuring 3 difficulty levels; the player is taken to a random place in this mode, and fights randomly appearing enemies.

Technical aspects

Although the creators used the modern-day Unreal Engine 4, Starfighter Origins for PC, XONE and PS4 has average-looking visuals. While the visual quality of space battles can be seen as satisfactory, the cut-scenes featuring humans are definitely far behind the standards on the game's release. Moreover, character animations create an impression of artificiality and they look unconvincing.

Last updated on July 12, 2017

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