Selected from over 400 games at the IndiCade 2011 Festival, Beatshapers’ StarDrone became one the finalists with their fast paced action puzzle game. Revamped from the flash version, StarDrone takes to the PlayStation 3 with over fifty levels of eye candy visuals.

This game was made with the PS Move in mind however you can play with the standard Ps3 controller.

Basically you pilot your drone across different levels as you collect items called Equilibrix, which are required to reinstate the balance of the universe.

Gameplay and Controls

When you start up the game for the first time, you are greeted with tencho music as you gaze into space. In order to get things going, you need to point your drone in the direction you wish to travel and then press the X button. Choosing a direction feels a bit lose control-wise, so you need to make sure you are set in where you want to go before launching. Pressing X allows your drone to take off and bounce off of the “walls” in hopes that all of the Equilibrix are collected. However, on certain levels, you will have gravity assists by pressing X while in motion. This will give your drone that extra boost in the (hopefully) right direction. Once you launch your drone, you are in zero gravity and must rely on trajectory to reach the objects that you are aiming for. Keep in mind the more objects that you collect, the more momentum you gain. Each board holds its own challenges and makes the player think on how to get past them. If you fly off the game map your drone drifts away and you are eventually sucked into a black hole and must start again. A few of the stages got me thinking about the special stage in the original Sonic game. Mix that in with a pinball puzzle action and you have StarDrone.

Conclusion

It might take a few to get used to the controls and the feel for StarDrone, but once you do, this arcade game can be a lot of fun. It might cause a little aggravation but in the end makes you think on your first move and where to power your drone to next. Those who love games like StarDust HD, bright colors and puzzles will have fun with StarDrone. For those who are not into puzzle-type arcade games or get bored easily might find this game less appealing. For $7.99 and heaps of levels to master and get high scores on, StarDrone is a great timewaster for the price.