Astro Flame: Starfighter | PS5

Coming from indie publisher SometimesYou, "Astro Flame: Starfighter" brings to the paying player a streamlined top-down vertical shmup that is both polished enough for the new generation of consoles, and minimalist by design. It is a campaign driven 15 stage space shooter with an implied story that is never fully fleshed out a cinematic intro. Leaving a lot to the imagination, but enough to let you know you are in a battle against a space armada. 

Filled with lucrative farming opportunities for green resources that can be spent on ship upgrades you will deck out your destroyer as you grind to perfection each stage according to a three star rating that takes in account the percentage of enemy ships you down in a given playthrough. As you fight fire with fire the soundtrack rocks in sync with the PS5 controller's haptic feedback feature. Creating an immersive experience that isn't too taxing on the nerves despite the bullet hell nature of the game.

Given it's minimalistic approach, "Astro Flame: Starfighter" does little outside of traditional shmup features. It is standard thoroughfare in that regard with the only standout offering being that of multiple ship upgrades that play both into ship health as well as limited, and unlimited use side-weapons/drones that will help you plow through spaceship after spaceship with ease. 

Stage-wise, "Astro Flame: Starfighter" is a 15 stage affair contained within a singular campaign. It is in this campaign's map that you'll gain access to stages, and the hangar wherein you can spend the green orb currency collected from fallen foes. As you complete a stage your success, by percentage, will be tallied giving you up to a three star rating depending upon how many of the ships you were able to destroy. After that you'll return to the stage select screen, and can make use of the hangar upgrade menu. Spending the collected currency on items that include extra armor, bombs, alternative weapons, and drones. With each following upgrade being priced higher until it is maxed out.

Power-ups also play a role in gameplay with repair kits, rockets, and other alternative weapon power-ups coming into play as you unlock the associated upgrades. Given the speedy movement of your ship, and the bullet hell constantly filling the screen you may find the playthrough to be a bit impossible to begin with. It is why there is a grind for currency, and the upgrade system. This is one game you can finish without the upgrades, but having those upgrades definitely makes a world of difference. Of course, for all efforts rendered there are PSN trophies to earn. The only incentive there is to keep playing the game as no leaderboards exist, and the game is not score based.

The Verdict ...

You get what you pay for with budget buys like those SometimesYou often offers. It's not a bad thing by any stretch, but it does mean some games will be limited in scope. As is the case with "Astro Flame: Starfighter". I feel this particular shmup does little to innovate, but that it does offer a new-gen spectacle that is worth an honorable mention. The effort is definitely there, the developer just didn't go that extra mile. For what it's worth you will get what you pay for, especially if you are looking for some PSN trophies to add to your collection.