Thanks to Squarehead Studios for the review code

Title: Star Ghost
System: Wii U (eShop)
Price: $8.99
Release Date: 03/10/2016

Story

In this horizontal shooter, you take control of the Star Ghost ship, launching into space to stop the advances of the evil Metagon Empire!

Graphics

With little in the way of menus, the visuals are done in a Neon style, with both the ship and parts of the stage decorated in that style. Outside of that, there’s really nothing else to mention considering the randomly generated nature of the game.

Music and Sound

Immediately upon starting the game, you’re treated to a lovely techno theme that sounds as if it was pulled right out of a European computer! With a few more themes composed by David Wise, this is a retro throwback that fits rather well.

Gameplay

Essentially advertising itself as an arcade shooter for the new generation, Star Ghost delivers on that aspect, starting you off with a simple tutorial of the controls before sending you off with the simple premise of aiming and hovering. Aiming can be done by tilting the left joystick up and down as you autofire while hovering is done based on how long you hold the A button. Since you move to the right automatically (And cannot stop or backtrack) you must press it in a way that’ll let you glide smoothly throughout the stages, which are randomly generated in design but will always share the same enemies and hazards depending on how many you’ve cleared. Once you get the hang of these simple controls, clearing the first system should be pretty simple, and if you can refrain from taking damage you’ll even get a neat point bonus!

To be brutally honest, this is pretty much all I can say about the game, as outside of a recent update that allows for Miiverse screenshots, there’s pretty much nothing else to mention outside of the occasional powerup. (either found from defeated enemies or purchased inbetween levels) This is an arcade experience through and through, and if you can’t manage to beat the game, then you’ll have to settle with raising your score, as with little in the way of level selects or continues this requires nothing more than trial and error.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Star Ghost is a nice throwback to the arcade shooters of old, and its simple control scheme makes it incredibly easy to learn. However, a pretty steep $9 price tag for a game that relies on high scores and replaying the game over and over to master the enemy patterns make this a bit tougher to recommend than I would like. With a recent update including the option to share screenshots with Miiverse, I can barely recommend this at full price to fans of arcade shooters, although I encourage those on the fence to wait for a sale of any kind. If you do spot this on sale, give it a try, as its a well-made throwback that gets the job done! I give Star Ghost a 6 out of 10.