Astro Flame Starfighter Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · Published August 15, 2023 · Updated August 15, 2023

Astro Flame Starfighter Review

For this Astro Flame Starfighter Review, where we play a classic scrolling shooter with modern 3D graphics. Upgrade the systems of your spaceship, upgrade your weapons, and sweep away hordes of enemies on your way.

Astro Flame Starfighter Review Pros:

Nice graphics.
488.2MB download size.
Platinum trophy.
Shmup gameplay.
Three difficulties – Easy, normal, and hard.
Can set auto fire on/off.
2.5D perspective.
You can freely move around the screen.
Plays on a rolling screen.
Big boss encounters.
Health bar system.
Bullet hell elements.
You can shoot some enemy projectiles down.
Spanners give you health.
Missile button that can be earned.
End of level breakdown with a 3-star rating.
Earn credits from enemies and use them to upgrade your ship within the hangar.
Ship upgrades – main weapon, drone, plasma gun, armor, resurrection, rockets, volley, bomb, battle drone, and protection Wave.
Vibration feedback on shots.
Fifteen levels to unlock.
Can replay any unlocked levels.
Each level on the map selected shows stars earned.
Easy to get into.
Fun to play.
Shards bonus for destroying all enemies.
You keep all earned shards when dying and getting a game over.
Fast loading times.

Astro Flame Starfighter Review Cons:

No tutorials.
Cannot rebind controls.
Doesn’t offer any real game Options.
The ship upgrades have no description of what they do.
Hard to see the enemy projectiles at times.
The pacing is very up and down.

Astro Flame Starfighter:

Official website.

Developer: Sometimes You

Publisher: Sometimes You

Store Links –

PlayStation

8/10
Graphics - 8/10
7/10
Sound - 7/10
7/10
Accessibility - 7/10
8/10
Length - 8/10
8/10
Fun Factor - 8/10

7.6/10

Summary

A very solid shooter with a lot going on. It’s a tough deal at first with cheap deaths and low-power weapons but once you get some credits in and playing levels over to boost your ship the game really opens up. I love how I unlocked loads of limited abilities down the side of the screen so when I hit the boss fight I could just spam everything at once! The vibration feedback is so simple yet so cool as it makes the game a lot more atmospheric and gives it something new. Sure the lack of any real variation, the problem with not seeing projectiles is a real pain but eventually you level up and power up the ship enough that you can negate this a lot. Overall a cheap strong Shmup that is fun to play and one for the vets and newbies alike.