Star Fire: Eternal Cycle Review - Too Much Rogue, Not Enough Like
Ethereal Fish Studio has released its first game, bringing a mash-up of side-scrolling action and Roguelike elements in Star Fire: Eternal Cycle (SA:EC), and while the narrative is bare bones and there are several things the game neglects to tell you, the ‘one more run’ addictiveness that is prevalent in good Roguelikes is very much present, with a myriad of ways to change up how you approach each run and increase your chances for success.
So, as mentioned above, there is a story in SA:EC, but it is contained in one screen of text when you start your first run of the game. Cut scenes are limited to the death of level bosses and the transitions into and out of the different environments, providing zero narrative exposition. The gameplay loop is solid enough to make up for this, but the lack of exposition and information is felt in other aspects of the game as well.
After a very basic combat tutorial that provides you with your first ‘[Insect Core]’, you are sent on your merry way and left to figure out everything else through trial and error. How the merging, forging and reforging [Insect Core]’s works, that equipment purchased or obtained as a reward automatically provides the player benefits and does not need to be equipped, and the ‘Perfect Dodge’ mechanic that is a key feature of gameplay, are all left for the player to figure out for themselves, much like why certain [verbs] and [nouns] are contained within [brackets] throughout the game.
There is also no explanation why the game ends at certain levels on lower difficulties. Rather than allowing the player to continue on a successful run, the first difficulty level prevents progression beyond the boss fight at the conclusion of the third level. I was rather peeved after finally putting together a combination of gear that allowed me to beat the snot out of the giant salamander that had ended my run numerous times before, only to have the game end and make me start again from the beginning. This is a pattern that repeats throughout the game, with the player only able to take on the true final boss at the end of ‘Difficulty 6’.
Fortunately, the gameplay of SA:EC ensured that I always wanted to start a new run and kept pushing myself further and further. While I did tend to navigate towards my preferred power-ups in the Dark Cores that allowed Shadow Clones to spawn and assist in my battles, there are tons of combinations you can make use of to get the job done. While the combat doesn’t start slow by any means, by the time you reach the higher levels, you are mowing down enemies at blistering speeds, and you can become almost god-like as you carve through the enemies populating each level stage like a knife through butter.
This can also cause challenges for the player, though, as by the time you are making your way through the final level, it can be difficult to keep track of where your character is and what is happening between the number of enemies and the lingering effects from your attacks on screen. Even during the boss fights, it can be a bit messy, with the later battles reduced to holding down the attack buttons and spamming dodge to try to avoid taking hits. This is where the explanation of the ‘Perfect Dodge’ mechanic and how to trigger it would have been very helpful, as patch notes since release indicate it is meant to be utilised to avoid damage in the boss fights that have large AOE attacks.
While Star Fire: Eternal Cycle does stumble a bit in the execution, it has a very solid Roguelike core that can grab hold of players and keep them coming back in an attempt to defeat it. While replayability could be an issue without increased difficulty options or extra content, the potential mix of weapons and abilities that can be utilised does allow for unique combinations that may or may not work in your favour. Additionally, developer Ethereal Fish Studio has been engaging with the community and releasing multiple updates based on feedback, showing a commitment to providing the best experience possible for their players. If you are a fan of the genre or even just frenetic side-scrolling action games, you will enjoy Star Fire: Eternal Cycle.
Star Fire: Eternal Cycle was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
