BroodStar is a classic arcade shmup with roguelike elements. Battle your way through hordes of enemy creatures, collecting upgrades and fighting terrifying bosses on a quest to destroy the living planet, the BroodStar.
BroodStar is a classic arcade shoot’em up with heavy roguelike elements. Careful, though... the vastness of space contains many formidable enemies. If you fall along the way, you have to start over — the only thing you’ll bring with you are the upgrade modules you collected in your past runs, in the form of research points that augment your ship. Will they be enough to get you through hordes of unknown creatures and monstrous bosses, and fulfill your quest of defeating the living planet — the BroodStar?
Very Positive
99 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | — | Y |
| English (UK) | — | — | Y |
An amazing game, I bought around 30 games last Winter sale. This game is the cheapest of them all but I have been playing this game the most. I couldn't recommend it enough.
Really damn fun SHMUP. Thanks to the roguelike elements your shot types can widely vary from run to run to the point of hilarity. You can go from one run looking like a pretty normal SHMUP to another completely filling the screen with absolute nonsense, its great. My only real problem is you can get unlucky and go several runs without finding any upgrades for your main shot.
Also the music is great.
Very enjoyable. Great amount of modifiers and weapons to combine to make runs different. Not too difficult but hard enough to keep you on your toes. The best part might be the soundtrack, it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥' stellar. Love it, especially in the later levels. Great job.
Vertical shoot 'em ups or shmups is one of the oldest type of games, they go way back into the 80's and the coin-op era of gaming. I was never good at playing them but always loved them since i was a kid. Nowadays shmups are not popular but sometimes we see some good releases.
BroodStar is a solid entry in the genre and mixes things up by integrating roguelite mechanics. It's a hidden gem imo that almost nobody knows it even exists. It's a really fun game and very replayable. Thumbs Up from me!
BroodStar may be the most underrated Roguelite I've ever played. It's crazy that less than 100 people have reviewed this on Steam. The entire gameplay loop and general game balance is surprisingly good, and it feels very polished. Makes sense, considering the years of updates.
I'd love to see a sequel someday, or maybe another update even if just to add a few modules.
Content is a bit short and the game isn't too challenging but it is fun!
Solid for bite sized gaming sessions.
Your main weapon gets next to nothing for upgrades. The upgrade tree give you super tiny amounts of improvements. I liked the game at first but It felt grindy and boring once I noticed how stingy the game rewards you.
Пожалуй лучший гибрид рогалика и шмапа. Самое оно, чтобы играть в перерывах между попытками одолеть очередной монструзный bullet hell от CAVE
Es perfecto, satisfactorio y una dificultad justa y precisa, añadan mas contenido
Great shootnup, a lot of possibilities of buildings, wish more people got to play.
pretty cool
An entertaining and competently-designed vertical shooter rogue-lite, Broodstar immediately grabbed me with promises of persistent progression and build variety, and it delivers on both. Tense but fair difficulty with predictable boss attack patterns, varied soundtrack that evokes various SNES/Genesis-era titles, and extra challenge modes round out the offering. It didn't take me long at all to get my first win- it's pretty easy to get a snowballing powerful build going. I found it more accessible then Stellar Interface or Sterredenn, and for the low price it is well worth your time if you are a fan of scrolling shooters and/or roguelites.
Shmup + Roguelite done right.
If I don't feel like grinding out a route in some arcade shmup, but I'm still itching to play an STG... this is it.
Perfect game for chilling.
+Some player choices...
-No real progressive feeling during a run -> not enough player choices to be made
-Music
= Disappointment. I could not find the fun.
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BroodStar is a great shoot em' up with quite a bit of replay value thanks to the inclusion of roguelite elements. Every run feels unique and once you start to understand how the different upgrades work together, you can become almost unstoppable.
Badass game, worth the purchase
This is one I return to regularly, so I figured I owe it a review. It's extremely well done and can be enjoyed in short sessions. It also doesn't matter how long it's been since I last played. There's not much to have to remember. Just fun roguelite shmup.
I look forward to this dev's future work.
ローグライト縦スクロールSTG
一周約40分、敵弾幕の密度は低いが若干弾速が速い。
操作ボタンは4つで、ショット、回避(無敵時間のあるミニブースト)、自機速度低下、アクティブアイテム使用。
【気に入った点】
・ライフ制+残機制で遊び易い
ただし、難易度ハードでは残機0スタート。
・シード値
ローグライトなので毎回ステージが自動生成されるのだが、シード値を入力すれば固定も出来る。
敵編成だけでなくドロップアイテムや販売アイテムまで固定されるので、遊び易いシード値や遊び応えのあるシード値を見つけたらメモしておくといいかもしれない。
【気に入らない点】
・強化され過ぎる自機
ステージが進むにつれて敵が哀れになるくらい自機が強化される。
アイテムの組み合わせ次第では画面全体を常に自機弾が覆い尽くしてるなんてことも。
・プレイ時間による格差
周回して得たポイントで自機を強化出来るのだが、強化済みのプレイヤーと未強化のプレイヤーが同じ土俵でスコアアタックさせられている。
・日本語表示が無い
【総評】
ベースとなるSTG部分は堅実に面白く作ってあるのだが、アイテムによる自機強化要素が強すぎて後半は無双ゲームのようになってしまっている。
ストレス解消におすすめ。
初期設定だとボスの耐久値表示が画面下部で非常に邪魔だが、オプションで上部へ変更できる。
Simple yet addictive. Has that “one more run” kind of feeling. Very fun
Getting straight to it, I love Broodstar.
I'm always searching for those rare gems that have near-infinite replayability, and this game has it. No two runs are ever the same (unless you want that, just enter a seed number) and the strategy of mixing and matching modules gives Broodstar so much depth. Want to upgrade your fire rate to insane speeds? Add a homing missile to your secondary weapon slot? Dash through enemies to kill them and boost your damage output? How about flamethrowers spewing out in 8 directions? You can do all that, provided you get the modules for which you seek. Once you get to the later stages (15 per run), you'll probably start to feel invincible if you picked the right build.
I'm definitely a fan of shmups, so Broodstar needed a good shmup core in order to work. Thankfully it does, as controlling your ship is smooth, the game runs great on pretty much anything, and it just feels satisfying to blast your way through hordes of bugs/flies/eyeballs/worms/etc. Even without all the upgrades and stat mechanics this game would work on its own.
Visually it's nothing that will blow you away, but will give you great 90s arcade nostalgia vibes. The CRT filter is a nice touch too, for that old arcadey feel. At first you may feel cramped with the big panels on the sides taking up your screen space, but it helps the aesthetic of a vertical screen cab. Plus there's a lot of useful data of which to keep track.
Can't talk about this game without mentioning the banger of a soundtrack. Most areas have a different theme and they're all killer tunes. Fits the mood perfectly. I subbed to the YT of the artist for this very reason.
To sum it all up, Broodstar takes the shmup category and turns it up to 11. The sheer variety of builds you can create, permanent upgrades to unlock, and secrets to discover makes it a must-buy. Highly recommended.
👉🏻 In BroodStar Each run consists of 12 procedurally generated levels.
Modifiers and various events can be randomly applied to each level.
Video review: https://youtu.be/Keykq6RoaSs
✅ Over 200 ship modules that can be combined!
✅ Modifiers change the behavior of enemies and introduce new hazards.
Each level can have events such as,
- ambushes,
- bosses in the middle of the level,
- other events that, when triggered, provide a new objective and generously reward the player when completed.
✅ More than 79 Steam achievements are also available in the game,
and both Xbox and Playstation controllers are supported.
✅ At the end of each level, you will receive a score for your run, which includes
- number of enemies killed
- evasion bonus
- damage received
- boss completion time
✅ Broodstar consumes less than 6 watts on the new Steam Deck OLED,
which at 67% battery life will allow you to play for over 6 hours,
and at 100% charge, about 10 hours. That's a more than excellent figure!
✅ The game plays great, I didn't have to change the controls,
everything works as it should.
One of my favourite roguelike/lite shmups!
The game focuses more on the roguelike side but there are still enough bullets and enemies around to satisfy more hardcore shmup fiends. Lots of items to find and achievements for those that like a bit of that too.
The game is simple but a lot of fun. kinda like if Galaga had a roguelite baby. Keeps you hooked with that one more run feel and all of the ship skins to unlock and synergies to discover between power-ups. Also the soundtrack is pretty damn good so you'll be jamming while you murder alien space bugs
Bland and Slow, is how i would describe the game.
-Your character moves too slow by default and no amount of speed increases really help
-bullets and enemies are just nowhere to be seen, there is simply nothing going on most of the time, or what is going on is so minimal it doesnt really register.
-the research tree and modules, the roguelike elements of the game, are either completely useless/insignificant or extremely powerful with no inbetween. EX: ROF increase module that increases your fire rate from 1.00 to 1.02 (yes that is an actual upgrade)
-I beat normal mode first try and didnt unlock hard mode, no idea why or how you unlock hard mode, but i had zero desire to do another run in the hopes it would unlock hard mode.
-The stages drag out for way too long and the runs overall are way too long in general. The 1 and only run I did I was bored about halfway through just wondering when it would end.
-The "challenges" are so trivial and pointless i question why they were even included. The first time i ever booted up the game I ironically cleared all of the challenges and the 2 boss rushes my first try.
If i had to give it any positives, it would be that some of the soundtrack is actually really good. And that's about it.
Fast roguelike with pretty short runs
The game is enjoyable and relaxing, BUT it is rather raw.
Having "lock" an upgrade and "discard" an upgrade would be awesome.
It would be a significant improvement to have more clear upgrade descriptions and classifications.
It would be pleasant to have a more user-friendly (maybe more modern) UX with an upgrade explanation in a pop-up by hovering over an upgrade icon, etc.
It would be great to get a balance fix, as for now, drone build, laser weapon and tones of other upgrades, in general, are somehow unpleasant and not so efficient.
It's a great game with unique vibes and excellent perspective. I hope developers will find a way to fix, improve, balance and polish. Good luck!
Muy bueno
Reminds me of Lifeforce for the NES. There's 280 or so different option for your ship per run so you'll see a lot of different configurations as you play through. There's a permanent upgrade grid you earn points on for each run. I've really been enjoying it.
Fun rogue-like top-down shooter. If you like shmups and rogue-likes, you'll love this! Dev was super nice and quick to address an issue that prevented the game from starting on M1 Macs after an update. Support devs like this!
Prob one of my fav shmups now. Gameplay is solid, power ups seem pretty balanced, nothing too crazy but they are fun. Music is godlike, a couple of the later stage's songs reminds me of Animals as Leaders heavy technical jazzy tunes. Only wish the power ups were crazier personally but I understand why they aren't.
Fantastic SHMUP. Haven't had my fix served like this since good ol' Tyrian 2k
Se vi piacciono gli shooter 2D anni 90' questo è il top. Tantissime armi e upgrade, le run durano 15-30 minuti e la varietà degli upgrade le rendono uniche e mai ripetitive. preso a sconto è un affare. lo consiglio solo per passionisti dei retrò. Voto: 7/10
If you enjoy games like Tyrian 2000 or The Guardian Legend (TGL mode) then definitely give this game a chance. It is a very well done vertical shooter.
I feel like this game would have been better as a regular shmup. The research tree is incredibly bland (full of 1 and 2% increases to random things). Multiple games I found zero upgrades to my primary weapon so the runs just felt boring
A good fun roguelike shmup. Upgrade tree in terms of meta-progression feels short. Game length seems pretty reasonable, I didn't get that deep into it in my runs as the game is fairly difficult.
Would wait for a sale though, for what it is the asking price is pretty steep in a world where you are seeing these sort of games with ample content for £2-3.
this is the good ♥♥♥♥. absolutely worth the buy. killer music in the later levels.
gg
Pretty fun Shmup with roguelite elements. I dig it, great music too.
Hits the nostalgia bone just right, while still having the responsiveness and mechanics that sate the needs of a modern gamer. Also has an absolute banger of a soundtrack!
If I had to point out one con(?), the difficulty spikes quite a bit at one point where the enemies get way more aggressive about just ramming into you... You get used to it pretty quickly though :P
Uh, what an amazing game. Addictive and replayable. Perfect amount of challenge. See you on the leaderboard.
Rogue-lite retro vertical scrolling shooter. For those who love 1942, Tyrian, R-Type, or even Contra, or modern bullet hells like Binding of Isaac or Geometry Wars, this is clean, plays fair (with some good difficulty options and modes - this is a final release review) and has loads of random upgrades that stack on each other in curious ways to make each run feel like a new Pandora's Box. A Seed generator lets you try you hand at the same run again if you liked your drops which is a nice touch, and the "lite" in rogue-lite means that you'll get more powerful even if you're not getting better as a player (but with the easy difficulty option available and a few runs you'll luck out with good drops and see all the zones eventually anyway). A+ indy game worth it at its full price and a steal when on sale for the arcade junkies out there.
Very nice!
Broodstar is a difficult game to review. As a SCHMUP, it is almost perfect--it has some of the best plain attack and boss design I've seen in a while, with Monolith probably being the only notable standout above it in terms of encounter and attack design. It feels good to shoot, it feels good to move, and it feels really good to dodge, which you'll be doing a lot if you want a max score.
As a roguelike, however, this game is not successful, and you will run out of new content after probably 10 hours of play. There will be nothing for you to spend your points on, no meta progression of any kind, and your runs will cease to be anything other than repeated slot machine pulls hoping for a seed that grants you a chance at a high score.
I also feel like the devs have probably the most ready response of hand-waves or dismissal that I've encountered before. I have a top score on both the medium and hard leaderboards, and as such am privy to the balance at that level that might affect another player's enjoyment if they're playing for a similar reason. Every issue I have brought up to the dev directly was responded to with what basically amounted to "that sounds good but it's too much work". The devs have made it very clear this is the game you're getting: they're not changing or updating it in any major ways, and if you have a problem with that, tough luck.
This wouldn't be a huge problem overall for most players, but for people like me, who are butting against the limits of the balance, and can theoretically provide a test case for other players with similar interests, this game does not hold up. It is probably worth around 15 hours of enjoyment, which is a lot, given the price, but it is not a true 'rogue-like' because of how low its replayability is. For this reason, if you like schmups, go for it, but if you want a new rogue-ish to sink infinite time into, this isn't it.
Soft recommend but not if you're doing it for the rogue features or high score chasing.
I'm a simple man. I see Psikyo-style bullet patterns, I recommend.
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BroodStar is a Shoot 'em up/roguelite game.
This game is the classic arcade version with a big twist, the roguelite part, seems in each stage you can buy new skills or perks where you can do tons of diferent combinations, for example you can change your shot type like a beam or a flame or wathever then you can also change the pattern of this shot with more bullets or just change the direction of the shot like going in circles or in zig zag, the variations can be unlimited.
And when you finish the run there are also a big tree where you can unlock modifiers for be better in the next run.
I recomend start the game in easy mode for unlock this modifiers for be better and then go for the standard and hard mode which result more challenging.
Broodstar is an utterly addictive rogue-lite shoot 'em up that manages to capture the spirit of old school shooters while having a strong identity of it's own. Proper aiming and swift executions are of the essence as the game features a good mix of passing and persistant formations that will put on the pressure if not dealt with. Veterans of Galaga and Space Invaders are certainly at an advantage in the early stages.
The game features a good amount of fun modules to pick up and modify the ship with and with a little luck and proper combos, players are capable of building quite the deathstars. However, the game is still challenging enough and god-runs aren't all that frequent. Players who prefer a more purist approach can disable the permanent progress and there is even the aptly named New Game Minus achievement that is awarded for beating Hard mode with base stats.
Graphics are a bit basic but very workable still, while the Soundtrack is great throughout the game with a couple of standout moments.
The only negative I encountered was the early stages of hardmode with bad luck in terms of upgrade-drops. Low damage combined with very nimble bosses that have small hitboxes can lead to some sluggish battles and I found myself quitting out of a couple runs.
Overall I very much recommend this game to people looking for old-school shmups rather than bullet hell style games. Hardcore players might find the overall difficulty a bit too easy but in my view, this is a very enjoyable title for players of all skill levels and experience with the genre. Great replay value and score chasing makes for a game that you can return to for a run or two for a long time..
I'm very happy I stumbled upon this gem. I'm not really sure there is a downside to it yet, though I've only played 2.4 hours so far. My favourite part of the game is the soundtrack. It is absolutely incredible, executing exactly the point of soundtrack in games: to elevate the experience and immerse you. It fits perfectly in line with the aesthetic. The song for the final boss hits all the right notes and legitimately solidifies that battle as the final boss. This is the game 80's arcade shooter developers envisioned back then. End to end, truly a fantastic piece of gaming and I highly recommend it. If you're familiar with Galaga or Gradius, this is basically version 2.0 of them.
Edit: Seriously, Moonshot is one of the most incredible video game songs I've ever heard. I pause the game just to listen to it a couple times every time I get to stage 5.
Good game!
Great classic schmup experience with a bit of something for everyone. It's got a solid difficulty curve, a rogue-lite progression system for those wary of permadeath, a lot of variance between runs, and absolutely gorgeous art and music. As someone who's not normally keen on schmups, this is one that I look forward to playing more of.
A fantastic shmup with roguelite elements. Soundtrack is amazing. Highly recommend even if you're not the biggest fan of the genre.
I'm not the best to review this kind of game since I don't usually play them.
It's playable and fun for someone with what I consider to be below average reflexes.
Every run is drastically different both in equipment and also in level and boss variations.
In addition to a completely different equipment loadout you'll obtain from bosses, loot, recycle in a number of way, you have a (seemingly finite and somewhat underwhelming) perk tree to invest with research points gained each run.
There's a fair bit of drones upgrades too to defend, shot, loot, emp, gravitate the enemy... at the whims of the upgrade drops however. While your subweapon (again at mercy of the drops) also fire automatically.
You have some in-level events (maybe you defend a shop, defend a scientist, have someone escort and help you, and so on).
It's got a bit of learning curve.
Graphics are what they clearly are. Music is good, sound are not the best.
All-in-all 8/10 well worth the price, maybe could have more information and popup about upgrades both to know what you're getting before picking up one and to explain the ones you got but there's some sort of encyclopedia in game after the fact.
很不錯的Roguelite清版射擊小遊戲~體驗良好~簡單卻刺激~
最剛開始是被它的美術風格吸引的~
第一次玩認真的清版射擊遊戲，手很殘，約1.9個小時破簡單難度。
*順利的話，"中等"難度大約一局50分鐘多(包括買道具的時間)，一局時長還是很夠玩的，就是過程隨機事件太少，顯得重玩性沒那麼高。
1.復古像素風，但畫面看起來並不簡陋。
2.隨機地圖、怪物生成、小王也是隨機的，每個小王各自還有不同的攻擊模式(也是隨機決定)。
3.有一些隨機小事件，增加遊戲趣味性。
4.可以閃避，增加了機動性和爽快感。
5.畫面較乾淨，沒有刺眼的特效和滿屏的子彈。
6.有很多加成道具可取得(透過商店購買、打死菁英怪/小王、特殊事件取得)，包含：主武器、副武器、小機器人、被動加成、主動技(一次只能有一個主動技，取得新的會覆蓋掉舊的)等等。
7.此遊戲的道具非常重要，有足夠多的好道具才比較能通關(除非你技術真的很好)，所以看到好道具能買就盡量買(除非你要解成就)，而我通中等難度關卡主要都是靠"200元換一命(不限次數)"的神器，如果你也拿到這個道具，記得留些錢換命用。
8.有死後永久升級系統(原文叫Research System)，技術不好也可以靠賺點數買升級破關。
9.有關卡評分系統，適合想要挑戰自己的人去挑戰高分。
10.除了一般遊戲模式，還有挑戰型小關卡可以玩。
遊戲基本流程：一批接著一批的小怪攻擊(途中可能會遇到隨機事件)→Warning打小王→商店買升級品→看該關卡的評分→到下個關卡(輪迴直到打到最終Boss)
雖然這只是小遊戲，內容不深入也不多，但我覺得它rogue元素該做的都做了，特別喜歡逛商店的時候~戰鬥的部份也很流暢，閃避功能也玩得很爽。
因為有死後永久升級系統，即使是沒玩過/不擅長清版遊戲的人我也覺得可以試試看這款~只要你和我一樣喜歡Roguelite遊戲~
very good
Broodstar is a proper oldschool arcade-style shooter. I'm glad it didn't come out in the 90s because I would have been smashing my pocket money into the machine as fast as I could earn it. Not quite as frantic as a bullet hell, the stakes remain high - it's a nail biter.
Broodstar's a fantastic top-scrolling retro schmup. I love the aesthetic and the boss fights are awesome. Featuring seeding, variant levels, and tons of enemies and mods, it's infinitely replayable.
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It is slunder! and Dunder!! (irish accent)
Great game! Would highly recommend you give it a try! The more you play it, the more content unlocks. A true Indie game gem.
It has some potential, but needs a lot of work. For a roguelite it is a bit boring and unlocking abilities is painfully slow. For about of 1.5 hrs of play I didn't unlock a single thing.
The runs are generally bland and not very hard, I made it to level 6-7 on my first try and I'm no pro. Regardless of my good progress, the feeling that I did achieve nothing is off-putting. The weapons feels weak and while gameplay has some potential, the runs are quite boring as you need to grind to actually unlock anything.
The creator should take some notes how Monolith, EtG and BoI:R do things - how they reward player constanty even if they "suck".
There is potential, but I have too much good games already so there's no point to spend time on a mediocre one.
Based game, much better than New World.
good spaceship shooty game
pew pew pew
Very cool little shmup with a loveable rogue-lite system.
You have 3 life, when you are dead, u start the game from the beginning... but the twist is, u get some points after every run and u can upgrade some stuff in a passive tree which affects future runs as well, so basically, u will be a little bit better with every run.
Also , the upgrade system through the runs are awesome. There is a shop after every stage, u can choose from a random pool of 4 things there, and man, the power ups in this game are just totally worth it. Even in early access this game feels totally READY right now... there are so many builds to try out, enough stages to feel the urge for a new run, there is a seed system as well.
The game could tolerate some more layers on the backgrounds, it lacks in this territory, some planets, clusters would be nice.
Anyway, totally worth it!
Gut game.
Its pretty good.
First round I got some crappy upgrades didn't really like the game, But after playing a few rounds I am really enjoying the game and plan to keep playing for many more hours!
10/10 would die to space insects again
This is my review, coming from a player of mostly Synthetik, Nova Drift, Gunfire Reborn, and Geometry Arena.
Here there is a simple but fun game. I'm pretty happy with the purchase. I almost miss it because of the graphics.
Do not expect the best graphics or the best sounds here, but if you like old school shoot 'em ups you probably will like it.
It have a skill tree with permanent upgrades similar to Path of Exile. And it have random upgrades called modules that you can get in every playthrough like most action roguelikes do.
It have bosses with nice patterns also. Bosses are random I think.
[b]Edit:[/b] I played some more. The game is very short, but I still think it's worthy the money it costs.
I give it a 4 of 5 stars, for what I have played, just because it's kind of short, or it would be a 4.5 of 5 stars. Like 6 levels only, at least for now.
I will continue playing it. I think it's a good change of pace from the main games I play, and I think it deserves time from me.
I really hope the dev can keep improving it and adding more content. I liked it.
I don't usually play roguelites nor shoot 'em ups, but Broodstar has somehow managed to keep my attention and provide days of entertainment. The combinations of modules and events lead to varied runs demanding different strategies, the game continues to update and improve every day (sometimes multiple times a day), and a global leader board provides a competitive atmosphere and encourages us all to do our best in the quest for glory.
I've been loving this game since I was informed of it. The amount of variety in each run allows for no shortage of entertainment. On top of that, the community leader board pushes me to keep improving.
I'm a big fan of rougelites, and this game easily captures that feel.
[b]5 hours[/b]
Best [strike]vertical-scrolling[/strike] shoot-em-up I own. Developer updated today. Great leveling system w/ a shop at the end of every level for choice of 4 random power-ups. Unique and varied bosses, and randomly encountered; unique and varied enemies. Don't sleep on this game, [u]it's great[/u].
[b]8 hours[/b]
Developer has been making many updates. Still seeing power-ups I've never encountered.
[b]10 hours[/b]
I can't shake the feeling that this game is learning from my patterns, becoming aware of my movements...
This is a great game!
First of all, i am a fan of pixel arts, so the graphics is a 10 out outta' 10 for me. The gameplay is really fun, it really is chill.
And the soundtrack is amazing.
Thank you, Raz
good
I personally like this game so far:
- I'm not very good at bullet hell games, but I feel like I can still play this because it also offers some easier difficulties.
- This is also helped by a progression system which has many options you can improve your ship with over time.
- I really like the customization options in the game - the HUD recoloring is a good example.
- The game itself is well-optimized, and I didn't experience any stutters or so.
If you're interested in bullet hell games, or you'd like to just casually pass time, I can easily recommend this game to you.
Countless items and pickups for a seemingly endless amount of builds to always keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. Awesome art, music, and sound design too!
The game is decent but the weapons are massively underpowered and the spread pattern is so narrow that is difficult to hit the enemies enough times to actually destroy them.
This was particularly obvious fighting the Beholder in the asteroid fields: it took ages and, ultimately, a bit boring.
BUT, is a fun little game. Thumbs up.
Do remember playing games like DemonStar and Tyrian 2000 when you were younger, hour after hour? Wish those games didn't just disappear as time went on? Yeah, me too. Luckily, spiritual successors show up from time to time, bringing back those same vibes — but BroodStar manages to do that, plus improve on the formula as well.
PROS
+ That same old nostalgic feeling, blasting through space in your ship
+ Roguelite elements that bring some fresh blood to the genre
+ Nice pixel graphics that fit the game perfectly
+ Great variety in enemy designs and powerup mechanics
+ Sweet soundtrack
+ Pretty challenging, but you get to show off your score on the global leaderboard
+ Totally worth the few bucks, and it's only going to get better
CONS
- Still early access, so there's a good number of placeholders, and the content obviously isn't fully there yet
- Some of the controls / options aren't apparent right away (switch the leaderboard over to global in the options menu to see just how bad you are compared to others)
It's a fun little shmup with persistent upgrades at a decent price. The challenge is there, though Im not sure if buying all the upgrades is going to diminish that significantly. It's in EA so take it for what you will, but overall completely playable. Looking forward to adding new bosses.
As someone who traditionally never cared much for Shmups, this game has really drawn me in. The roguelite elements really keeps the game fresh and interesting, and makes multiple attempts for high scores much more exciting.
At the time of writing, the game just released in early access, so there's not a ton of stages right now, but there are plenty of power ups already. The devs are super open to suggestions and it shows that they've really put a bunch of effort into this game already. Just the art and music alone is amazing.
I can confidently say that this game is 100% worth the price right now, and I only look forward toward more updates. Now excuse me while I try to beat all my friends scores.
A great take on the Rouge Lite genre.
Classic shoot 'em up gameplay with a modern twist.
Graphics and game play are great and the spacey prog rock soundtrack pushes all the right buttons.
Game is still in Early Access and the devs are pretty cool people; working hard and listening to what the community has to say.
Can't wait to see what the'll add next.
If you have any nostalgia for shmup games and like roguelites at all, you'll love this game. 10/10
Great retro style shmup! Fantastic visuals, amazing sound track, and familiar but new and interesting gameplay. It has a ton a replay-ability because the levels are always slightly randomized and there are tons of variations on the levels and bosses.
Fun shoot-em-up, with permanent upgrades between runs. Difficulty is reasonable at Hard. A bit limited in terms of levels but more content is on the way. Worth buying now to get those skill points for when the game expands.
Nice Discord community with dev/devs engaging with the players.
Good music, good atmosphere.
This game is so much fun and so addictive and reminds me of some of my favourite arcade games growing up. It does not get boring and repetitive even having to restart after you die as the levels are never exactly the same as what you just did and because you can buy upgrades to your ship as you play those levels, they change each time and they are some surprises you do not expect. Another great feature is getting points that you can allocate to certain areas of your ship eg: weapons, shields, speed and you don't those points when you have to restart a game. You also have the option to reset where you've allocated them so you can redo the skill tree if you mistakenly allocate some or change everything completely if you want to experiment with what suits your type of play style. I can't recommend this game highly enough.
Fun retro shmup with great pixel graphics and a superb retro soundtrack. The game is difficult but fair and adds some modern refinements that make it feel fresh. The rogue-like upgrade system adds a lot of depth to the usual shmup powerups, while the dash mechanic adds an ikaruga like ability to pass through bullets. Overall a very promising early access title that has me looking forward to more content.
Sick game 10/10 ♥
A really fun shoot 'em up game with great pixel art and soundtrack. The inclusion of roguelike elements is a nice addition to the classic arcade genre. If you enjoy oldschool SHMUPs and roguelike games (such as The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon), you should definitely give this one a try. Looking forward to what's in store from the devs in future updates!
Very fun and addicting game play loop that is perfect for those who don't have a lot of free time, as a typical run tends to last around 10-15 minutes. This game is the definition of "One more try". After getting mauled by one of the many fast paced bosses I find myself eager to jump back in and give it another go. Since this is a rogue-like shmup, deaths are plentiful but don't ever feel demoralizing. Upon starting back up you can add permanent upgrades to your ship from talent points acquired on the previous run. The music rips (especially the boss fights), sprite work really nails that cold and gritty lived in future look, and the game play keeps you gripped and fully engaged with cunning enemy formations, challenging bullet patterns, and what seems like endless upgrades to keep each run fresh. BroodStar is an absolute steal at 5 bucks as is, I can only imagine the value it will bring to players once it's out of early access and firing on all cylinders.
I literally had to look up a definition for shmup since it's been that long since I played one and I can say without a doubt BroodStar takes me back to the good ol' SNES days of grinding out Gradius III. The game is a blast and does a solid job of capturing the old school feel while pulling from modern games like the dodge mechanic. The game has some wicked weapon types that alter your ships attacks, which can lead to some powerful combination. Each run has the potential to show you something new that wasn’t in the last one.
The seed mechanic is a welcome addition. If you find a seed that you really like you can practice repeatedly until you feel comfortable moving to a higher difficulty. Similarly, if you like a seed that drops a lot of attack speed items, turning your ship into Rambo you can do that too. Having the freedom to replaying a run until you perfect it makes for hours of entertainment.
This might be a single player game, but with a leaderboard tracker of Local, Friends, and Global you can compete with one another to see who can get a high score!
With the developers planning to add more bosses, stages, tweaks to the game, and being open to suggestions via easy access to them on their discord server BroodStar it is worth the low-price tag of $4.99.
Game is quite enjoyable, I can totally recommend it! I've got Space Impact vibes from it (reeeeally old Nokia mobile game), and it also has some more stuff to offer: random events like ambushes or the spaceship-shop appearing (after stage clear) to spend your coins on upgrades for you ship (there are quite a lot of unique upgrades), and there is also a research system where you can customize your ship even further (these give mostly passive bonuses).
All in all if you like 2d shooters/arcade games I think you will like this one as well!
A charming retro-like bullet-hell game which brings great content and decent difficulty to the table. The atmosphere, the unique bosses, the background music and just the general style of the game doesn't fail to deliver. If you're into these type of games, this game is definitely for you!
Great job to the team for making this!
:blobnom:
[b] tl;dr: [/b] A fun shmup of great quality featuring unique runs, a permanent research system, a ton of exciting modules, items, upgrades, and pretty unforgiving bossfights. Oh and a leaderboard so you can flex on your friends if you're that type of person. For 5 bucks, I'd say it's a steal.
[b] Longer version: [/b]
BroodStar is a pretty fun shoot-'em-up game where every run is unique. You may find modules and encounters you haven't even heard of even after tens or hundreds of runs.
The first thing that came to my mind when playing it is its outstanding quality: The pixel-art graphics are pretty neat and the music is groovy. The controls are smooth and support both controllers and the keyboard-mouse combo. The game mechanics are pretty much pushing the limits of the shmup genre. Also worth mentioning that it's extremely well-optimized, just check those system requirements. You can see that plenty of hours were poured into fine-tuning every aspect of the game.
The gameplay in its core is pretty simple: You click start, move, dodge, shoot.
It's spiced up however with plenty of upgrades, modules, and single-use items to help you overcome the minions and the bosses. Depending on the seed you either get blessed by the gods of RNG or become bug poop. But no problem! Even if you fail miserably, you get research points that you can spend on permanent upgrades, ranging from simpler ones like "more damage" or "more shields" to funkier ones like actually improving your luck and getting better drops, or some pretty nice starting bonuses to help you out on higher difficulties.
Currently there is no story, or lore, as far as I know, but I personally don't feel like it's missing, this isn't that type of game.
All in all it's a great way to spend your time when you're chilling after work or school and just want to shoot stuff without launching your [i] currently meta 130GB AAA game with terrible loading times even on your cool new SSD [/i].
It's just 5 bucks or 4 euros, literally the cost of a decent lunch at where I live. Give it a try!
Fun, old-school style shoot-'em-up with a cool soundtrack - and can't beat the price!
A fun shmup reminiscent but distinctive of many arcade classics!
There's tons of upgrade and item variations so every single run feels and plays unique.
You can easily play multiple rounds and still come accross new items and tactics you have not seen before.
The enemy design is well done from more basic approaches to intricate boss designs and surprises here and there.
An additional big highlight is definitely the soundtrack!
Can definitely highly recommend :)
Its basically roguelike Galaga. Cool graphics. Great Music and Sound Design. Recommended.
I have been waiting for BroodStar to come out for a few years now and I must say it was worth the wait. BroodStar will satisfy any of those classic arcade shoot em up urges but still bring some new features to the table, like the nearly unlimited weapon combination system that allows you to mix together all the upgrades you find on your rogue-like journey. The pixel art alone is impressive and really nails the retro feel, even more impressive when you find out its pretty much just one guy who did all the art in the game. Another cool feature that makes this game into a modern day arcade machine is the fact that it has a online leader board system that will show not only your score but everyone in the world playing it allowing you to compete for top scores and leaving your mark. Even just the nostalgic sound effects in this game will take your mind back to a better time. Ultimately I give this game 5 bags of popcorn * * * * *
I'm from Buenos Aires, and I say kill 'em all!
Disclaimer:
The main developer of the game is a good friend of mine and I've played many iterations of it over the years, so to say that I'm biased would be a bit of an understatement. As a result however, I like to believe that this also leaves me in a position where I have a good understanding of how the game will continue to evolve as it is being worked on.
That being said, as is customary let's start with the pros as of today:
- The controls are responsive and buttery smooth.
- The shooting feels satisfying
- The music and the majority of the sound effects are really nice and I find the graphics aesthetically pleasing, with some great spritework; Overall they really nailed the 90s feel in my opinion
- You can make some insane builds, very reminiscent of Binding of Isaac
- 4 euros (or your regional equivalent) feels like a crime for the amount of content you get even now
- Plenty of replayability
- Fun bosses with more on the way
- It runs on your grandma's toaster too
- Very few bugs as far as I'm concerned (as in, actual bugs, not the... you get it)
Now onto the cons (many of these are addressed in the steam description, but I still felt the need to point them out):
- The game could use some rebalancing to encourage the usage of some of the weaker modules
- The end boss is currently still not in the game, as well as a few other planned ones.
Another thing I should add:
- Being a roguelike, you can get either incredibly overpowered, or incredibly shafted by RNG.
- There is virtually no story or lore to speak of; You kill bugs, that's it. Some might be put off by that, I don't really mind it.
Overall I'd say this is a fantastic little game for being in early access, supported by a great developer team. What's here is already worth the price, and there's a ton of potential for improvement.
*Review updated, as of 2021.05.02.
Removed the following negative points as they have since been addressed or are currently being addressed. The latest update also brought more content into the game and smoothed some of its rough edges.
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Broodstar brings me back to that classic shootemup feel with a modernized rouge-like progression. There's a lot of hidden gems to find throughout the many playthroughs, and the developers have continued to add new content and listen to feedback attentively. Also, it's a super fair price point. Definitely recommend <3
I've not played many shoot 'em up games before but I can say I thoroughly enjoy this game. it has super responsive movement, really fun powerups and all the bosses are super unique from one another. the difficulty system is really nice for when I want something a bit more intense as the enemies become harder to defeat.
I do think completing a full run through is a bit jarring as it sends you back to the menu without much feedback of successful run and while 12 levels makes for a nice length seeing more in the future would be a very welcomed thing.
This will definitely be a game I play for a while to fill out the skill tree and get all the achievements for and for only 5 dollars that's a great price.
Pixel art is by far my favourite medium and this sports some fantastic pixel art.
Overall very well put together and enjoyable game.
Broodstar is a Roguelite Bullet Hell game with a persistent upgrade skill tree similar to something like Rogue Legacy. The game features a dodge roll mechanic similar to Dark Souls, but it's flavored as using Fuel (as opposed to stamina) to dash the ship in a direction. There are tons of powerups to try and most of them synergize with eachother in interesting ways. There's a bit of variety in the types of level seeds the game can throw at you and it keeps things fresh for a while.
The only downside to me, is that there are only a handful of levels at the moment, though content is still being added and the game is still in the process of being fleshed out and polished. For 5 bucks you can't really go wrong with it if it looks like the sort of thing you'd be into
A roguelike shmup is a genre that I'm honestly shocked I haven't come across before, and BroodStar nails it. There are tons of different upgrades, shot patterns, items, effects, etc, along with so much room for interesting forms of item synergy. The game also exhibits absolutely AMAZING pixelart and music that together make the game an absolute joy to experience.
For 5 bucks this game is a steal. It clearly has a ton of love put into it, and I'm very excited to see how it evolves as they continue to work on it.
