Starlight Re:Volver Brings Colorful Action

Starlight Re:Volver game is a multiplayer game developed by Pahdo Labs, full of colorful action and inspired by the anime social worlds. The players, called "Divers," can connect with others in the city and explore a dream-like world with thrilling adventures, minigames, fishing, and even crafting.

With mechanics like Hades, the Starlight Re:Volver game is a new and interesting entry into the rogue-like genre that offers so many features to explore and enjoy. It may be similar to other games in some aspects, but the colors, animations, and the wow-factor that it brings are what make it very unique and different.

In Starlight Re:Volver, play as a magical Diver who possesses a special power to access dreams and retrieve their secrets and treasures. Our poster girl, Effy, is a girl who, time and time again, crashes through the gate of So Mi in search of the Starlight Revolver. Connect with other Divers and explore a vibrant anime-inspired city that will steal your heart.

- Steam Synopsis

The game features four different characters to choose from:

• Effy, a reckless juggernaut of a Diver from the outskirts of Nishi Island;
• Kira, an elite diver from the illustrious Tsukino Clan;
• Ren, a kind-hearted dockhand from the South Marina Slums;
• Vivi, a Prodigy, recluse, and heir to the Altair Estate.

You can play as each of them and decide on who your favorite character is. There are also different weapons to play around with, each with a certain difficulty level that makes your gameplay way more interesting.

The battles in this game involve different types of enemies and abilities, like surprising you with long-range shots or crushing you in close-range. If you enjoy a challenge, this is the game to play, especially if you enjoy the thrill of enemies coming when you least expect them. And if you get tired, you can switch to the mini games for more of a cosy game style.

First Impressions on the Concept and Aesthetics

At first glance, Starlight Re:Volver is cute, bubbly, colorful, and fun. The character designs are vibrant and detailed, each portraying their personalities of the playable characters and NPCs.

We enjoyed the initial area designs, especially the checkpoint sections (shops and healing during the combat cycles). The animation is clean and consistent, which particularly works well with the anime-esque style. The overall visuals are reminiscent of the rhythm game Muse Dash, or maybe something that captures the aesthetics of an anime by studio Trigger – something with a positively quirky approach to the art style. We believe it captured that part very well.

The fantasy adventure, mixed with a hint of magical girl, is always a fun combination. This rogue-like game lets you jump right into the action. You choose your character, set off into these randomly generated levels, and fight off enemies ranging from the smallest mages to the giant stone golems.

And because the information is limited, it becomes very intriguing, stirring up questions about the characters and their roles within the world's structure. We've only skimmed the surface of the story, but we are very interested in the direction the plot takes.

Learning the Tutorial and Gameplay

The tutorial was informative since we were able to loop as much as we liked while getting used to the controls. Some parts of the early gameplay can be confusing, and you'd be in trouble if you were actually playing! Everything was explained fairly well to a point, like learning what keys to use, what each portal did, and the cute mini games, which were a good addition to the game.

However, there wasn't much information on the fishing and crafting, but at least we were able to replay the tutorial whenever we got stuck. Some games out there don't let you do that.

The game mechanics, we would say, are quite simple: Run, dash, shoot. And then some extra special moves that you can allocate to a specific key you want. The game consists of waves where you must defeat enemies, collect objects and resources lying around, power up your weapons, and more. When playing and getting to the end of each wave level, players can choose their reward before using the portal to jump to the next level: either power-ups, charms, or in-game currency.

That said, the mechanics are easy to understand, thanks to the earlier tutorial. But what makes the tutorial so interesting is understanding and utilizing methods for when in-game, which falls entirely on the player. That's why it's cool to see here what works best for your own style of gameplay.

Our Starlight Re:Volver Diving Gaming Experience

So far, Re:Volver Diving has been fun. The player can change characters at the central hub area, so trying out the other fighting styles is interesting. There are also shops at the main lobby where you can craft accessories right after collecting materials.

Fishing is a staple in a lot of games, and Starlight Re:Volver also follows that pattern. The fishing gameplay and technique reminded us of Stardew Valley, where you had to keep in line with the bar. This really adds to the calm and cozy parts of the game, as compared to its battle gameplay.

However, we did experience some struggles here and there. For example, the pop-up prompt for NPC interaction and the health bar appear on the screen, but we had to get closer for the action to push through. We also got confused after discovering that our paused game was actually playing in the background, and the character suffered damage. There's also some lag, most notably during combat, where there are visual delays that affect my gameplay points. It could potentially be a bad internet connection. It would probably be nice to have an offline mode, or something similar to the solo runners, since we also experienced a long waiting queue despite being on our own.

The game proved challenging in some areas, especially those that are under time pressure. Trying not to get hit to be able to get more time (plus the added frustration of the lag) was quite difficult. There were so many enemies spawning! Although there was a limit to it for every level, the map and environment are quite small, so it felt like they were easily cornering me, and it was an overwhelming challenge to get out of.

The multiplayer was something we managed to briefly dive into, and we're happy to report that it was very enjoyable and rewarding, making our overall experience with the game much better. We thought that the addition of the multiplayer aspect made the game fun and easier. For instance, we could battle enemies together and not get damaged as much because of the teamwork and support.

We especially liked the part with the popping of your teammate's bubble to revive them. It's a fun alternative to have instead of them do nothing after they die in the middle of the level. Overall, sharing the experience of the game with other players was great, especially when you team up to defeat enemies and explore the dreamlike adventure that is ahead.

Another thing that we enjoyed in this game was the music. It's very unique and enjoyable to listen to. When opening the game, it greets you with an upbeat melody, really fitting for loading screens while the players wait in excitement for the upcoming dive. In addition, the character voices and background soundtracks go hand-in-hand with the game's style, capturing the calm and thrilling moments all around the game.

Lastly, the extra addition of color coding for each section and the allocation of each weapon and power made the text a lot easier to read. It's nice that there are a variety of accessibility options in the game, such as adjustable graphics, audio, and the general gameplay to suit your preferences. There are a variety of available languages for this game, so all fans around the world can join and be involved. We particularly like the small guide for console and PC gamers, too.

Starlight Re:Volver Review Wrap-Up

Starlight Re:Volver is a fun yet challenging addition to the roguelite genre of games, partly due to its calming aesthetic, fishing, and crafting. The game is definitely a must-try for gamers looking for a thrill. There's still room for improvement in some parts, such as network optimization and enemy spawning points, but the bright-colored art, the challenging gameplay, and the cosy mini-games are enough to make up for it. Both of us really enjoyed the game, and we're excited to continue playing, diving deeper with our fellow divers.

A big thanks to Pahdo Labs for this experience. For more information, visit Starlight Re:Volver on their official website and on Steam.

Anime Atelier received a free copy of the game for this review.