Upcoming Indie Starbuster Shows Off Brand New Content (2024)

Coming off the demo released two years ago, Mega Man X and Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired indie Starbuster have shown off quite a bit of content, mainly on their Twitter account, @Starbuster_Game. These clips are usually 30 seconds long but demonstrate new and exciting features.

These tweets have shown clips of excellent new content coming to the game, especially since the last demo was released, and are sure to get you excited to get your hands on it whenever you can play it again.

What’s New

So why the breaking news bulletin? Well, not because of one particular revelation from the developer, but instead a handful of consistent posts on their Twitter page that have documented their newest additions to the game in 2023!

As for today, we now know that the game will feature a parry system, which has always been my mortal enemy in any Dark Souls run, but maybe things will be different this time around.

Then we also dug up some slightly older, but still recent posts pertaining to the game’s Snow Levels, a boss called The Worm, and a very fun-looking Sky Sanctuary level.

But why talk about it, when I can show you?

In this roundup, I’ll give you the highlights of the posts from this Twitter account.

Starbuster’s 2021 Highlights

This tweet shows an auto scroller, and while most games might have their auto scrollers be incredibly dull, the Starbuster devs have decided to turn this into an intense brawl with a ton of enemies raining in from above. At the same time, you defend a missile, an incredibly unique and cool spin on the most boring video game trope.

This one shows off a beautiful night-time level with the aurora borealis in the background and a massive purple ocean with bones sticking out. This shows the incredible-looking locations and stages we can expect in Starbuster, especially later in the game.

Starbuster’s 2022 Highlights

Heading into the first year after the demo’s release, we see an update to the character Cassie, giving her a new mid-air spin roll, which makes her even more like Sonic. Unlike the hedgehog, though, she doesn’t bounce as much when hitting enemies but can still tear through them in the air.

This exciting clip shows off a rival fight against a character the same size as yours, and man, it looks intense, the fight becoming a flurry of lasers, wall jumps, and projectiles as they abuse the same types of weapons and movement tech you’ve been using during the game.

This clip shows off the hub worlds in Starbuster, containing many shops, characters, and entrances to the primary platforming levels. You still get all your movement tech in these segments and can use it to reach hidden areas with some obscure characters inside them.

This clip is an extended demo of a level that is presumably pretty late in the game, primarily rail grinding in space, a very common Sonic level trope. This time, you’ll have to dodge jet engines and turrets and shoot backward while doing your rail grinding.

Starbuster’s 2023 Highlights

Heading into the current year, we get a preview of one of the bosses in Starbuster, a massive robot auto-scroller. This clip shows you dodging lasers and punches while climbing a big vertical shaft, having to take shots at the boss wherever you can manage.

This clip showcases a Donkey Kong Country-inspired level, specifically the minecart segments in those games. Like them, you’re on rails and have to avoid many obstacles coming your way, but you can also shoot and dodge the challenges much more efficiently.

In this video, we see a mountain level, which is very focused on lasers and machinery, and using the various pulleys and swings to spin around for extra movement options and attack variety.

This clip shows a new jungle level, with a giant rocket launch in the background and a ton of destructible environment placed throughout the level. You’ll have to dig your way through this level and try to catch up with the rocket.

This clip shows a new boss, where you’re fighting against a much more giant robot resembling a Gundam or other anime-styled mechs. The robot moves quite a bit slower than other bosses we’ve seen but has a massive sword, energy blasts, and a gun.

This clip shows off a new Worm boss, primarily taking place literally on rails and shooting projectiles at you while it expects you to switch platforms and dodge its bullet hell. I might seem like a nerd for this, but this feels similar to the Devourer of Gods from the Terraria Calamity mod.

This clip demonstrates the new mechanic in a new space station level, where gravity will turn off completely, and you’ll be at the whim of wherever your momentum was sending you. However, this is no trouble for Cassie since she has a grappling hook.

This clip shows a massive, Sky Sanctuary-esque level, with grind rails that shift the camera’s perspective, rotating it for a more dynamic and excellent shot. There’s not much to say about this; it’s just incredible.

Now for the most recent clip from today, the parry in the game will display a flash of key art for the character you’re playing while also slowing down time and granting you plenty of invincibility to dodge whatever you parried, in this case, a big train.

Overall, there’s a ton of new content for this wonderfully dynamic and action-packed game, and I’d recommend checking out the devs’ Twitter account since they post updates every few weeks. There’s even more stuff there I didn’t cover in this article.

Further Reading

If you’re looking for more upcoming indies or recognizable ones, here are a few pieces to check out!

Viewfinder Review: Making Sense of The Surreal

Our Favorite Indie Game Projects From GMTK Game Jam 2023

Best Indie Games To Play On Steam Deck