#Arms of Time – Destructoid

It’s exhausting to actually work out what Starstruck: Arms of Time is about based mostly on trailers or screenshots. Half of it’s a rhythm sport. Half of it’s an journey. The opposite half is about smashing issues as an enormous hand. Really having performed by it, I nonetheless don’t actually know what it’s about.

Starstruck: Arms of Time (PC [Reviewed])
Developer: Createdelic, LLC
Writer: Createdelic, LLC
Launched: September 16, 2024
MSRP: $19.99

Starstruck has you despatched again from the longer term to try to stop a somewhat-unexplained apocalypse. Your robotic companion hones in on a pair of people, each aspiring musicians. One is Edwin, who lives within the shadow of Daybreak. The opposite is Daybreak, who lives within the shadow of her brother.

Lastly, there’s your hand, which you employ to intervene with the circulation of time. Do you do not forget that Simpsons Halloween particular the place Homer travels again in time and, whereas he initially tries to not have an effect on the longer term, finally will get annoyed and simply begins smashing issues? That’s what you’re doing together with your hand. Initially, your computerized companion says one thing about not making a paradox earlier than realizing that, wait, you’re truly making an attempt to create a paradox, so that you may as nicely smash the whole lot.

It’s enjoyable. It’s barely vital when it comes to narrative, however simply having the ability to lay waste to the atmosphere is enjoyable in a Katamari means. It even challenges you to destroy as a lot as potential and find hidden issues within the atmosphere, which inspires you to simply replay these segments. Messing with the timestream may have been depicted in quite a few methods, and that is such a good way to do it.

Probably the most instantly placing factor about Starstruck is its artwork model. Most issues are introduced as a diorama that mixes mundane objects, disparate toys, and plasticine figures. But it surely will get even higher than that, because it additionally incorporates video parts, laying them behind the player-controlled fashions, which provides them a surreal impact.

There may be some unevenness to the artwork model, but it surely makes good use of it. I believe that, a minimum of as soon as, it makes use of the truth that you possibly can’t actually inform why one thing appears to be like the way in which it does to later reveal what it represents.

After I performed the demo of Starstruck: Arms of Time a pair months again, I used to be deep into packing for a transfer. Now that I’ve room to breathe with out inhaling cardboard, I acquired out my Rock Band 4 Fender Jaguar. It made me wish to play Rock Band 4 greater than something, but it surely additionally improved the sensation of the sport. Kind of.

There’s no strumming. You simply press the fret buttons in time with the prompts. I’m unsure how a lot you realize about enjoying a guitar, but it surely’s very a lot not that. You carry and press the strum bar to maneuver to the upper and decrease pitches. It’s sort of awkward, particularly at larger difficulties the place you’re urgent chords, er, a number of buttons directly. It’s nonetheless enjoyable to play, no matter whether or not you’re on keyboard (that’s, a pc keyboard, not the piano kind) or a Rock Band/Guitar Hero guitar.

Talking of which, it appears to be like just like the Guitar Hero 2 (360 model) Xplorer guitar will get acknowledged by the sport and certain robotically. For my Fender Jaguar, I needed to bind the buttons, but it surely wasn’t troublesome and labored fantastic.

I used to be truly excited each likelihood I acquired to tug out the guitar, which, fortunately, comes up moderately regularly. It’s a significant a part of gameplay. I mentioned in my write-up of the demo that I hated the music, however fortunately, it turned out to solely be that one music that I didn’t like. I imply, I nonetheless didn’t just like the lyrics a lot at any time when they got here up, however the soundtrack, typically, is basically satisfying. You may play the songs separate from the story, and I’d completely try this.

The journey side of the Starstruck, however, is a smidge weak. I wasn’t on the lookout for issues to rub on different issues, however there isn’t a tonne to actually do on the planet. There are guitars that you could find and equip for visible causes, and there are non-obligatory songs to participate in (a minimum of one, that I recall), however not an entire lot. And I believe there’s a little bit of a missed alternative to get extra intimate with the sport world.

Which truly leads me to my essential situation with Starstruck: its story isn’t totally nicely advised. I actually wish to mood my phrases, as a result of I wish to be clear that it isn’t dangerous. It has a variety of worth and inventiveness. It’s simply that it appears unfocused. A lot in order that, when all is alleged and completed, I’m unsure what the core message is meant to be. Was there only one? If not, then the opposite themes get diluted, and nothing will get full closure.

There’s symbolism just like the heavy presence of ouroboros, the phantasm of immortality by artwork, and being true to your self. It brings up a lot and explains so little. It spins its tires on plagiarism and by the tip of it, I wasn’t certain if it was saying that it’s dangerous or unavoidable. Or possibly I’m not alleged to give attention to that. Possibly it’s about the truth that you have to be your self, as a result of changing into well-known by merely copying somebody already profitable will go away you feeling hole. Or that every one your heroes dwell within the shadow of another person. Or possibly it’s each, in addition to some kind of assertion on the distinction of fame and infamy.

The truth that it doesn’t actually punctuate itself might need loads to do with the truth that the narrative can’t inform if it’s extra within the characters or the message. The characters themselves are all distinctive, and their issues are clearly acknowledged, however you don’t dwell with them. You don’t actually spend sufficient time with their points to get understanding of their issues. I’m inquisitive about Edwin’s TV-addicted mother and father. You see Lucy’s downside demonstrated, however the depths of her despair was a whole thriller to me. Likewise, I don’t perceive the antagonist. I don’t get their motivations or their, er, standing.

Not understanding or not having the ability to absolutely grok the purpose may simply be me. I really feel I’m usually receptive sufficient to acknowledge creative intent, however I can’t presumably say how others will join or interpret it. Nevertheless, I nonetheless assume that higher consideration to the characters would have paid off massively.

With that mentioned, it’s advised with sufficient visible and verbal aptitude that it doesn’t considerably matter. Starstruck is aware of how one can set a scene successfully, so no matter whether or not you absolutely perceive the subtext, it’s simple sufficient to comply with the grander plot and be entertained by its storytelling.

I’ve performed and reviewed a variety of video games this month, and there was some extent the place I felt breathless beneath a pile of them. Nevertheless, the one I needed to play most after beginning it was Starstruck: Arms of Time, but it surely was additionally the one I wanted to push down in priorities since I had extra pressing deadlines. I believe it says one thing that I needed to restrain myself from enjoying it too quickly.

It wound up being 4 hours for me, and that features a little bit of time I spent simply enjoying the songs, looking for guitars, and repeating the smashy sections. There are a number of endings, however they’re based mostly totally on selections you make towards the tip of the sport, moderately than any kind of branching narrative.

It wasn’t till the final act of the sport that the fires of my enthusiasm met with a humid log. It wasn’t sufficient to place me out totally, but it surely did take down the warmth. Starstruck units itself up for a homerun and winds up simply making it to fourth base. It stuffed out the paperwork accurately, however forgot to signal and date the underside. Uh, what I’m saying is that with a bit extra time devoted to its storytelling, it may have been the whole package deal. Because it stands, you is perhaps impressed by its persona, however you received’t essentially be starstruck.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}