Cosmic Star Heroine Review

Cosmic Star Heroine

COSMIC STAR HEROINE
GENRE: INDIE, RPG
DEVELOPER: ZEBOYD GAMES
PUBLISHER: ZEBOYD GAMES
RELEASE DATE: 11 APR, 2017

If you’re going to be something that we’ve seen before then really the aim must be to be the best damn version of that thing you can be. With so many 16-bit-style turn based RPGs on the market – and here I’m talking about 30 years worth of video games, sweeping up Chrono Triggers, Final Fantasies, Phantasy Stars and modern titles that draw on them – there’s no reason to be playing bad JRPGs. Actually finding those newer games that are inspired by the past yet take advantage of the current year can be a sticky job and with that in mind, allow me to highlight something for you today – that something being Cosmic Star Heroine. 

The story begins with you as Alyssa L'Salle - one of the top secret agents at the Agency of Peace & Intelligence on the Planet Araenu. It doesn’t take a genius to see that ‘Ministry of Truth’ style name for what it is and soon she uncovers a horrible conspiracy involving government mind control. Unable to continue to work for the agency, Alyssa joins a rebel faction and teams up with a decent sized group of like-minded folk to save the galaxy and everything in it.

The first thing that leapt out at me about Cosmic Star Heroine was the setting – a sci-fi world where squidgy aliens, clanky robots and people with fantastic hair are all thrown together. Sadly, future and outer-space settings are too often overlooked in favour of the more familiar fantasy tropes. Not that I don’t enjoy bashing an orc over the head with my Warhammer +1, but it’s also nice to be able to deploy drones, use gunmancy and hack into things with a datapad. 

The story is rip-roaring space adventure with a healthy dash of intrigue but the characters that play within it are superficial faces. Each character is developed sufficiently so that they stand out from the others with cool-looking character portraits and sprites but are pretty ornamental to the thrust of the plot. New characters come along and say, ‘oh, I know where there’s a thing!’ then they join you and after a while you get to decide whether to keep them around or not based on if their skill set meshes with your combat approach or if you just don’t like their face. So far, I’ve found all the characters to be functional party members if not best friends. Persona 5, this most certainly is not. I can even stay up all night if I want!

In the first few hours of play, you’ll fight through a hostile alien base against mind controlled reanimated creatures, help a guy out with his fizzy pop needs, chase away rats (although thankfully there’s no need to bring their tails to anyone), fight a giant mech, fight AS a giant mech against a chubby Godzilla and play an extremely involved game of rock paper scissors. Then go under the sea. Then outer space. The pace is absolutely breakneck from the get go, which is why the characters are only sketched out – the speed of the narrative delivery simply doesn’t allow for anything else.
Eventually, after the initial narrative thrust, Cosmic Star Heroine does allow for a little side-questing where you can learn a bit more about your on screen chums which is a welcome change of pace.
Unfortunately, locations are very small and there’s not much scope to explore. You might be met with the odd branching path but they will basically lead to a treasure chest and dead end or the next story beat. Again though, I enjoyed this as it kept up the sense of excitement since the story was always progressing.
Each area you visit is distinct although there is a little too much grey for my taste. I mean, you’ve got every colour imaginable and no restrictions thanks to the setting. Let’s vote for a future that uses less chrome. Boss fights and story moments often come with a rad looking Mega-CD style cutscenes which helps evoke the pseudo-retro theme. If you remember this style or are just a fan of 90s animation then you’ll get a kick out of these and if not, well they don’t hang around long enough to outstay their welcome.

For a game that seems so simple at first glance, the combat system here is actually surprisingly involved beyond the usual list of ‘attack, special and defend’ options.
* One of the first things you become aware of is Style. Style increases as you use your various abilities in combat. The more you do, the more Style you accrue and then those abilities become more effective.
* Speaking of abilities, for the most part these are limited to one use per encounter, forcing you to consider not only which abilities will be most effective against an enemy but also when using them is going to bring the most benefit. Some abilities can be recharged by taking a rest turn but others are strictly single use and can be devastating when properly utilized.
* Every turn, your character gains a Hyper Point. Fill that bar with sweet, sweet points and, their next ability is heavily buffed – exactly the point at which you want to unleash those powers that target an enemies’ weakness.
Status effects and resistances are simple an relatively few in number but they are effective and worth taking notice of.

Cosmic Star Heroine might not be the most technically accomplished game, nor have the best story but I have loved playing it. I know when I’m really enjoying a game because, like when I read novels, I stop every so often to just mentally recap what’s happened in my head and try to be as aware as possible of what I liked.
Yes, it’s a nostalgia trip, yes it’s fairly shameless about hoovering up tropes from every sci-fi story you can think of – but I found that those Asimov references to be enjoyable, sometimes I like to have to write things down to solve a puzzle and turn based combat is my jam.
It loses some of it’s pacing towards the end but if you’re looking for a ‘less dark’ cyberpunk game or just looking for some fun adventuring, I’m happy to recommend Cosmic Star Heroine for both PC and Playstation 4.