Orbital Knight really lives up to their name with this instalment. Star Horizon reanimates the space shooter genre that has been around since Star Fox (1993). It’s an exhilarating ride through the breathtaking setting that is the cosmos.
You play as John, a simple pilot whose memories are lost after a suffering a heavy defeat in the war. After spending years in hibernation John awakes with only his ship and its AI, Ellie to navigate him through the dark. The game challenges your skills as a pilot as you manoeuvre in and out of giant spaceships, floating stations and highly trained enemies. If that wasn’t enough, it will also test your character as you are forced to choose two paths.
Will you bend to the rebellion or join the federation? Only you can make that choice.
Gameplay
Star Horizon plays like your average on-rails shooter. Shooting down enemies, avoiding debris and collecting cash for upgrades. Keeping it simple you have access to 3 weapon types, each of which is up-gradable. Along with those you can also increase your ship’s defences. Every upgrade increases the performance of your ship while also giving it some great cosmetic flair.
The missions are just challenging enough that you’ll stay engaged in firefights while also admiring the beauty of space. Every mission is re-playable and I highly recommend decking out your ship and coming back if you wanna get the highest ranking of 3-stars.
Visual
This game really shines in the aesthetic category. It’s clear the developers put a lot of work in flushing out the visuals of this game and having played through it the effort is very appreciated. The upgrades provide cosmetic changes to the weapons and ship. While you are provided with a few options, extra skins and colours would be excellent for further customization.
If you’ve ever wanted to take a tour of the stars, now’s your chance. The game has an on-rails system so unfortunately, you don’t get to free roam in space. However, it’s not an issue, as Orbital Knight provides you with the perfect blend of action and adventure.
Audio
The sound effects of weapons firing, space ships zooming by and enemies blowing up at your hands are all super satisfying. The only real audio issue that Star Horizon possesses is the inconsistent voice acting which makes the characters less than believable. Similarly, the writing isn’t as strong as it could be, but neither of these things negatively affect the gameplay.
Star Horizon Overall Thoughts
Star Horizon is a gorgeous space shooter that is hard to put down. It’s challenging, fun and rewarding. Here’s to a new horizon of fun.
Star Horizon is developed by Orbital Night and published by No Gravity Games. It is available to purchase now on the Nintendo Switch. Whilst you wait for the game to download, why not check out some of our other reviews by clicking HERE.
