Indie publisher Eastasiasoft continues their work of bringing smaller games to consoles with the latest being Rage Among the Stars from developer Kata Games. If you’re a fan of tough 2D platformers like Super Meat Boy then this may be for you.
Rage Among the Stars is very much a game based around its name as you’ll be playing through 40 levels in space that have a very good chance of igniting the rage inside you. Like a lot of these smaller budget games Eastasiasoft publishers, there isn’t much of a story here as you play as an alien who while on his way home ends up having his ship malfunction and crash lands on a planet full of things that want to kill him. From there it’s all about just making it through every level until you reach the end. It should be very easy for anyone to pick and up and play the game as your controls consist of movement with the stick and using the X button to perform jumps, double jumps, and wall jumps.
Every level that you play will grade you with a medal at the end out of bronze, silver, or gold depending on how fast you finished it. There is also an on-screen death counter so that you are always reminded of just how much you suck when you die over and over. Every level has hazards that will add to that death counter if you hit them such as spikes, ghosts, projectiles, swinging saws and even some where you have to race to stay ahead of a hazard that will kill you if it catches up. I had no problem with a lot of the early levels but then ran into a wall when one had me trying to wall jump up moving conveyor belts while having to dodge spikes at the same time. Needless to say, that my death counter started to add up on that one. Outside of that there isn’t much else to Rage Among the Stars as once you finish the 40 levels there is nothing else to do in it. It also wasn’t anything special when it comes to the art and music as it looks and sounds like a typical budget pixel art game. If you’re a trophy hunter you’ll find 14 easy trophies here including a Platinum. It’s a very easy list that anyone should be able to complete in no time at all.
Rage Among the Stars is a solid 2D pixel-art platformer that offers plenty of challenge but one that won’t last you but a brief time. It won’t cost you very much to buy it though so if you have a few dollars to spend on helping this little alien overcome some tough challenges while earning some easy trophies along the way then give it a go.
*Rage Among the Stars is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. PlayStation 5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
Rage Among the Stars
$4.99
Pros
- Challenging 2D platforming gameplay
- Never feels unfair
Cons
- Lack of content means you'll finish this pretty fast
- Art and music don't stand out
