RPG Shooter: Starwish

Starwish by xdanond over at Kongregate is a 2D-shooter game with RPG elements and an epic story. The graphics are good (not counting the opening screen), as are the sound effects and gameplay.

Combat.

The action takes place in missions. In each mission, the player controls a little ship up against waves of bad guys. There are different weapon types with different damage and attack patterns that can be switched as needed during a mission. Some weapons are better in some situations than others.

At the end of each mission is a boss. Defeating the boss gives lots of XP and cash for upgrades.

Boss Fight!

That little gray thing in front of the small ship in the screenshot above, and that black dot below, those are mine. The rest are the opposition's attacks. And that huge number above, that is not the total damage - it's a jumble of little numbers at the same spot that happen to look like they form a larger number.

Learn skills.

With many RPGs, the player can learn new skills as he/she progresses. These skills can give the player advantages during a mission or help gather resources to improve the character.

Upgrade Weapons.

With all the cash obtained from missions, the player can upgrade the ship with better weapons. In addition to that, the player can buy more space for modules. There are all sorts of modules to improve the player's stats, from accuracy to damage and even making cash.

Conversation.

The strong point of the game is the epic story, which is mainly told through cutscene conversations. It starts with a hotshot pilot just trying to survive. But as with epic RPG stories, it soon grows to a larger and grander scale. I often find myself completing 'just one more' mission just to see a little more of the story.

Another aspect of the story is that the player can learn more about other game characters who are with the player. Each character has his or her interesting and sometimes mysterious and fascinating past. The player's relationship with each character, influenced by the way the player character is developed, determines the ending to the story.

Starwish is a good shooter and a good RPG. Its strong point is its epic story. The game can be completed in a few days of casual playing. However, it is worth playing again to try different strategies and to try for a different ending.