"The RPG That All Others Should Aspire To"

Starflight is the kind of RPG that isn't produced often. Like Pirates! Gold, it's the kind of game that isn't produced often! It features a well-designed concept with immense size and depth and freedom of movement within. Starflight's galaxy features hundreds of planets to visit and the actual ability to visit them!

Fans of RPGs claim that there has to be a story and Starflight does indeed have one. It also has several smaller story-lines incorporated into it, all interconnected but in no way dependant upon one another to enjoy or even complete the game. And that's the beauty of it. Completing it doesn't require that you pay attention to the storyline (though it does help). The story in Starflight does continually pop up, and if you solve it you're guaranteed to be able to continue to enjoy just the sheer size and complexity that this game has in store for you. The open-ended approach allows you to simply explore what the game's galaxy has to offer without being blocked into some pathetic storyline.

And it's a big galaxy. There are hundreds of planets. You start at a starbase and can visit nearly every planet in the galaxy, traveling to them via traditional engine propulsion or via various continuum fluxes (essentially wormholes). When you reach other systems, you can enter them and navigate into orbit around planets. From there, you can land and explore the planets seeking minerals to bring back to the station to purchase the supplies you'll need to further fuel your exploits. You'll encounter various alien species, learn the history of the galaxy (from differing perspectives too, which is a nice touch), and do so with the kind of enjoyable feeling you get from Star Trek.

And that's another quality about the game. The game feels like Star Trek. it's good-natured, has lots of depth, and a sense of humor as well. The game is quite tongue-in-cheek at times with plenty of humor incorporated into it. Visit Earth and read some of the newspaper artifacts left in ruins if you want an idea what I mean. Or compare the ethnocentrism of the Veloxi to the way that ultra-nationalists and fundamentalists today talk and you'll see the parallels between some arrogant, ignorant insects and the Reverend Jerry Falwell.

The game works on every level. The graphics are sufficient for the purposes, though sometimes you wish there was a bit more to explore in terms of what's on the surface of some inhabited planets and, although "in space, no one can hear you scream", it would have been nice if there was a touch more sound. But alas, there's so much here that's not too bad an oversight. This game is simply excellent and an example of what a RPG can be when it's done right.

Control: 10
Game-play: 10
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9
Originality: 10
Replay Value: 10
OVERALL: 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/05