Even though some players might have forgotten the Gameboy, OrangePixel has recreated the tone of the old one life platformer.
Old school gamers will instantly recognize the visuals of Stardash Free. It pulls the monochrome 8-bit style off perfectly using gradients to create pseudo three dimensional environments in a two dimensional side scrolling arcade game.
But even though it might not be technically the most advanced game, Stardash Free also brings back the classic “one-life” gameplay mechanic.
Players must run across the screen gathering coins while traversing the environment stomping on enemies and reach the end.
Stardash Free also includes a countdown timer adding some urgency to each level. At the end, the scores are tallied together with time and coins collected.
Stardash Free is a great throwback retro game that combines new gameplay mechanics with old school graphics and difficulty. It is not uncommon to fail in levels, but the game allows for a lot of continues. There are a lot of levels in Stardash Free and the ad-support does not distract during gameplay.
Stardash Free will remind older players of the past and presents new users of the excellence of old games.
