On paper, Dead Star by Armature Studios is not the kind of game that would normally appeal to me. Seemingly fast-paced multiplayer with MOBA hooks is not usually my cup of tea. All that melted away as I went hands on with Dead Star at PAX South 2016.
A deceptively deep top-down space shooter, Dead Star is an amalgamation of genres from MMOs to MOBAs to strategy to shooters. The mode I saw at PAX was Conquest mode, where a 5v5 battle erupts in controlling 5 stations. Control of the stations increasing the rate at which the ticker increases your score – first team to reach the goal wins.
This is where the strategy comes in. There are more than just your opponents on the field. AI controlled stations and AI combatants are in your path as well as ore to collect. The ore helps with upgrades to weapons and systems. Those upgrades are further enhanced by leveling up. The leveling up system includes MOBA elements to continue building and succeeding. But you are not limited in the battle to one character/ship.
You are able to load out 3 ships prior to the start of the match. They are the Scout class, Raider class and the Frigate class. Scout ships are lightly armored and quick. Raiders are your middle of the road ship that’s good at collecting ore. Lastly, the frigate class is your big dogs, there to cause a scene. A variety of each ship class is available depending on the race you choose. The four races in the game are crafted like the classes you would choose in an MMO. There is a rogue class – light and fast, they have teleporting and cloaking abilities. If slower, higher DPS is your taste, a fighter class race is your answer. A priest class that has the heals and lastly an engineer race that creates drones, beacons and tech to whet your whistle.
All these options make for highly tactical experience, all the while you still have fast-paced shooting mechanics. In my playthrough, I chose the largest, high-powered ship and I just bulldozed enemies. With two solid laser beams spilling from my cannons, I mowed down the scout class ships my enemies threw at me.
While the conquest mode was fun, I was most interested in the Raid mode involving you and 4 others protecting a capital ship as you escort it through a series of hyperjumps. What I love about this concept is the possibility of jumping into an already existing match between other players. Then, those players must decide – is it worth it to possibly lose the match in order to try for epic loot for taking down the capital ship? Sounds interesting.
Dead Star will be releasing in the first half of 2016 on PC and PlayStation 4.