Star Sky

Developer: JMJ Interactive, Mårten Jonsson | Publisher: PLAYISM | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Casual / Adventure / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Depending on where you live in the world, a nighttime stroll is more likely to end in a mugging than anything magical happening. Thankfully, it is possible to experience the exhilarating feeling of a midnight walk from the comfort of your own home with Star Sky. It is a game that is hard to classify as it barely qualifies as a game. Star Sky is about a man taking a midnight stroll without having to fend off muggers, stray dogs, and other ne’er-do-wells skulking in the dark as in real life.

The game opens with your character finding himself somewhere in a grassy field with the moon looming large overhead and the silhouettes of trees and hills in the background. Almost everything in the game, from your character to the landscapes, are simple 2D silhouettes, which makes the visuals very striking. Your movement also occurs on a 2D plane, so you can only walk forward. The game takes things a step further by preventing you from going backward. Instead, you must pay attention to your surroundings and stop your character if you hear audio clues or spot something out of the ordinary.

You’ll be treated to a short animation once you see or hear something unusual and remain still for a few seconds. These can range from picking a rose growing in the grass, watching a falling star, or even kissing a woman you can meet during your stroll. All in all, 18 different events can be triggered in the game, all of which are tied to Steam Achievements.

Star Sky is a short game, typically taking less than three minutes to reach the end of your stroll. You can reach the end even faster if you run, but doing so makes it much harder to hear or see the cues alerting you to a special event. It’s impossible to die in the game, so the only way you can go “wrong” is by moving past an event. However, to trigger some events, you must bypass others, so some trial and error is involved. Nevertheless, it is possible to see everything the game offers in less than an hour. It may be tempting to look at a guide to access some of the more obscure events in the game, but doing so will shorten your experience.

The game shows you a list of every event you’ve triggered during your playthrough, and you can also see which ones you missed. You are treated to an epilogue once all the events have been triggered.

Visually, Star Sky is a very minimalist game, but the silhouette-style graphics are very atmospheric. The somewhat muted color palette also makes events such as seeing a rainbow or shooting star feel more impressive. The animations for the two human characters in the game are decent, but nothing here will tax any graphics card. The audio for Star Sky is done very well, and the ambient sounds of the night add a lot to the atmosphere. Also, the ethereal soundtrack is relaxing and gives the game a mysterious feel. Star Sky doesn’t feature any speech, but this is fine, as it would have sounded out of place. The controls are very straightforward as you only have a button for walking forward and for running.

We enjoyed Star Sky as a pressure-free experience that allows players to sit back, relax, and discover all kinds of unique events. However, it is definitely not the type of game that will appeal to everyone. The fact that it is so short and lacking in challenge might make it boring for action fans. There is no denying that it is a unique experience, and we recommend it to players searching for something a little different.