Dark Star is an arcade game inspired by the classic games from the 80's and 90's. Available for both Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices, Dark Star has simple controls, quality graphics and pace suitable for warp speed.
We took the Windows Phone version of Dark Star out for a test drive and found it to be an entertaining game to pass the time with. Please keep in mind that this gaming title is for Windows 10 devices and not available for Windows or Windows Phone 8.1.
The main menu for Dark Star has a clean appearance with options running along the bottom of the screen that include viewing your stats, access the gaming options, selecting your spaceship and jump into gameplay.
Options for Dark Star include audio, graphics, screen sensitivity settings and the option to launch the game's tutorial. Graphics options include high or low and you will want to run the tutorial. Dark Star is not a difficult game to get the hang of, but sorting out the gaming controls can be a bit of a head scratcher unless you visit the tutorial.
The gaming screen has your score displayed in the upper left corner of the screen, your ship lives in the top right corner and your current mission objective in the lower left corner. You will also find a graphic just under your ship count that illustrates your progress towards the exit wormhole of each wave or level of play.
Controlling your spaceship is accomplished by tapping and dragging at your screen to move your ship in the corresponding direction. You can double-tap the sides of the screen to have your ship barrel roll in that direction to avoid collisions and tapping a target will fire your ship's weapons. Non-touch screens will have to rely on either a mouse or keyboard for flight controls.
Gameplay is done in waves with defined missions you have to complete. These missions can include destroying enemy ships, flying through space rings or other tasks. Each wave will end with you exiting through a wormhole and advancing to the next wave. You are not required to complete these missions in one wave and your progress does carry over.
As you progress through gameplay and complete missions, you will earn stars that can be used to upgrade or unlock additional spaceships.
Overall, Dark Star is decent Windows 10 game to pass the time with and does have an 80's arcade feel. The pace of play has a bit of zip to it and can be a little overwhelming. If your attention strays from the game for just a second, you will likely slam into a giant asteroid.
At last check, it is pulling down a 3.2-Star rating in the Store with some complaints on the PC version of the game. While it did take a few games to get the hang of the controls on the Windows Phone version, I have to agree that it was a little more challenging to master the PC version. I did run across a few graphics glitches with the Windows Phone version, but nothing critical.
While the game could use a little fine-tuning if you are in the mood for an old-school arcade game, Dark Star might be a Windows 10 game to fit the bill. Dark Star is currently running $1.99 and is available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices. If you try Dark Star, let us know what you think of things in the comments below.
Download Dark Star for Windows 10 PC and Mobile
