Aug 24, 2021
“StarCrossed” - February 11, 2020
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“StarCrossed” - February 11, 2020
Indie Game Spotlight: StarCrossed
Grab a friend for this week’s Indie Game Spotlight! StarCrossed is an action arcade game with a magical girl aesthetic and a cooperative twist. Join our cast of 5 space-faring heroes as they travel from planet to planet, working together to strengthen their bond and defeat a looming evil that threatens the galaxy! StarCrossed provides an experience that focuses on the importance of collaboration, with every element designed to emphasize the two-player cooperative gameplay.
We spoke with Francesca, president of Contigo Games who, on top of handling narrative design and creating 3D art assets for the game, is also the team’s producer, social media manager, and PR representative. In her words, “We’re a typical indie studio, in that we all wear many hats!” The rest of the team includes Dillon as the lead artist & animator, Mike as the gameplay designer & programmer, Benny as the lead programmer, Oriana as the character artist & illustrator, Renzo and Kyle on sound design, and Alex composes the music. Read on!
What was the main inspiration for the game?
StarCrossed takes heavy inspiration from classic Magical Girl media like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Tokyo Mew Mew. These stories are about collaboration and friendship, and everything in StarCrossed, from the visuals to the game mechanics, is designed around those same themes. We love the premise of a ragtag group of strangers from different backgrounds coming together for a common cause (isn’t that kind of like making games?), and we are excited to tell a story where women and non-binary characters are the heroes.
How do the co-op mechanics work?
Visually, StarCrossed looks similar to a classic arcade space shooter… except that you can’t shoot. Instead, your only weapon is a powerful star bouncing between you and your partner. The star moves between you automatically, so players can aim it by moving their characters around the screen. Our goal was to design a mechanic that requires participation from both players to really emphasize the cooperative element of the game.
What is a "StarBoost"?
When the star gets near a character, the player can tap a button to perform a StarBoost. Depending on the character, it’s either a punch, a push, or a kick, which transfers energy to the star. By successfully StarBoosting, the players can work together to power up the star, speeding up gameplay, and earning them more points. When done correctly, StarBoosting becomes a rhythmic volleying of the star back and forth between players. Timing and coordination are key!
What was the most difficult challenge you experienced while creating the game?
We’re very transparent about this, but Contigo Games is a part-time remote team, which presents a great number of challenges. When the team was founded, and we began working on StarCrossed, we were all based close to one another. Since then, we’ve slowly been spreading out due to jobs and other life commitments. Figuring out how to work together in this new way was definitely challenging, and took a lot of trial and error.
Also, making games is hard! For most of us, this is the first large-scale independent project that we’ll be publishing. We’re learning as we go, and we’re very fortunate to have mentors and a community to support us.
What do you hope players will take away from the game?
StarCrossed is an inherently feminine game, and that’s something that was very important to our team. It’s not often that you see something pink and sparkly on the show floors of big gaming conventions—we saw an opportunity to bring that softer, alternate aesthetic to our audience, and to show more players that games are for everyone. This is a game with cute, colorful artwork and challenging gameplay, and we really believe there’s something here for all types of players. It’s also about coming together, finding community, and sharing in a common dream. Our team is made up of passionate individuals who love games and believe in their powers of positive impact.
Ready to get involved? You can wishlist StarCrossed in all the usual places, and follow Contigo Games to hear all the news on the early 2020 release, which will also reach consoles thanks to the support of Whitethorn Digital!
“Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” - StarCrossed - February 11, 2020
Game Info Here
Full Soundtrack Here
Black Lives Matter Support Bundle: up to 20 games starting at $20.00
Black Lives Matter Support Bundle by Contigo Games and 18 others
For the next two weeks (June 3 - 17) all proceeds from sales of this bundle will be donated to Black Lives Matter, in support of their mission to end anti-Black racism, and the National Bail Fund Network, which is paying bail for protesters nationwide. By purchasing this bundle you are contributing to the fight against police brutality and providing necessary funding to two amazing organizations that are working to make the world a better place.
This bundle has two tiers which offer an option in donation amount. $20 bundle contains the following 11 games. $40 bundle includes all above games PLUS an additional 9 games.
When it comes to Co-op games, Ones mind normally goes towards “How can I fuck this up for the other player just to get a good laugh?” Unfortunately for that jerk, StarCrossed by Contingo Games requires both players to be synced perfectly to get through levels.
This stars and sparkles shoot-em up requires Magical Girls “Hero” & “Idol” to bounce a small star shaped projectile between one another to take out incoming enemies.
MAGICAL GIRL HERO
MAGICAL GIRL IDOL
The developers do suggest playing with a Xbox or PlayStation controller as the game is fast paced and requires all around movement that would be hard for a keyboard.
The game requires precision, concentration, and coordination on both parts or else it’s GAME OVER!
The game is scheduled to release this year (2017) for PC, Mac, and Linux. But till then, You can download the demo here.
Follow them on Twitter @playstarcrossed or visit the Developers Site.
Cecile spends her days wandering, playing video games and shopping for things she probably doesn’t need. She can be found working behind the scenes and keeping the Tides gang in order. Follow her on Twitter @MrsAbsinthe
@PLAY NYC: StarCrossed When it comes to Co-op games, Ones mind normally goes towards "How can I fuck this up for the other player just to get a good laugh?" Unfortunately for that jerk,
