At first glance, Starwinder looks promising despite the fact that it's another space-based racing game. The graphics look better than average and the game appears to possess some unique strategies. But after playing Starwinder, you can't help but conclude, "been there, done that."
The game is fairly straightforward. You take on the role of Connor Rhodes, Earth's first rail racer. Rhodes races on rails, which are narrow tracks thousands of miles long, composed of hairpin turns, twists, and loops - very similar to a roller coaster. According to the story, aliens have used these rails as race tracks to determine who's the supreme racer in the galaxy. And at long last, Earth has entered the competition.
The gameplay in Starwinder could use some rethinking. Whereas Wipeout, Crash and Burn, and others have similar space racing themes, they also have unique levels, weapons, and enemies. Starwinder has none of these elements. The thousand mile rails in reality are repetitive and too short. Connor has to race on 40 different rails, divided among ten quadrants, and ultimately the only difference between one rail and another is color. Big deal.
Each of the five ships available to players has its own advantages and disadvantages (acceleration, turning, recovery, and weapons). And though players get to choose their ship, the only real strategy in Starwinder is to stay on the rail to win the race. If a player drifts away from the rail the ship will lose thrust and slow down to a crawl (because power strips are embedded in the rails). And they call this a racing game?
There's no doubt Starwinder had potential. However, the combination of repetitive gameplay, mediocre graphics, and no-challenge action adds up to a dismal offering.
