Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Lafferty
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strategy game has retro visuals, strong combat dynamics.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Star Renegades
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In STAR RENEGADES, the Imperium is marching across worlds through alternate universes, wiping out anything that stands in its way. But there's a little service robot that's jumping ahead of the invaders to warn inhabitants of different worlds about the war that's on their doorstep. Players will put together teams of up to six fighters to battle for survival across procedurally generated map boards while marching through a campaign that never appears to be the same twice. The tactical turn-based battle system will feel familiar to strategy players, but it emphasizes interrupts and counterattacks to be successful. And the opposing AI isn't about to replicate mistakes -- it learns, grows, and can employ different tactics. Jumping across a variety of worlds in campaigns that can last six to eight hours (if you don't have epic failures along the way), this is a Rogue-like game with no two campaigns ever playing out the same.
Is It Any Good?
While visually charming, the true artistry in this strategy game lies in the combat. Star Renegades has that old-school pixelated look that lets parties run across a map before leaping into side-scrolling combat for the turn-based battles. The game is big on storyline, featuring its share of emotion during key plot moments, and it increases your frustration when a party member -- one you've grown attached to -- dies in battle and is resurrected by the enemy as an officer to fight against you. It starts out slowly, explaining the mechanics of the combat system (the adventuring/exploration side is simply point-and-click) and then ramps up to present waves of enemies that get tougher and require more thought to fight.
The turn-based combat happens along a timeline, and if they're paying attention, players can see what the enemy's gearing up to do and can either interrupt or counter, which is vital to success. A successful interrupt or counter can deliver a CRIT attack that does major damage, making combat feel more thoughtful. There were some moments when commands seemed unresponsive, which was mildly annoying, but in combat, where tactics mean everything and a wrong click can force a restart, this is maddening. Taken individually, the elements are solid, but collectively -- from the graphics to the storyline and combat -- this is a challenging and enjoyable game. Losing team members to the enemy can be frustrating, and there are some fights that seemingly can't be won, but overall, Star Renegades is a solid game to jump into and explore in either small or bigger play sessions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of storylines to a game. What type of story do younger players enjoy? What elements of a story do players not like?
How do strategy and tactics come into play in the real world? Is there strategy in sports? How do you approach work? Do you have a plan or strategy for getting your work done on time?
Game Details
- Platform : Windows
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Raw Fury
- Release date : September 8, 2020
- Genre : Strategy
- Topics : Adventures , Robots
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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