Though this is my week off from playing games, and I try to take this week as seriously as possible, because I value not forcing myself to play games on a timetable, and it gives me time to complete games. I was a little busy this last week, and I played more than I could have chewed, so I guess I have to talk about a game demo.

That demo is Star Overdrive.

Star Overdrive is an action-adventure game from Caracal Games and Dear Villagers. The game was released for all modern consoles on June 19th and retails for $35.

It’s a rescue mission, and it always is. You play as Bios, a man who owns a spaceship, a hoverboard, and, apparently, a keytar that can be used as a weapon. All very great, but his beloved Nous has disappeared on a mining planet named Cebete. A wasteland of rusted beacon towers inhabited by indigenous creatures that want you out of the picture. Nous has left you her hoverboard for you to scour Cebete to look for her. Find your love’s distress beacon and save her life.

Cebete is the perfect world for those who have a hoverboard, specifically, because this world is enormous and the dunes are incredibly large, and, conveniently enough, there are boost rings to help with speed issues.

In Assassin’s Creed-like fashion, Star Overdrive has you running all over the world to light beacons to highlight areas on the map to find some semblance that the love of life is still alive. Hoverboarding is fun, and you can cover ground fast with the ability to do tricks in the air to gain a boost of speed.

I, for one, LOVE going fast.

With lots of open area comes lots of exploration and secret areas for the player to find. I could not tell if it was I that was finding the secrets or the game paving the way for me to find them, regardless.

Combat in Star Overdrive is pretty simple to understand and execute. There are basic attacks that have combos and a special attack that deals more damage and helps with puzzles. Abilities like shooting what looks like a homing soundwave to hit flying baddies or hitting a bullseye in a puzzle. I don’t really know how the health system works, but I imagine it is that once Bios’ shield breaks, then he is vulnerable to more health damage. Hoverboard combat has a little bit of a learning curve, but grappling enemies and tailing them long enough to then attack them works well.

Star Overdrive has that cel-shaded look to it, and I’ve come to find that I really enjoy the visual style. I always think that if a game that has a desert biome has to be completely beige. This is not the case for Star Overdrive as the clear blue sky, the rusty mining equipment, and the colorful fauna and creatures makes it such a joy to explore/play in.

Star Overdrive’s demo is a fun experience. I really enjoy the hoverboarding, the puzzles, and the combat. All three engaged me enough to hold my interest in the game, but I don’t think that I really care too much about the narrative. I had to go look it up to recount what the demo told me. The game looks and sounds good, and I like the emphasis on the guitar riffs. Overall, a pretty decent demo that gives the player everything they want that is a snippet of the full game.