You may recall a while back during PAX West I attended the Seattle Indie’s Expo and played some fantastic and quirky games, as is my yearly tradition. This most recent outing, one of the games that I most enjoyed was a competitive, co-op SHMUP called Rival Star Hero. Developed by Spacewave Software, the unique thing about the game is you and your opponent are playing at the same time, and the person who survives the longest wins. Then they even threw in cool mechanics such as a combo system that lets you harass your opponent’s side of the screen with enemy ships, debris and even lets you change into a massive boss ship to annihilate them. While I liked the graphics of the game many months ago, their most recent update has shown off their great new art style!
Above you can see the art style that I experienced at PAX West. It was very colorful as far as the bullets and explosions, but the overall aesthetic was somewhat plain. Compare that to the shot below, and you can really see how far the game has come! There’s a ton more detail and nuance in the art, and I especially like how the pilot portraits dominate the corners of the screen. I’m getting quite excited to try out the finalized build of Rival Star Hero. If you want to see more artwork, check out our source below. And stay tuned to oprainfall for more indie game coverage!
