Lew Pulsipher's Doomstar

I got this game on sale and it cost literally a couple of bucks. If you have ever played stratego it is this in space. Fans of it will like it those who do not like it will not like this game. Anyway, for those who have no clue what stratego is...

doomstar is a bit like chess but all the pieces have different strength. Both you and your opponents pieces are hidden until combat starts at which point you can see who has one. There are also a few other things like minefields which can kill everything except minesweeper ships and light fighters. Some sort of nuke that annihalates anything it hits but cant go near blackholes (so guess where the enemy big ships always end up hiding) . Black holes can be used to increase your movement as you slingshot around them and so control of them can be key. or you can run up the flanks and try and take the king (or the command ship) with some fighters winning the game easily.

Then the game comes down to placing your pieces strategically and bluffing too. Stroll up the middle acting like you are the shit and bluff you are using a doomstar, as the enemy fleets fall back, attack the non moving pieces. hurrah you had a minesweeper and mines cant move so job done! Or do you call the opponents bluff? Do you risk your anti matter bomb, could be a doom star...could be a unit of light fighters and that would be an absolute waste.

Fans of chess should enjoy it. Fans of bluff games like poker may also enjoy it. I got it on sale and have enjoyed it. Also online can be playable when your opponent isnt online. Asynchronous play is available. Lots of people complaining about the single player campaign. Single player is essentially a tutorial. Only buy this if you plan on playing online. I have been enjoying it so far and just started my first couple of online games.

Very simple game. I do not like it.

Cool little game, very enjoyable. Finished the single-player campaign in a little over an hour, but can see myself coming back and playing a few more rounds. There were a few "Hail Mary" moments, where I was on the ropes and thought I was finished - only to pull victory out at the last second. Good game overall!

Recommended with a BUT only if on sale in the $1-3 range. It's a solid Stratego-like in space, seems fairly well polished, only problem is that the single player campaign is only 1 hour long. Worth paying more if you plan on playing skirmishes or multiplayer as well. Fun enough game for casual board game fans.

I wish I had played the game as soon as I had purchased it, then I could have requested a refund.
The game is more puzzle solving, than stategy.
My current "mission" is to find the command ship before they find mine (every mission)
My forces 4 2x fightere, 4 3x fighters, both can move unlimited in a straight line (E,S,N,W)
4 4x and my command ship can move 1 space (E,S,N,W)
vs
2 5X can move 3 spaces while changing directions
2 6X can move 3 spaces while changing directions
at least one (I think there are 2) mine field which destroys any ship other than a 2X fighter (if the 2X fighter attacks a mine field, it moves past the field to attach what ever is beyond the field)

After a figher moves, you may move a second fighter
The only way to defeat the 5X is to attack with 2X and 3X (mutual destruction) or 3X and 3X (victory)
The only way to defeat the 6X is to attack with 3X and 3X (mutual destruction)
You will need to lead with your 4X ships (cannon fodder) to set up the fighters and hope the enemy attacks with the 5X ships first
or hope your probes with the 2X fighters can find their command ship.

If you love watching the opponent beat you with moves your ships of the same class can't perfprm, this is the game for you.

I have one more card drop before uninstalling this geme.

This game looks simple on the surface but is rather deep. Deeper then i first imagined it would be, by far. It reminds me alot of chess but with hidden pieces and boardeffects.
The campaign-mode is mostly a tutorial to get you to understand the mechanics and quite frankly doesnt really deliver on its promise of being a campaign and tho i found some of the missions to be overwhelmingly difficult, the overall experience of the campaign doesnt do the games depth justice.
The game should really be played as a correspondance-type multiplayer game. Which i LOVED. You start several games and get notified when its your turn (or not, you can turn that off and check if its your move in any games when you feel like it).Not being tied down to to a full game or have to wait for an opponent is fantastic and i wish more games implemented this type of multiplayer as an option.

And i have to mention sounddesign. Both the music and sounddesign in the game is flawless. Its soothing and calming yet rich in texture and well mixed.


i give this game 8/10 in its class (0 sum boardgame stratergy?)


Pros:
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Interesting gameplay
Simple yet deep strategy
An element of bluffing
Sounddesign is fantastic
Correspondance-style multiplayer

Cons:
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Not much of a narrative
somewhat estetically underwhelming.

Stratego in space. If you are not ok with Stratego, it probably isn't the game for you.

The UI feels... compatible with mobile. This is a turn off for some. The mobile UI compatibility didn't feel like a significant hinderance in this game (it has in others). Don't go into this expecting an experience that is optimized for desktop.

The gameplay itself has skirmish, which is your classic Strategoesque environment. There is also a campaign which allows for unlocking additional opponents. The campaign has asymmetry to the pieces.

There are variations on the power scale compared to the more "pure" numerical environment of Stratego. There is a piece that always wins if it attacks, and always loses if it is attacked. There are fighters - which you can move two per turn and have two attack the same spot. There are mines - which behave like mines... except for the bit that light fighters aren't blown up by them.

The board placement area has more options than the number of ships - some mobility there. The black holes (those circle things in the center) allow for slingshot movement, which can give fighters (with lots of movement) some sometimes surprising movement options.

I'm not overly impressed with the AI, but its not awful. There's the "I sent that fighter down the outside edge to scout out that ship and... oh, I won." Incidentally, there is an achievement for that.

All in all, its what I expected and would be on the "I'll play it again" side of things. I got it on a 25% off sale and that felt about right. If you're on the fence, wait for a bigger sale or wait to see if it comes out for mobile at a lower price point.