Get your friends and bust out the controllers, STARDUST VANGUARDS is a local four-player dueling game inspired by old-school anime space operas, combining arcade-style battling and the ability to summon your own NPC army as support! It just launched on Steam and Humble and is available on both Windows and Linux for $9.99.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMIO2nA62Q
The game is an Indiecade East 2015 eSports Selection and was nominated for the 2015 SXSW Gamers’ Voice Award.
GAMEPLAY
STARDUST VANGUARDS equips each player’s mecha with an energy blade and and an auto-targeting machine gun for precision arcade-style battles.
Players will reflect bullets and boost through wave after wave of enemy NPC cannon fodder as they trade blows with one another. And to top it off, the players will summon an NPC army of their own to really crank up the heat on the enemy. Fight alongside your NPC allies or hang back and let them do the heavy lifting; the choice is yours.
RANDOM EVENT SYSTEM
Each battle is unique with the game’s random event system. An army of NPC space pirates launch surprise attacks against everyone on the battlefield and show up in dozens of potential scenarios including ambushes, full-on capital ship blitzkriegs, passing transport convoys, formidable mercenary attacks, and more. The pirates can even win the battle themselves, so you may want to team up to take them out; the enemy of your enemy is your friend! Duels between players remain intensely personal even while on a battlefield crowded with NPC squadrons, capital ships, and pirates. STARDUST VANGUARDS draws heavy inspiration from classic mecha anime and retro shoot ’em ups to create a unique couch-multiplayer experience.
The game is an entirely local multiplayer affair and includes modes like deathmatch, king of the hill, and space ball (soccer-style capture the flag). There’s also a custom deathmatch mode to perfectly tailor your own custom battles with settings for NPC troop numbers, infinte ammo, swords only, and plenty of other options. Get STARDUST VANGUARDS today!
Steam Store: http://store.steampowered.com/app/341530/
Humble Store: http://www.humblebundle.com/store/p/stardustvanguards_storefront
Official Blog: http://www.zanrai.com/