Deneb: Across the Stars

Deneb: Across the Stars is a carpal tunnel inducing rage game in the vein of 'Getting Over It' or 'AltF4.' The game seems targeted towards masochists - you know, the types that complete Dark Souls titles using Donkey Kong bongos or reach Spelunky 2's '7-99' ending using DDR dance pads. Do not be fooled by the trailer on the store page because the amount of break-neck speed and pin-point precision required for surpassing even the earliest obstacles is obscene. Deneb would be a difficult game using the more precise navigation provided by a controller but seems near impossible when you're only allowed to use a mouse (at least, for anyone that isn't juiced to the gills with Adderall). For what it's worth, I see some potential in this game but I think that the developer would need to either add an 'easy mode' or dial back some of the existing elements of this game in order to be enjoyable for the masses at large. Checkpoints, an option to freeze your character in place (by right-clicking perhaps), and/or slower 'gliding-block enemies' would be a great adjustment for accessibility purposes but I'm sure haters would just say I need to 'get good...' ...and who knows, maybe they're ri…

I can't with this game. Maybe if the devs eased the player in a little before ramping up the difficulty to 1000 but nope, it starts off incredibly hard and then just gets harder. The penalty for failure is simply too steep and the constant character movement adds a level of desperation that simply is not fun (for me). It makes me think of the myth of Sisyphus rolling the boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again in a perpetual cycle for eternity as a form of torture. Not what I am looking for.

From ~2 hours with hundreds of falls, to 6:44.45 min. with none. Truly a polished, alas criminally underrated little gem. It was quite a journey, thank you for making it happen.

Deneb: Across the Stars is a fiercely minimalist yet strikingly atmospheric platformer that embraces precision, frustration, and persistence as its core identity. Developed and published by SEROSOO, the game drops you into a lonely cosmic journey as Vega, an astronaut searching for her missing partner Altair. That narrative hook is simple, but it gives the experience a sense of purpose beyond its punishing platforming: every leap, fall, and recovery becomes part of a larger emotional quest. The addition of lost dogs scattered throughout the alien environments adds a whimsical, oddly tender layer to the otherwise stark atmosphere. Even though the story remains light and understated, the game establishes a haunting sense of distance and devotion that frames the challenge ahead. The gameplay revolves around an unusual and highly focused control scheme — everything is controlled with the mouse. This alone sets Deneb apart from most precision platformers. Instead of the typical mix of keyboard or controller inputs, your mouse movements determine the power, angle, and timing of your jumps. It feels strange at first, almost unwieldy, but that awkwardness is intentional; the game is desig…

Lovely little game that is also satisfyingly challenging.

A cute mouse controlled precision platformer centered around rescuing dogs through the cosmos. What more can a player want? Well, in actuality, this is a tough one considering the level design is vertical in a similar fashion to other games like Jump King. As a result, small nudges, vibrations or anything that can slightly change the course of your cursor can make you fall from short to quite long distances, as there are no checkpoints. On the flip side, there are "soft checkpoints" as in areas that once you reach them they have platforms that should catch most of your falls from there on (as I say should since you can actually fall from those if you have some bad luck). In terms of presentation, it presents a few levels with not too detail yet pleasing to look at pixel art. The tracks are soft and tranquil as well, almost making you forget about your hand cramps. I wish I could have been able to take a screenshot of some of the structures I passed through but it seems it can't be done as of yet. Also, the story itself is simple and told without any dialogue since it doesn't really need it. Makes sense considering those players who could forget it after getting stuck for hours in…