Shining Starter

Shining City is not a game. I thought perhaps it might be, but when I launched this for the first time, my first thought was, WTF is this garbage? Of course, there had to be a game here of some kind, right? Turns out, there isn't. At best this could be described as a "walking simulator", but that's far too generous of a description, because it carries the implication that some narrative exists, like we see in games like Dear Elise. But no, this is not even a walking sim, in the commonly accepted use of the term. This really is just a couple of near-empty Unreal Engine levels with the familiar Unreal engine robot asset flip, and some untextured blocks to make up some kind of empty "city". There is literally nothing there, nothing to do. There's less content here than a 1-line C++ program to print "Hello World". Of course we can sum this up as just garbage polluting Steam and making the store worse for everyone, but there's more. The developer here has their hand out for a whopping $15 USD worth of empty "DLC" donations... basically digital panhandling like a homeless bum on a train asking for money. Disgusting. Also, pay no attention to the positive review rating for t…

Shining Starter is an unconventional free-to-play experience that feels closer to an experimental development project than a conventional game built around a clearly defined campaign. Developed and published by hellorabbitstudio, it focuses heavily on exploration and experimentation, allowing players to wander through a three-dimensional environment without being pushed along by quests, combat encounters, complicated progression systems, or a lengthy narrative. This unusual approach gives it a distinctive identity, although it also means that players should adjust their expectations before jumping in. The central activity is simply exploring the environment and seeing what lies around the next structure or open area. There is a walking-simulator quality to the experience, with movement and observation doing most of the work normally handled by traditional gameplay mechanics. The absence of constant objectives can initially be refreshing because players are free to investigate at their own pace. Its large, relatively empty spaces also produce a strange atmosphere, sometimes making the world feel mysterious or dreamlike. However, that same emptiness eventually becomes one of the gam…

Игра 'Shining Starter' — это настоящее сокровище для любителей стильных и динамичных экшенов. С первых минут она захватывает своим визуальным стилем, который напоминает смесь неонового киберпанка и японской уличной моды. Боевая система здесь — это отдельная песня: отточенная, отзывчивая и позволяющая игроку раскрыть весь свой креатив в уничтожении противников. Комбинировать атаки, использовать окружение, замедлять время — все это создает неповторимый ритм сражений. Сюжет, хоть и не претендует на глубину шекспировских трагедий, отлично вплетается в атмосферу и дает достаточно мотивации для продвижения вперед. Персонажи харизматичны, а диалоги написаны с остроумием. Музыкальное сопровождение — это просто космос! Энергичные треки идеально дополняют геймплей, заставляя сердце биться чаще. 'Shining Starter' — это игра, в которую хочется возвращаться снова и снова, чтобы отточить свои навыки и просто насладиться чистым, незамутненным драйвом. Она дарит тот самый заряд адреналина, который так ценится в жанре.

bad in many ways

Courtesy of "Obey the Fist!" https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198030784015/recommended/1133570/ Shining City is not a game. I thought perhaps it might be, but when I launched this for the first time, my first thought was, WTF is this garbage? Of course, there had to be a game here of some kind, right? Turns out, there isn't. At best this could be described as a "walking simulator", but that's far too generous of a description, because it carries the implication that some narrative exists, like we see in games like Dear Elise. But no, this is not even a walking sim, in the commonly accepted use of the term. This really is just a couple of near-empty Unreal Engine levels with the familiar Unreal engine robot asset flip, and some untextured blocks to make up some kind of empty "city". There is literally nothing there, nothing to do. There's less content here than a 1-line C++ program to print "Hello World". Of course we can sum this up as just garbage polluting Steam and making the store worse for everyone, but there's more. The developer here has their hand out for a whopping $15 USD worth of empty "DLC" donations... basically digital panhandling like a homeless bum on a t…

What's even the point? The city isn't even that shiny...