Developer: Graftgold Publisher: Mindscape Release: 06/90 Genre: Shooter
The Last Starfighter is a movie I am sure I saw at some point in my youth. But for the life of me I remember absolutely nothing about it. On its face it is everything a kid in the 80s dreamed of: a teenager who is good at video games is recruited by aliens to fight in an interstellar war after achieving a high score in an arcade game. The game practically writes itself. Maybe it would have been an easy slam dunk if the publisher gave a damn. Unfortunately like all of Mindscape’s licensed games on the NES the Last Starfighter is awful.
Despite its title the Last Starfighter is not an adaptation of the 1984 film. In fact the game itself has nothing to do with the movie. Much like they did with Conan Mindscape took a Commodore 64 and rebranded it to cash in on the license. In this case it is actually 1986 game Uridium. I can kind of see why they would choose this game in particular: both titles take place in outer space and are shooters. The NES version features modified sprites, a new title screen, and a soundtrack inspired by the movie to try and tie it in to the film. But the gameplay is otherwise the same. And that is the problem.
In The Last Starfighter you control a Gunstar, a futuristic spacecraft. There is only the one weapon, your standard cannon and there are no power-ups. The game is not terribly complex so there absence is honestly not missed. Mechanically the Last Starfighter is simple. Like Defender your ship is always in motion. You can speed up by pressing left or right repeatedly if need be and to turn around you simply need to do the same in the opposite direction. Technically you can rotate the Gunstar in any direction. But not only did I never find a use for it I also forgot you can do so to begin with.
The objective of each level is to destroy a set number of enemy fighters and installations on each battleship. The game does not tell you how many in each stage which is stupid. You will know you are done when the game tells you landing is OK. At this point you merely need to reach the end of the map and come to a complete stop to land and count your rewards.
Sounds simple? It is. There is nothing wrong with a simple gameplay as long as it is interesting. The problem is the ridiculous amount of frustration involved in nearly every step of the game. The first thing you need to understand is flying at max speed is a death sentence. The faster you fly the quicker the random enemy ships will fly in pursuit or suddenly appear always equaling instant death. You also run the risk of slamming in to the terrain. The game does not do a good job delineating the background from elevated objects and it feels random. So the choice becomes slowly fly through each map, carefully picking your shots but also potentially getting hit by an aggressive homing projectile that rarely misses. Or blitz at high speed, inevitably hitting a wall or stray bullet. Either way some ridiculous aspect of the game will get you.
My main issue with the Last Starfighter is that it is not interesting. Once you complete one level every one after is exactly the same. They shuffle the elements and change the color palette but otherwise every level is the same. Most games would introduce some new element every few stages for the sake of variety. The Last Starfighter is content to do the bare minimum and suffers for it. The fact the game is fifteen levels long make it all the more insufferable. Combine that with an overbearing difficulty that seems hell bent on making sure you do not enjoy yourself and you have a game that is not worth your time.
In Closing
The Last Starfighter attempts to capitalize on the popularity of the 1984 film but falls short in delivering an engaging gaming experience. Its reliance on singular mechanics and lack of meaningful action make it a title that I cannot recommend in good faith. I avoided this game like the plague just like Conan and am glad my instincts were right. If only I could say the same about Back to the Future….
