As such, experimenting to nab that stubborn coin in the corner is more common. And instead of your in-game currency to continue after losing a life, now there are no associated costs. Not only do physical controls offer a better experience (jumping out a water is still awkward), but now you can leap with any suit, which makes stages a bit more interesting. On iOS and Android, a tap on the upper part of your screen would jump with the Adventure or Flying Suit. On the upside, the control scheme gets a significant improvement from the mobile version.

This feels like a huge missed opportunity and would have added longevity. Although the game is online when there’s a Wi-Fi connection around, there are no leaderboards on Switch. With the light level of difficulty, much of the enjoyment in Starlit Adventures comes from replying stages and trying to top your own score. Or the Flying suit permits players to backtrack back to a branch in the stage. With the Electric Suit, you can pull metallic boxes, opening new passageways. Suits, either regular or golden, allow you to access specific areas. Sold for $5.49 USD apiece in the mobile version, they’re freely available for use in the Switch version, softening the game’s difficulty. Beyond nine different basic suits, Starlit Adventures also offers a trio of golden ones, which contribute additional abilities. With the Snow Suit you can freeze enemies and turn them into ice blocks, while the Flying Suit lets you float upward. Donning the Bomber Suit allows you to drop timed bombs and toss explosives around, like a certain Hudson Soft classic. Opt to wear one of the games twelve different suits and Bo and Kikki are endowed with a few helpful abilities. Without any kind of nagging time limit, score chasers will want to maximize the number of coins collected, typically by exploring every on-screen alcove. Beyond gather stars to open new stages, stickers to amass for perusal outside of play, there are also a multitude of coins to gather, which come in different shapes and scoring values. While it’s possible to complete a level with the duo’s ability to dig, jump, and move horizontally, levels hide an inventory of collectables. While both Bo and Kikki can swim, they can’t stay submerged for too long, and you’ll receive a Sonic-like countdown as you run out of air. Another restrained danger are bodies of water. You don’t want to be underneath when gravity does its thing. But if there’s a giant gemstone above when the soil is removed, the stone will shake for a second before falling. While the game’s difficulty is persistently soft, there is no deficiency of danger.Īs mole-like creatures, Bo and Kikki can burrow through the ground, removing a chunk of the playfield. Standing between the protagonists and that feat are a multitude of obstacles that range from environmental hazards like spikes to a multitude of rather docile enemies that predictably typically shuffle back and forth. You’ll take control of Bo and Kikki, a team that consists of a humanoid rider atop of giant mole-like creature, much like the pairing of Mario and Yoshi.Īfter the world’s stars were stolen and scattered by the nefarious Nuru, restoration involves collecting them. While I don’t think this method would work for most F2P fodder, here much of the revenue-generating goading is gone.Įach of the game’s 144 stages task players with making their way to the bottom of vertically scrolling stages. Blending light puzzles with accessible action, Rockhead Studios’ decision to remove microtransactions proves to be a winning strategy. But here’s the plot twist: if you’re a fan of retro games like Boulder Dash, Dig Dug, Kirby’s Adventure, Bomberman or Pengo, Starlit Adventures is worth seeking out on Switch. Normally, an explanation like that indicates three different reasons to stay far away from a game like this. Starlit Adventures Golden Stars is a $20 port of a free-to-play mobile game. Platform: Switch, previously on PlayStation 4, mobile

Starlit adventures game