STARBO

Review

Life can throw you some unexpected punches every once in a while. Some of them can be interpreted as blessings and others not at all. Take the case of Leo Cornell. He goes to work one morning to find out that he won’t be needed anymore. Immediately after the awkward altercation with his former boss, he makes the choice to return to his homeland, the breath-taking Caribbean Islands. Without notifying his family, he purchases the cheapest flight available.  But faith has decided otherwise for Leo Cornell!

STARBO is a first person adventure / semi horror game where you play Leo Cornell at the moment immediately following the crash-landing of the plane he was travelling on.

From here, his eyes will close on the plane wreckage and he’ll find himself inside deep blue tunnels. As he walks or runs through the tunnels, Leo talks to himself every so often, trying to find answers about where he is. He will hear voices, (mostly his wife), and follow butterflies which will guide him through the tunnels and show him where to go and which doors to open.

There are a very few objects to pick up in this game; mostly keys to open locked doors. In some rooms, he will also find some medic kits which will boost his health as soon as he picks them up. There are a few scary moments when Leo is pursued by weird creatures, including a robot and some sort of crocodile that spits fire, and if they catch him, he dies. In terms of puzzles, well, there is only one and it’s pretty easy to figure out.

What really impressed me in this game was the lighting in the tunnels (mostly blue with a few other colours here and there), which creates the compelling sensation of wanting to go towards the distinctive light at the end, while simultaneously feeling hesitant to go there.  It’s an incredible atmosphere.

Graphically, the game looks pretty good and the soundtrack re-enforces the atmosphere. The controls are responsive and the game runs very well. It’s a pretty short game; you’ll finish it in under an hour. However, the experience is well worth it.