Star Overdrive On Switch Feels Like Modern ZELDA With Hoverboards | Don’t Miss It!

Summary

"Star Overdrive" on the Nintendo Switch is creating buzz with its unique blend of exploration and racing, reminiscent of modern Zelda games combined with hoverboard fun. Developed by Carousel Games, the game features a character named Bios who is on a mission to reunite with his loved one using a hypersonic hoverboard. Players can expect action-heavy gameplay, with elements of combat, puzzle-solving, and boss fights. The game also offers a musical element that influences both puzzles and combat. With its engaging gameplay and a vibrant synthwave soundtrack, "Star Overdrive" stands out as a must-try game, evident in the demo available for download.

Highlights

• Sponsored feature on Switch Up channel spotlighting 'Star Overdrive'. 🎬
• Game combines exploration, racing, and combat into a thrilling experience. 🚀
• Developed by Carousel Games, the game has the Zelda touch with unique mechanics. 🎮
• Bios, the protagonist, embarks on a hoverboard journey to reunite with a loved one. 💕
• Musical combat system adds a rhythmic layer to the gameplay, enhancing boss fights. 🎸

Key Takeaways

• Star Overdrive is like Zelda with hoverboards—exciting blend of exploration and racing! 🏄‍♂️
• The gameplay features action-packed sequences, puzzles, and epic boss fights. 🎮
• Musical elements both in combat and puzzles offer a fresh twist to the gameplay. 🎵
• The game is visually stunning with a mixture of desolate and lush environments. 🌄
• Try the demo available on the eShop to get a taste of the adventure! 🎮

Overview

In this Switch Up episode, we dive into the world of 'Star Overdrive', a game that feels like a modern Zelda experience but with the thrilling addition of hoverboards. The protagonist, Bios, traverses a mysterious planet on a hypersonic hoverboard, facing challenges in a quest to reunite with his loved one. The game blends racing, exploration, and combat into a seamless adventure that stands out in the current gaming landscape.

Developed by Carousel Games, 'Star Overdrive' draws inspiration from Zelda, offering vast worlds to explore, complete with shrines and puzzles. The racing elements are complemented by a robust combat system that includes musical powers influencing battles and puzzle-solving. Boss fights against enormous enemies, like a sandworm, bring intense action into the mix, keeping players engaged and on their toes.

With its synthwave soundtrack, 'Star Overdrive' not only looks but also sounds exceptional. The game runs smoothly on the Switch, providing a stable and visually captivating experience. A demo is available for those curious to explore this exhilarating journey, making it accessible for players eager to dive into its vast, musically-driven world.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Sponsorship Disclosure This chapter introduces the episode with a sponsorship disclosure. The host mentions their genuine enjoyment of a game demo, leading them to seek sponsorship from the game publishers, Dear Villagers. They express enthusiasm about the sponsorship and inform viewers about a giveaway, encouraging them to comment their thoughts. Additionally, a free demo of the game is available, with a download link provided in the description.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Game Overview and Developer The chapter titled 'Game Overview and Developer' discusses 'Star Overdrive,' a third-person exploration game with racing elements. The discussion mentions a demo of the game, which has received positive feedback. The game was created by a development team called Carousel Games.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Storyline and Gameplay Mechanics This chapter introduces the protagonist, Bios, who is stranded on a distant planet with only his hypersonic hoverboard. His primary mission is to reunite with his loved one. The storyline involves exploring the planet and encountering various characters, further unfolding the narrative. The chapter hints at deeper elements of the story to be discovered as players engage with the planet's unique features and inhabitants.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Exploration and Racing Elements The chapter explores the blend of hoverboard racing and open-world gameplay in a game. It highlights the third-person open-world exploration aspect, which requires players to explore various locations. The game is compared to 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' for its exploration elements.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Combat and Abilities The chapter titled 'Combat and Abilities' discusses the game mechanics including shrines, powers, and combat. It highlights the racing parts and how shrines are implemented in the game. Unique abilities are introduced, not limited to just the 'Ultra Hand,' showcasing a range of options for players. The developers drew inspiration from the Zelda games, incorporating similar elements.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Puzzle Solving and Boss Fights This chapter discusses the puzzle-solving mechanics and boss fights within a large planet area in the game. Players encounter various puzzles involving switches that require abilities and skills to activate. Additionally, there are gated race sections resembling elimination modes in racing games, where players must progress through checkpoints within a time limit to trigger switches.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Game Development History and Controls The chapter discusses the historical evolution of game development, focusing on elements such as time-based challenges akin to older games like Ridge Racer. It highlights the integration of racing elements where players must pass through gates to extend playtime. Additionally, it delves into gameplay mechanics such as board upgrades, where players collect materials to enhance their equipment. This includes optimizing limited space to construct an optimal game board. Moreover, the chapter also touches on using additional tools and equipment, referred to as 'kear', within combat scenarios, emphasizing the strategic element of gameplay.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Visuals and Performance The chapter 'Visuals and Performance' discusses the gameplay mechanics resembling a two-handed sword from Monster Hunter, where players swing it around to knock enemies out. It also involves using ultra hand abilities to fire projectiles. Additionally, there’s a focus on racing sections where performing tricks can increase speed. This aspect is reminiscent of old snowboarding games from the N64 era.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Musical Theme and Sound Design The chapter discusses the musical theme and sound design in games like SSX and others, emphasizing the variety of elements present in these games. The speaker particularly highlights aspects like shrines and compares the game's feel to 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild'. It describes how players use boards and powers to flip switches and navigate areas, with access depending on switch activation order.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Pricing and Availability In the chapter titled 'Pricing and Availability', the discussion focuses on the unexpected depth of a game initially perceived as a racing game. The speaker elaborates on the game's rich exploration elements, sense of movement, and unique integration of musical elements into combat. Players can experience a lot of freedom in movement, including surfing up walls and jumping long distances. The game offers much more than just racing, presenting a mix of exploration and musical combat.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Conclusion In the conclusion, the gameplay mechanics are highlighted, particularly around puzzle-solving and boss fights. The chapter discusses a battle with a giant sandworm, drawing parallels to similar creatures in 'June'. The fight involves dynamic elements like hooking onto the worm, surfing, and shooting, reflecting unexpectedly tight mechanics and more depth than anticipated.

Star Overdrive On Switch Feels Like Modern ZELDA With Hoverboards | Don’t Miss It! Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hello everyone Welcome back to Switch Up And this is one of those episodes where we've been sponsored to take a look at a new game but I've got to be honest it's a game that we really enjoyed the demo of So we reached out to the publishers Dear Villagers and we're like I know it would be a good idea Why don't you sponsor us they were like yes that would be a very good idea So here we are If you'd like to win a copy of this one just let us know down in the comments what you think of it Spoilers it's decent And there's a free demo that you can download right now If you are interested in that there'll be a link down in the description as well and the
• 00:30 - 01:00 top pin comment Yeah the game in question is Star Overdrive which is a third person exploration game I guess with elements of racing as well And we'll go through the wise and wherefors in a moment but as Mark said a there is a demo and b it's pretty damn good All right Star Overdrive What's it all about well let's find out Okay So the game was created by a team called Carousel Games I think that's how
• 01:00 - 01:30 you pronounce it It's quite difficult with that Yeah Whether it's a soft or hard C Yeah we'll go with both Carousel Caracal Yeah one of those The story line follows a character called Bios who finds himself stranded on a distant planet and he has his hypersonic hoverboard It's that thing that he's carrying around there and his mission is to reunite with his loved one There is more to the story than that and you will discover it as you try and work your way around this planet meeting a variety of different characters but it's also much
• 01:30 - 02:00 more actionheavy than I think we both expected So Glenn mentioned in the introduction there that it has this blend of almost hoverboard racing and open world gameplay and there are several different aspects to that Yeah as we alluded to in the intro you have kind of your third person open world exploration and there are a number of different places that you will have to explore It has a almost a Zelda vibe to it Breath of the Wild that sort of uh you know new fangled Zelda where you are
• 02:00 - 02:30 visiting like shrines and and moving things around with your powers and there's combat in the game as well as the the racing parts Yeah there is a a fair amount here We were quite surprised to see those shrines and the way it was implemented there And like Len said as you gain those new abilities and they're not all just like the Ultra Hand as you can probably see in some of the footage there are other ones that are very unique to this experience but I do know for a fact that the developers love the Zelda games and and took some inspiration from some of those aspects
• 02:30 - 03:00 but there's quite a lot different So outside of those shrines you've got this very large planet area and you're usually given a huge section with some puzzles to solve So there'll be small areas where there might be some switches to trigger You'll have to use your abilities and skills to activate those but then there are also these gated race sections where you've got to progress through checkpoints within a certain amount of time to then trigger those switches Yeah it's like your classic elimination mode in a racing game where
• 03:00 - 03:30 you're constantly ticking down like your old ridge racer or something like that trying to get through the gates to extend your time and carry on But it's it's one small part of the whole gameplay experience Doing things like this will allow you to upgrade your board um and you'll find materials that you can then put into these upgrades and try to create certain parts that you can then add to the board And there you know there's like a finite amount of space that you can add these into to try and create the best board possible As well as that board you've also got your kear which you use in combat And it's uh it
• 03:30 - 04:00 almost acts like a a sword doesn't it yeah it's like the two-handed sword from Monster Hunter Swinging it around there knocking enemies out and then using your ultra handlike abilities to fire projectile objects at enemies to take them out as well Now you were talking about the the racing section there as well and it is worth noting that you can do tricks that when you land them will speed up your board and you will have to do those tricks Reminded me a bit of um old snowboarding games from the N64 era
• 04:00 - 04:30 Yeah things like 1080 and SSX games like that It's definitely has that to it That's what I was saying a minute ago There were just a few quite a few different elements to the game We mentioned shrines for example and you have these moments where you go into these areas and I mentioned the Zelda Breath of the Wild It that is the best example I can think of in terms of what it feels like but again you're using your board and your powers as Mark said to flip switches and try to navigate these areas There'll be certain parts you can't access without flipping a switch say for example but it's the order in which you do it and it's
• 04:30 - 05:00 finding certain parts So it's navigating these shrines There's so much more to this game than I was expecting I have to say when I first saw the demo first I thought it was going to be a racing game Yeah When I realized it wasn't I thought it was going to be you know majority racing with some exploration elements in there but there's there's a lot more to this game It's got a real nice sense of movement so you can really move freely throughout the area Sometimes you'll find yourself like surfing up walls or just jumping massive distances And the the musical element plays into that combat So there's like musical powers
• 05:00 - 05:30 that you can use against different enemies And you'll also use that element for the puzzle solving And surprisingly as well you will find boss fights Now I think it's okay to talk about the first boss Yeah You fight against this giant like June worm that comes out of the ground and you like hook onto the back of it and you're surfing after it which again is quite a lot like June Yeah And you're shooting at it as well The mechanics are just so much tighter than I thought they would be Yeah And and again I just wasn't expecting it You know this this mass as you say this huge worm sandworm jumps out doesn't it
• 05:30 - 06:00 looked really good and it was very quite an epic battle But yeah almost like a rhythm game to some small degree in terms of when you have to use the powers that Mark just mentioned like grappling onto it and that that sort of thing Yeah just very clever use of a lot of different mechanics all brought together really well It's probably worth mentioning that it's from the same team that bought us Haven which was another game set on a planet where you had like these two it's going to make me cringe to say it but like starcross lovers that live in this caravanny type thing and
• 06:00 - 06:30 then they have to go out together and they're surfing all over the environment So you can see where they built up this almost style of gameplay but in that title it was much less I think it's fair to say fleshed out And here they've built up those things like the shrines the boss fights the combat and the upgrades that you mentioned Yes Without taking anything away from Haven you know sometimes you play a game and you think this is a great concept for a second game This is that second game you know Absolutely So controls wise it's
• 06:30 - 07:00 reasonably straightforward You can bring the board out whenever you want Tricks in the air take a little getting used to but they are again familiar if you've played classic snowboarding titles where you kind of hold the button down release to do the jump and then introduce other movements of things like the analog stick for tricks and stuff like that One other element is that you will gain new abilities So at the beginning of the game you can't actually move across water and you'll unlock the power to be able to do that later And this progresses into the rest of the game as you unlock new skills and abilities So
• 07:00 - 07:30 onto visuals and performance And for me this is one of the most surprising aspects because I can actually say the game looks to be running at near native resolution and at a relatively stable 30 frames pers Yeah in terms of its visual style it goes for almost like a I don't know like a desolate planet at times but it does have some lush areas to it too You mentioned June earlier and it definitely gave me a feeling of that in some places Yeah it's got those kind of
• 07:30 - 08:00 undulating Junes in the distance You will use those for your tricks as well Absolutely And the the enemies as well It it does remind me We've mentioned Zelda a couple of times The enemies really do have a Zelda feel to them You know the ones you find around the campfire and Breath of the Wild They look like those You know it's got that for sure As mentioned there's a real musical theme to the title that uses an 80s synthwave soundtrack that at times can feel a little like Bladeunner can't it yeah Yeah I definitely got like a Vanelis vibe from from certain parts of
• 08:00 - 08:30 it [Music] But then there were other parts whereas I know it described itself as ' 80s inspired that felt very early 2000s certainly when you were on your board So there's a nice mix you know Yeah there is there's there is a blend It's like early 2000s there's late '9s rock There's that feel to it when you're getting on the board and it does try and kind of hype you up with those musical moments It does a good job of it as well
• 08:30 - 09:00 You also might be surprised by the amount of more quiet areas there are Yeah And sound as well as uh ambience and atmosphere It also serves a big part of the combat in terms of your guitar that we mentioned is kind of your primary weapon There will be environmental audio cues and your attacks are almost musical based I mentioned it briefly when we spoke about the boss battles Moving on to value Star Overdrive will retail on the eShop at £3149 or your regional equivalent It's a
• 09:00 - 09:30 2.9 GB download but as mentioned it does have a demo You can check that out There's a link down in the description there but it also has a physical standard physical available on the likes of Amazon that's around 35 quid or your regional equivalent So that's it Although we're at the tail end of the Switch 1's life cycle we are still getting some decent games coming out and this is one worth talking about Yeah it's also nice that there's a demo available and it's a sizable demo It really does allow you to get a good feel
• 09:30 - 10:00 for the game So I I do encourage anyone to give that a try and as Mark mentioned there are links in the description and the top pin comment if you want to uh to pick the game up and show the dev team and the publishers that Switch Up are someone that's worth sponsoring Indeed Thank you to our patrons and our channel members for your continued support and to each and every one of you for watching our videos Take care and until next time happy gaming [Music]
• 10:00 - 10:30 [Music]