Wings of Bluestar

Wings of Bluestar is a hand-drawn space shoot’em up with eight stages. You steer a spaceship sideways through enemy formations, dodge bullet patterns and defeat huge mechanical bosses. The game was developed by Shinu Real Arts.

Alongside fast arcade runs, it features its own story about two pilots and an artificial intelligence that turns against humanity. Dialogue choices can influence the outcome.

Wings of Bluestar was released on PC on Oct 13, 2020. The console versions for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S followed on Jan 18, 2023. Eastasiasoft handled the console release.

On Xbox, a shared version with Smart Delivery is available. PlayStation offers the PS4 and PS5 versions together, each with its own native version.

Wings of Bluestar is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version is available on Steam. On Xbox, the game supports Smart Delivery and is optimized for Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation offers separate native PS4 and PS5 downloads.

The Switch version also runs on Switch 2 via compatibility. It is not a separate Switch 2 release.

The game combines classic horizontal shoot’em up action with dense bullet-hell phases. Your spaceship moves through constant enemy fire, collects weapon upgrades and uses different abilities to survive the eight stages.

Alongside traditional side-scrolling sections, there are also vertical camera movements. Precise controls, recognizing bullet patterns and timing your ship's weapons correctly are key.

Wings of Bluestar is a complete base game with eight stages, various modes and both pilots. The soundtrack is also available on Steam as separate additional content. The gameplay modes and unlocks are part of the main game, not separate expansions.

On Windows, Wings of Bluestar requires at least 4 GB RAM and a dual-core processor at 2 GHz. Steam lists Windows 10, a graphics card with 2 GB video memory, DirectX 9.0 and 1.2 GB of free storage.

For the recommended configuration, Shinu Real Arts lists a quad-core processor with at least 2 GHz, 6 GB RAM and 3 GB graphics memory.

Aya and Zarak offer two pilots with different ships to choose from. Aya's Bluestar focuses more on protection, with a shield and two rotating companion drones. Zarak flies the faster, more offensive Altair with a charged beam and satellites that fire in parallel.

The differences extend to the upgrade system and scoring. While the Bluestar gains strength mainly by collecting items, the Altair grows stronger through successful hits.

The story revolves around a once-allied artificial intelligence that becomes a threat to humanity. Young pilot Aya and veteran Zarak investigate the conflict and uncover their own past.

In Story mode, battles alternate with narrated scenes in the style of a visual novel. Under certain conditions, dialogue choices change the course of events and lead to different endings.

Across eight stages, you face different enemy waves and huge boss machines. The battles combine fast projectiles, changing attack patterns and moments when you need to find gaps in the enemy fire.

The goal is not just survival. Players who take more risks and respond to attacks deliberately can reach higher scores through the ship-specific scoring.

Wings of Bluestar offers Arcade, Story, Boss Rush and a Training mode. Arcade mode focuses on direct shootouts and points. Story links the stages with extra dialogue and choices.

Boss Rush pits you against several bosses one after another under time pressure, while Training mode lets you practice individual sequences. Further unlockable options and a gallery provide lasting goals.

Two people can play Wings of Bluestar together on the same device. On PC, local co-op uses a shared screen or Steam Shared/Split Screen. Nintendo and the console versions also support up to two players locally.

Standalone online co-op is not part of the described features. Online leaderboards are for comparing scores, not for shared online sessions.

On PC, Wings of Bluestar supports keyboard, gamepads and arcade sticks. Shinu Real Arts allows custom key bindings. This lets you play the arcade shooter with either classic arcade inputs or a controller.

The two ships require different techniques for shield and charged attacks. Training and several difficulty levels make it easier to learn the controls.

Points earned in the game can be spent on extra features and gallery content. These include concept art, extra continues for a run, further game modes and a sound test.

Unlocks reward repeated runs and add to the fight for high scores. On Steam there are also achievements and leaderboards.

Spaceships, locations, characters and effects are hand-drawn and animated in 2D. Shinu Real Arts opts for a high-resolution take on classic arcade shooters rather than pre-rendered 3D graphics.

The story is supplemented by hand-drawn character images. This visually sets the calm dialogue scenes apart from the fast battles.

Wings of Bluestar offers an English user interface on PC. According to Eastasiasoft, the console versions have English and Japanese on-screen text. A German text version is not among the listed languages.