Featuring a magical-girl aesthetic, StarCrossed from indie developer Contigo Games has launched on PC & Mac to an overwhelmingly positive public reception for its one-of-a-kind arcade co-op gameplay, inclusive cast of characters and their story of working together to strengthen their bonds and defeat a looming evil that threatens the galaxy.
With as-of-date 100% positive reviews on the StarCrossed Steam store page, and numerous streamers on Twitch.tv and Microsoft’s Mixer streaming service playing the story mode to completion, the development team is overjoyed to see their focus on inclusivity and a new co-op style of play be so warmly received by players. StarCrossed will also be coming to consoles this March.
“We made it a goal of StarCrossed to create an inclusive Magical Girl story, which includes people of color, non-binary people, and body diversity,” said Francesca Carletto-Leon, the producer & narrative designer of StarCrossed. For the cast of characters, the voice cast behind them was recruited from a casting call that encouraged non-binary or gender fluid people to apply, with the eventual casting reinforcing the characters’ mix of gender identities. “We are designing fictional worlds of our own creation and they reflect on our values, especially inclusivity. We made it a point of StarCrossed early on because if you’re not being inclusive in your cast, characters and worldbuilding, you’re saying you don’t care about certain people and their stories. It’s been very reassuring to see the story and characters of our game be received so well by players.” Players may also recognize the voice of the renowned indie developer Nina Freeman as the voice of ‘The Weapon’ in StarCrossed.
Everything in StarCrossed, from the mechanics to the aesthetic, was designed around the themes of cooperation and togetherness. Unique to the game, players work together to guide and boost a special star which bounces between their chosen heroes as their means of damaging their foes as they traverse the Nova Galaxy. Cooperation is a must to succeed, and positive reception to this unique core gameplay mechanic has been exciting for the team. Gameplay designer & programmer Michael Flewd has worked extensively perfecting the mechanic, saying “As the person with the gameplay focus, watching people grasp the concept of the game, and improve while they play through the story mode has been validating. As has watching players lose at a challenge, but stay motivated and overcome it.”
StarCrossed was released for PC & Mac February 11th on both the Steam and Itch.io marketplaces, published by Whitethorn Digital, and will be releasing on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in March, with a release day to be announced soon. Contigo Games will also be demoing StarCrossed at PAX East at booth 24038 within the Indie Megabooth from February 27th through March 1st in Boston, Massachusetts.
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