Binarystar Infinity Review

Binarystar Infinity is set on stardate 2258.42, Talios, where the main moon of our solar system was destroyed by a mysterious mothership. The game puts players in the proverbial shoes of the best pilot of the Binarystar Space force as they’ll need to assess the threat and eliminate it.

Binarystar Infinity is a 2D horizontal shoot’em up, a.k.a. shmup, where players need to survive waves of enemies and their projectiles in order to reach the level’s boss where their skills will be put to the test. As with any game of the genre, players will be able to pick up a variety of power-ups for some additional firepower, especially beneficial against tougher enemies and bosses. You can also pick up permanent speed boosts allowing for quicker and more nimble movement.

What is interesting however is that the further you get in the game, the more power-ups are available. So for example, the laser makes its first appearance in the third level and will be become available for future levels. Power-ups are found by destroy floating diamond shaped items. You can also find orbs that will circle around you, up to three, and serve as shield-like device that will absorb enemy projectiles.

There’s a surprising depth in variety of power-ups. While there’s a more basic one where it simply adds additional projectiles, others will either be incredibly powered such as the laser or another type of projectile that will bounce around the screen, albeit does feels slightly less powerful than others. And the power-ups also stack, meaning if you find and pick up three lasers in a row, the projectile will get wider, destroying more in your path.

Given that this game is a one-hit death scenario, a staple in the shmup genre, along with power-ups, you can also pick up additional lives in order to have a chance to survive; especially against bosses. Aside from the orbs, when you die, you can pick up the power-ups you had when you exploded; which quite helpful especially against boss battles; where they feel like marathon rather than challenges.

The game takes a unique, simplistic visual approach to the genre. While most shmups will be a colorful mess (in a good way) on a black background, Binarystar Infinity has a limited color palette of black, white and red. Your ship, enemies and hazardous obstacles will have a white outlined on a black space backdrop where as enemy projectiles are blood-red, to make it standout from the minimalistic styling. The soundtrack is a darksynth score providing a brooding atmosphere. Definitely one of the best soundtrack I’ve heard this year.

While shmups are known for their difficulty, Binarystar Infinity is no different. This one lures players in with a false sense of security with the first two levels that are well balanced difficulty wise. Unfortunately, the game’s difficulty steps up drastically starting with level three with more hazards obstacles, trickier and more dangerous enemies. And because with everything that happens on screen, including the dropped pellets you collect for points, it’s easier to get killed out of nowhere. Additionally, before each boss fights, the screen flashes bright red; so much I have to actually close my eyes when it happens. I can only imagine what this could do to people susceptible to epilepsy.

Binarystar Infinity is a fun, albeit hard as nail shmup (which is usually the norm), that is sure to provide a solid challenge for fans of the genre. The diversity of power-ups, challenging bosses is up to par with some of the best of the genres. However, the abrupt spike difficulty will definitely turn off newcomers to the genre, whereas long time fans of the genre will want to master each and every level. Binarystar Infinity is a great addition to the genre, but be warned that it will make you pull your hair out.