70
Star★Vaders captivates with its artistic direction and respectful homage to Space Invaders. Its high difficulty and demanding tactical choices make it a niche but successful game. A title to keep an eye on, especially if future updates add new features and correct its few shortcomings.
80
Overall, I still enjoyed my time with StarVaders. I just wish the game wasn’t so punishing for those who want to experience the entirety of the adventure. As someone who managed to fully beat Slay the Spire, I expect difficulty in roguelike deckbuilders. But I also need it properly balanced. That said, if you enjoy tactical mayhem and need something fun to play, you’ll probably enjoy this adventure from Joystick Ventures.
tbd
StarVaders is an interesting and engaging take on deckbuilding roguelikes. I know we’ve been getting a lot of these recently, but this is a game that stands near the top of the genre and is a worthwhile addition to your library. [Highly Recommended]
8
A pretty amazing puzzle card rogue game! Very well balanced. Lots of characters to unlock. Lots of abilities, cards, upgrades to unlock. Lots of variety of enemies. Storyline is okay. Your old "kill the villain of the galaxy" theme. Every class is pretty unique in their mechanics of card usage (absolutely unlike any other rogue game that you might have played). The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because many enemies were pretty tedious (spawning lots more enemies, become immune, can kill only 1 at a time). But overall a great game!
9
For anyone with an interest in roguelike deck builders, StarVaders is easy to recommend. The ever-growing flood of similar titles can make it a bit of a slog to find something unique and exciting. The good news, StarVaders is one such title. Initially, it looks like a simple tactics / space-invaders inspired romp, the player using cards to move and attack in an effort to prevent the baddies from reaching the bottom. The core loop is simple and fun, easy to understand, and satisfying to execute. With time, the hidden depth of the game starts to shine through that will keep you coming back.
StarVaders
Released On:
Apr 30, 2025
Metascore
Generally Favorable
85
User score
Generally Favorable
8.1
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 19, 2025
95
StarVaders strikes a balance between accessibility and deep strategic layers. Whether you're a newcomer to the deckbuilding genre or a seasoned rogue strategist, there's something here for you. With tight mechanics, meaningful progression, and addictive replayability, StarVaders earns its place in the indie strategy spotlight.
May 8, 2025
95
The deceptively simple gameplay is dangerously addictive, and StarVaders bolts it to a bright, colourful exterior.
Apr 29, 2025
90
StarVaders is a wonderfully addicting game, one I didn’t expect to be a highlight of mine this month. The underlying mechanics present can make or break a run in a multitude of ways, the bosses are frenetic and can really pose a challenge, the runs don’t overstay their welcome, and it’s got the visuals and music to boot. This one gets a wholehearted recommendation from me.
Apr 29, 2025
85
Star Vaders is a wonderful deck builder that features clever combat, time powers, and a whole lot of build variety to experiment with.
May 8, 2025
82
People often say they wish they could unsee or unplay certain masterpieces so they could experience them again for the first time. While playing StarVaders, I felt the same rush of excitement I had when I first played Slay the Spire.
Apr 29, 2025
80
Nailing all the key aspects of what draws players into the genre, each hour or so run is fast and fun. Amazingly, the characters play wildly different, from zipping all over the board to blanketing it with bombs. While StarVaders is missing that rare chance of a single card or move that instantly becomes overpowered, the power curve is typically satisfying. The only thing holding things back are the frequent freezes and crashes, along with Steam Deck problems of buttons freezing. Thankfully, the save system is forgiving, so these are only minor annoyances.
Jul 6, 2025
70
Star★Vaders captivates with its artistic direction and respectful homage to Space Invaders. Its high difficulty and demanding tactical choices make it a niche but successful game. A title to keep an eye on, especially if future updates add new features and correct its few shortcomings.
User score
Generally Favorable
72% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
20% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
May 22, 2025
9
For anyone with an interest in roguelike deck builders, StarVaders is easy to recommend. The ever-growing flood of similar titles can make it a bit of a slog to find something unique and exciting. The good news, StarVaders is one such title. Initially, it looks like a simple tactics / space-invaders inspired romp, the player using cards to move and attack in an effort to prevent the baddies from reaching the bottom. The core loop is simple and fun, easy to understand, and satisfying to execute. With time, the hidden depth of the game starts to shine through that will keep you coming back.
Jun 14, 2025
8
A pretty amazing puzzle card rogue game! Very well balanced. Lots of characters to unlock. Lots of abilities, cards, upgrades to unlock. Lots of variety of enemies. Storyline is okay. Your old "kill the villain of the galaxy" theme. Every class is pretty unique in their mechanics of card usage (absolutely unlike any other rogue game that you might have played). The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because many enemies were pretty tedious (spawning lots more enemies, become immune, can kill only 1 at a time). But overall a great game!
SummaryA fusion of Slay the Spire, Into the Breach, and Space Invaders (?!), Star * Vaders is a thrilling turn-based strategy game in which you pilot a mecha armor to fight swarms of alien invaders in a rogue-lite campaign of grid-based tactical card battles. Zip around the skies and blow up the alien invaders with bombs and cards in the deep ... Read More
