Star Overdrive Review (Switch)

In much the same way that modern society pines for the flying cars they have always been promised, the modern gamer yearns for hoverboards in their open-world adventures… or they should - because it’s a lot of fun. Last year’s Gori: Cuddly Carnage featured a floating board as both transport and weapon, and now Caracal Games' Star Overdrive uses one as your main method of traversal in a vast alien landscape. It’s an engaging, often exhilarating way to zip around, and the key element that sets this title apart from its most obvious influences.

Responding to a distress signal from his fellow researcher NOUS, BIOS crashes on the planet Cebete. Discovering a series of mining outposts and encountering hostile fauna, he sets out to find his companion, armed with a deadly Keytar and a swift grav-board. Kicked off by an intriguing opening sequence aboard BIOS' ship, the story is pieced together across scavenged log tapes. This is the kind of emergent narrative that keeps a lot from you, making plot progression part of the reward.

Getting the obvious comparison out of the way early, Star Overdrive follows the blueprint established by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. It features a massive open world that favours blind exploration over hand-holding, puzzle chambers that grant upgrades, a cel-shaded aesthetic, and environment-manipulating powers. There are even huge towers that reveal more of the map when you climb them.

Caracal comes uncomfortably close to being derivative with the design of its adventure. Fortunately, energetic musical motifs and an emphasis on grav-board exploration go a long way toward distinguishing this game from mere facsimile.

BIOS is free to roam the pastel coloured biomes of Cebete from the start. Able to jump on and off his board at will, he can use the topography of the landscape to boost jump and perform tricks to fill further bursts of speed. The fluidity of flipping through the air feels fantastic, evoking memories of classics like 1080 Snowboarding and SSX. The Switch handles the speed of this mechanic well; a fully upgraded board will rocket you across the map and the visuals remain stable throughout.

When you hop off your board, it will be to solve puzzles, fight hostile aliens, and hoover up resources. The game’s main weapon is the Keytar, which as the name implies, is a musical instrument and you hit things with it. While it lacks any sense of impact, the wonderful bass hum of its swing is satisfying. Normal enemies are the usual selection of ground and air types, some firing projectiles, others emitting elemental hazards.

Your board comes into play again here, you can easily avoid attacks or close distance on enemies by hopping on and launching a Keytar attack from it. Larger boss enemies form set-piece fights that feel suitably epic. Your first encounter with a gigantic sand worm has you surfing behind it like the Lisan al Gaib.

The customisation system is all about combining the bio-organic materials you've collected into various parts that enhance your board’s core stats. You can also personalise the board’s appearance by applying dyes, which not only add style but periodically wash away dirt to maintain optimal performance. Fashion with a purpose.

For puzzle-solving, BIOS unlocks several environment-manipulating abilities that fundamentally change how combat and exploration work. While these tools don’t quite reach the endless possibilities of Link’s powers in Tears of the Kingdom, it’s impressive to see such experimentation in a game with a modest production size. These versatile abilities are linked to your Keytar, blending gameplay and music in a uniquely engaging way.

The Keytar not only empowers your movements but also enriches the game’s intoxicating soundscape, adding a suite of chords that harmonise with the ambient synth score. The combination of your weapon sounds, board movements, and the lush soundtrack creates a captivating audio experience.

Additionally, you can pick up cassette tapes (remember those?) throughout — complete with QR codes — that unlock original rock tracks, allowing you to enjoy the music both in and out of the adventure.

Star Overdrive is a game caught between its inspirations and its own innovations, though. While it clearly draws from established titles, its world feels too slight to stand alongside them. It's impressive to see such an expansive open world created by a small team of devs, but there isn't a lot to do in it. Enemy mobs and structures — both man-made and alien — are few and far between, making the planet feel too desolate at times. That said, there are moments of wonder and plenty for BIOS to discover on his journey.