Ever since the release of Super Mario Maker in 2015, we’ve been secretly hoping that Nintendo would follow the same formula for every other franchise out there. So far, that wish has been unsuccessful (including some interesting Zelda Maker takes from Quest Master and Super Dungeon Maker), but it looks like another indie maker is rising to fill the Metroid Maker void.
Starlair is, according to its official Kickstarter description, a chance to “explore a massive universe filled with player-created Metroidvanias.” To our eye, it’s ‘Metroid Maker’.
This is the first project from developer Shooty Bazooky and it certainly looks like an ambitious project. You’ll be given the tools to create intricate Metroidvania worlds complete with environment customization options, different enemy types, and all the Samus-style upgrades you can think of. These creations then become a world of their own, which other players can encounter while exploring the galaxy – think No Man’s Sky, but created by the players.
Of course, the main draw is probably Metroidvania building, but Starlair is as much about exploring these worlds as it is about creating them. There’s an object-collecting story mode to keep things interesting early on, and you earn credits by completing each level that can be spent on ship upgrades or cosmetic player options.
Here are the gameplay details so far from Shooty Bazooky:
The universe is always expanding. This is also true in Starlair. Every time new planets are created (by players), the universe will expand. New ships will launch. The world is always growing.
But what is Starlair for? It’s a huge, endless adventure that’s almost entirely player-created. Each planet in the game is a world that a player has built. These are side-scrolling Metroidvanias that can take half an hour or a week to complete. As more people play, more worlds will appear and it can take a lifetime to complete them all.
You play as a bounty hunter. As the game opens, you’ve betrayed your employer by issuing a bounty which, in turn, kills said employer’s wife – for revenge. Accused of conspiracy with the ransom released, your former employer demands a life of servitude in exchange for what he lost.
You are tasked with tracking down mysterious objects hidden within “asylum planets”, which are the worlds you will create in Starlair. As you collect more artifacts, you’ll begin to learn what they are—and why your employer desperately wants them. But – at some point, as you collect more of them, someone else will approach you with another offer.
You can delve into the story – or just fly around the world playing in space. Depends from you. It’s not heavy-handed, and that’s intentional. Each world has a social area in the landing zone. Here you can chat with other players – share tips/secrets, or check the world leaderboard to see who has the fastest clearing time, most clearings, most monsters killed, top percentages, etc. .
As we mentioned, Starlair is currently open for support through Kickstarter, meaning it will only become a reality if it reaches its funding goal of £5531 BY July 19.
If it achieves that goal, the developer has stated that it intends to launch early access on Steam in “early fall” with a full release. 1.0 release from February 2025. You’ll be pleased to know that the Switch is included in the launch platform lineup (the developer has already released a video of it running on the hardware) as is, interestingly, the ‘Switch 2’, which the developer hopes will provide more power for improved resolution. All of this is pending Nintendo’s official announcement, of course.
What do you think of Starlair? Want to see it on Switch? Tell us in the comments.