Ludography
42/100
Players8 ratings
80/100
Critics1 review
More scores
GameFAQsTough
3.6/5
Player reviews
81% positive155 reviews
Runs on
Windows, Mac
Price
Free

Where to get it

Stargunner cover

1996 · WizardWorks Software · Arcade · Science

Stargunner

In the far distant future, an epic war for survival takes place...

Released
19 November 1996
Platforms
LinuxMS-DOSWindowsmacOS
Genres
ArcadeScienceShoot 'em upShooter
Developers
WizardWorks Software
Publishers
Apogee Software
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Country
Australia
Age ratings
USK 6
Languages
English
Time to beat
5hmain story6hcompletionist

About

Stargunner is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game published by Apogee Software in 1996 for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. Stargunner was released as freeware on June 22, 2005.

Players say

Media

Stargunner screenshot 1

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls a flying craft from a side-view perspective. Enemies can approach from in front, from behind, from below or from above. They can be either lone flyers or formation ships.

Many elements are similar to the 1994 Raptor: Call of the Shadows.

Story

The game has two separate storylines; those being the one described in the official manual included with the CD-ROM copy and the one on the 3D Realms/Apogee website and portrayed in the game itself.

The manual tells of the Barakians who entered Amdaran space in huge carrier ships with the notion of allying with the Amdarans. The peaceful people of Amdara helped the Barakians colonize a nearby planet after which the people of Barak revealed themselves to be a race out for blood and conquest. The Amdarans find themselves in a losing battle, their final hope are the titular Stargunners who are tasked with assaulting key Barak locations and fleets with the hope of crippling the enemy and turning the tide of the war.

Development

According to David Pevreal, Apogee had intended to develop an Amiga version of the game first and then port it to IBM PC compatibles, but those plans were scrapped and only the latter version was released.

The game was programmed in C++. The artwork was done on an Amiga using Deluxe Paint.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
MS-DOS19 November 1996Worldwide
Windows13 September 2013Worldwide
macOS13 September 2013Worldwide
Linux24 July 2014Worldwide

Editions and related releases

Included in
3D Realms Anthology

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.