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Starflight

Sega Genesis

Sega Genesis

A long time ago, a great empire comprised of Humans, Velox, Thrynn and Elowan ruled the stars. The Empire's currency was an energy source called Endurium. But something happened and this empire is no more. Furthermore, the small colony world named Arth has forgotten this heritage and technology. ...

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Developer
BlueSky Software

Released on
1991

Size
1 Player

Version
Sega Genesis

Requirements
Sega Genesis

Downloads
Role-Playing

Publisher
Electronic Arts

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

A long time ago, a great empire comprised of Humans, Velox, Thrynn and Elowan ruled the stars. The Empire’s currency was an energy source called Endurium. But something happened and this empire is no more. Furthermore, the small colony world named Arth has forgotten this heritage and technology. A thousand years have since passed and the people of Arth have rediscovered archaeological evidence of their empire. Using these discoveries, they create spaceships and form the Interstel corporation to govern the fleet. It’s time to take the first steps back into space… but could it be the same enemy that destroyed the Empire still exists?

Starflight is a space exploration game with role-playing elements. The game is completely non-linear, allowing the player to venture to any star system and explore any of the vast amount of available planets. The main plot is advanced by following cryptic clues either received as transmissions at the initial spaceport, or obtained as a result of successful communication with various alien races populating the universe.

Starflight

Overview & History

Originally conceptualized by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1986, Starflight made a monumental leap to the Sega Genesis in 1991, courtesy of Sega. This sci-fi epic places players in the role of captain, tasked with saving their dying homeworld, Arth. As the starport commander of the provisional vessel, you must recruit a specialized crew, mine volatile minerals for terraforming capital, and unravel an ancient interstellar mystery involving the mechanical Old Empire and a parasitic threat known as the Spemin and The Scourge. Unlike its sprawling PC predecessor, the Genesis port streamlined the interface and enhanced the audiovisual presentation, creating a tighter, more atmospheric space-opera experience.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Starflight is a genre-defining hybrid of RPG progression, space simulation, and economic resource management. Players pilot their customized starship through a fully-rendered, procedurally generated galaxy comprising 270 star systems and over 800 explorable planets. Gameplay revolves around mining mineral deposits on alien terrain using the Exoscarab lander, engaging in real-time tactical ship-to-ship combat, and decoding alien linguistics to forge diplomatic alliances. Crew members gain experience in navigation, science, engineering, and medicine, directly impacting your vessel's efficiency. Managing fuel, stasis pods, and cargo capacity is crucial for survival as you traverse hostile sectors and unearth ancient monoliths.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Navigate menus, steer the ship, and drive the Exoscarab lander
Action Keys: Select options, fire ship weapons, and execute lander mining drills
Enter: Start / Pause and access the ship's main computer console