Stellar Interface is one of the most underrated indie games from the last decade. Developed by ImaginationOverflow, a studio based on Portugal, this shoot ‘em up is full of surprises, some great ideas, satisfying gameplay and lots of humor.


Unlike traditional SHMUPS, Stellar Interface is a shooter with heavy random elements and a non-linear progression. The player only have one life to beat the game, or better put, to finish a run. I’m temped to say that this game is a roguelite, but it’s quite different from that genre, since there’s no meta-progression (you don’t get stronger between each playthrough) but there are some unlockables (new ships, power-ups, etc) that adds to the replay value. At the time of writing, I’m around 20 hours played and I’m still unlocking new stuff and seeing new levels.


After the first level (which is mostly always the same), you get to choose several other different levels, ranging from normal stages to special stages, shop points and boss levels. Apart from shops and bosses, the regular stages can be finished after a certain amount of time (indicated on the top right corner) and special stages require you to defeat a certain number of enemies to unlock more ships. You’ll spend most of your time on regular levels, and the amount of time you’ll need to finished them varies drastically, making Stellar Interface a game where you are always alert.


Master System was my first videogame. On that console, I got to play SHMUPS like R-Type, Astro-Warrior, Cloud Master, Fantasy Zone, etc. I never beat those games (even Fantasy Zone, which is on the easier side) and yet I can still finish many runs of Stellar Interface, so I can say that it’s an easy game in the shoot ‘em up genre. Until it isn’t. Some bosses are almost always a guarantee of defeat when you face them until you learn their pattern. But still, sometimes even after beating a certain boss a number of times, I get defeated when I’m feeling too confident with a great loadout. In the end, I feel the difficulty is just right.


You may be surprised, but you might own this game already, as it’s been part of several bundles in the past, so give it a try. This game brings a novel concept that I haven’t seen in any other shoot ‘em up, and it executes it well. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a worthy experience. I wish more people could play this game and get to know it, but with a name like that, I can understand why it got lost among other games. Seriously, “Stellar Interface” makes it look like a Windows Start Menu software or something like that. See you, space cowboy!

Stellar Interface is one of the most underrated indie games from the last decade. Developed by ImaginationOverflow, a studio based on Portugal, this shoot ‘em up is full of surprises, some great ideas, satisfying gameplay and lots of humor. [h1]It’s its own thing[/h1] Unlike traditional SHMUPS, Stellar Interface is a shooter with heavy random elements and a non-linear progression. The player only have one life to beat the game, or better put, to finish a run. I’m temped to say that this game is a roguelite, but it’s quite different from that genre, since there’s no meta-progression (you don’t get stronger between each playthrough) but there are some unlockables (new ships, power-ups, etc) that adds to the replay value. At the time of writing, I’m around 20 hours played and I’m still unlocking new stuff and seeing new levels. [h1]Time is on your side. Sort of[/h1] After the first level (which is mostly always the same), you get to choose several other different levels, ranging from normal stages to special stages, shop points and boss levels. Apart from shops and bosses, the regular stages can be finished after a certain amount of time (indicated on the top right corner) and special stages require you to defeat a certain number of enemies to unlock more ships. You’ll spend most of your time on regular levels, and the amount of time you’ll need to finished them varies drastically, making Stellar Interface a game where you are always alert. [h1]It’s not so hard. Until it isn’t[/h1] Master System was my first videogame. On that console, I got to play SHMUPS like R-Type, Astro-Warrior, Cloud Master, Fantasy Zone, etc. I never beat those games (even Fantasy Zone, which is on the easier side) and yet I can still finish many runs of Stellar Interface, so I can say that it’s an easy game in the shoot ‘em up genre. Until it isn’t. Some bosses are almost always a guarantee of defeat when you face them until you learn their pattern. But still, sometimes even after beating a certain boss a number of times, I get defeated when I’m feeling too confident with a great loadout. In the end, I feel the difficulty is just right. [h1]Give it a try[/h1] You may be surprised, but you might own this game already, as it’s been part of several bundles in the past, so give it a try. This game brings a novel concept that I haven’t seen in any other shoot ‘em up, and it executes it well. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a worthy experience. I wish more people could play this game and get to know it, but with a name like that, I can understand why it got lost among other games. Seriously, “Stellar Interface” makes it look like a Windows Start Menu software or something like that. See you, space cowboy!