| Star Overdrive | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Star Overdrive is a fast-paced, open-world adventure where you pull off stylish tricks while exploring an uncharted planet. Read on to know what the demo did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it's worth wishlisting.
Star Overdrive Plot
Embark on a high-speed hoverboard adventure in Star Overdrive! You play as Bios, a spiky-haired, silver-haired daredevil who finds himself stranded on the mysterious planet Cebete. Equipped with a versatile keytar and an advanced hoverboard, you'll race across diverse biomes, tackle thrilling challenges, and uncover the planet’s hidden secrets—all while following a distress signal in search of your beloved Nous.
Star Overdrive Gameplay
Gameplay Overview
Star Overdrive is an open-world adventure where you’ll blaze across an alien planet on your hoverboard, uncovering secrets and battling relentless enemies in fast-paced melee combat. Unlock a variety of skills and abilities to tackle challenges your way, solve puzzles, and gather resources to customize your hoverboard—tweaking speed, steering, gravity, and more to fit your style.
Pull off epic tricks, experiment with powerful ability combinations, and explore three vast biomes, each with its own unique landscapes and mysteries waiting to be discovered.
Star Overdrive Release Date and Time
Releases April 10, 2025 for Switch
Star Overdrive is set to launch on the Nintendo Switch on April 10, 2025, and is available for pre-order now for $34.99. Switch players can expect a midnight local time release, following the usual launch pattern for Nintendo titles.
As for the Steam version, its release date remains unconfirmed, with the store listing still marked as Coming Soon.
We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as more details become available.
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 Steam |
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| $34.99 | Wishlist only | ||||
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Star Overdrive Review [Demo] | Tony Hawk's Pro Galactic Skater
A Surprisingly Interesting Story
I'll be honest—I didn’t expect much from Star Overdrive in terms of its story. I figured it would be a gameplay-first, rock-and-roll skater game that focused more on style than substance. But to my surprise, there's a surprising amount of depth woven into its narrative.
In many ways, Star Overdrive reminds me of Breath of the Wild—not just in its open-world design and aesthetic, but in its core premise. You’re thrown into an uncharted, monster-filled world on a journey to find someone dear to you—in this case, Nous. What sets it apart, though, is how it blends skateboard culture with fantasy in a way that feels fresh and exhilarating.
The game immediately pulls you in with its opening scene: Bios casually playing video games in space before receiving a distress signal from Nous, who is trapped on the planet Cebete. Her cryptic message—hinting that she and Bios are one
—adds an unexpected layer of mystery that makes you want to dive deeper.
Beyond that, the environmental storytelling is surprisingly rich. Cebete feels like a world with history, as if it was once thriving but has since fallen into ruin. There are remnants of life and technology scattered throughout, inviting players to piece together its past.
I went in expecting nothing more than a stylish hoverboard adventure, but now? I’m genuinely intrigued and eager to see where this story goes.
A Rocking Galactic Adventure!
I never would have expected a fusion of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Breath of the Wild to work so seamlessly, but Star Overdrive pulls it off effortlessly. The game wastes no time equipping you with its core essentials—your keytar, which doubles as a sword, and your hoverboard, which is the heart and soul of the experience.
Exploring Cebete is an absolute thrill. The planet feels like a massive, intergalactic skate park, with every inch of its design seemingly crafted to maximize the joy of hoverboarding. Given how vast the world is, walking anywhere would be a nightmare—but thankfully, hoverboarding is not only the primary mode of travel, it’s an absolute blast.
The controls strike a perfect balance between accessibility and depth. Simply pressing the R button gets you moving, but there’s a satisfying learning curve to mastering tricks, boost jumps, and mid-air stunts. Holding the B button for a charged jump adds a layer of momentum-based traversal that feels inc
redible to pull off. I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible, but even in my short time with the game, the sheer speed and freedom of movement have been exhilarating.
Exploration is equally rewarding. Hidden throughout Cebete are treasures, crafting materials, and upgrades that let you tweak both your hoverboard and your character. The customization options are surprisingly deep—you can modify your board to fire homing missiles or even turn your keytar into a lightsaber.
The sheer variety of upgrades and playstyles keeps things fresh, and I can’t wait to see what other creative mechanics the game has in store.
Combat is Fun but a Bit Too Easy and Simple
Combat in Star Overdrive has its moments, but it takes a while to really click. Early on, you’re limited to just your keytar, and to be honest, it feels underwhelming. With no lock-on and a reliance on basic button-mashing and dodging, the combat starts off feeling clunky and unrefined.
Thankfully, things improve as you unlock upgrades, allowing you to customize weapons and gear to unleash more creative and satisfying attacks. Some encounters stand out—like a massive worm boss that forces you to stay in constant motion to avoid getting devoured—but for the most part, the enemies themselves aren’t particularly engaging to fight or look at.
One of the biggest issues is how overly simple combat feels. There’s a counterattack mechanic that pops up as a prompt, which takes away the challenge of reading enemy movements.
A freeform counter system—where players have to learn timing themselves, similar to Breath of the Wild—would make fights much more rewarding. On top of that, the enemy AI can be inconsistent, with some foes barely reacting or attacking at all.
Hopefully, future updates refine these mechanics, because with a bit more depth and polish, combat could be just as thrilling as the game’s movement and exploration.
Definitely Worth Wishlisting
From what I’ve experienced in the demo, Star Overdrive is a breath of fresh air—a wild, high-speed fusion of skating and sci-fi that feels both unique and exhilarating. It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly standout skater game, and this one brings a creative twist that makes it well worth wishlisting.
Sure, there are a few rough edges, but the sheer fun of hoverboarding through a vast alien world, pulling off tricks, and uncovering its mysteries far outweighs any minor gripes. If the full game delivers on its potential, this could be something truly special.
Game8 Reviews
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Star Overdrive Product Information
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| Title | Star Overdrive |
|---|---|
| Release Date | April 10 2025 (Switch) TBA (PC) |
| Developer | Caracal Games Studio |
| Publisher | Dear Villagers |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Number of Players | Single Player |
| ESRB Rating | PEGI 12 |
| Official Website | Caracal Games Studio Official Website |
