STARBITES Reviews
NIS America's new RPG Starbites is the debut of their partnership with Korean developer IKINAGAMES and a take on sci-fi adventures.
With its lighthearted tone, entertaining characters, and charmingly overzealous commitment to world-building, it feels almost mean-spirited to criticise Starbites - like telling a kid full of starry-eyed passion that they're just not good enough to make the sports team.However, to look past the game's glaring technical flaws would require you to avert your eyes from the screen entirely, and we all know that's not how games are played. Even if you can push past the myriad shortcomings of this shoddy Switch port, you'll be left with a middle-of-the-road RPG with an undercooked narrative and simplistic gameplay systems that strive for adequacy and little else.
Starbites is that JRPG that stays true to its promise, delivering exactly what is on the tin. Its turn-based gameplay borrows some formulas and mechanics from other JRPGs, which may feel uninspired to some fans but can be a novelty to others.
STARBITES is a very simple JRPG, but I think that’s one of the game’s strengths.
Narratively, Starbites is a breath of fresh air for RPG fans. It's well-paced and engaging from start to finish (albeit with some exploration redundancy), and the turn-based combat is well-implemented. On the Switch, however, the visuals are a polluted mess. If you're willing to wait for the delayed Switch 2 version, do.
While this turn-based RPG has some significant downfalls, developer Ikinagames punches above their weight as Starbites provides satisfying character building mechanics and a fun combat system making it a simple, yet solid RPG.
Starbites delivers tight, nostalgic tactical combat, but a thin story, and sometimes banal world hold this JRPG back.
STARBITES is a great homage to the game design of old. Great cozy grinding, customizing the mechas, and finding your favorite party members to build make it a time worth having. Though it can also feel dated to those who are looking for newer-designed games.
Starbites has the nostalgic heart of a long-lost PlayStation 2 classic. Play it, assemble the Heroic crew the right way, then relax and enjoy roaming through the world of Bitter. Lukida is doing good, give her a chance!
Starbites needed more time in the oven. Apart from the numerous technical and graphical shortcomings on the Nintendo Switch version, the writing could use some redrafting and editing to punch up the pacing. The RPG gameplay is on the simplistic side and rarely challenging to the point it becomes boring, but it's serviceable for younger gamers who crave a mecha JRPG fix.
When it wasn't the bugs and performance doing it, it was the repetitive, boring dungeons that nearly had me cast aside my controller. Sadly, Starbites neither aims high enough to get anywhere near the stars, nor does it have enough firepower to even breach the atmosphere. If you do somehow feel compelled to play it, leave the Switch version buried in the desert where it belongs.
STARBITES is a JRPG with a nostalgic charm and traditional gameplay systems that create a highly entertaining loop. However, it also features a story that fails to fully engage, rather lackluster technical aspects, and is released without a translation-a factor that significantly limits its accessibility to a large number of players.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
STARBITES may be generic in a lot of ways but there's no denying how charming its cast is and how well its many elements come together to formulate a rewarding battle system that gradually becomes more strategic as you progress. 🦾
Starbites is more than the sum of its part is an enjoyable RPG that should not be ignored. The turn-based fights are fun and dynamic, with great animations both in combat and in cutscenes. What genuinely lets down that entire experience is how painfully distracting the textures and graphical issues are. Without those, this would probably be a game I throw out in every I need an RPG to play conversation.
Starbites overall is a charming, short and sweet turn-based JRPG, if you are wanting something that is not going to break the bank but not break into a lot of your social hours then this may just be worth your time, the general PS2 aesthetic is really charming and makes you feel like your playing something from the early 2000s again. It does not have a lot of ground breaking features but its charming story and simple gameplay makes Starbites stand out on its own.
STARBITES, my lovely people, is an interesting little game. On one hand, we have a lovely reminder of how things were in happier, more beautiful days. On the other hand, we have some decisions and implementations that really leave something to be desired. Side A and side B, like everything in life.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
STARBITES has a fun gameplay loop, but it's not very innovative. The same can be said of its aesthetics and story, which leaves it somewhat mediocre when viewed from the outside. That said, it was a very fun experience. I had been looking for an engaging and fun RPG without great pretensions for some time, and it fulfilled exactly that function.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Starbites pairs charming writing and strong performances with a cozy, low‑pressure combat loop, making for a heartfelt RPG that asks little but starts slow.
STARBITES is a title that is exactly in the middle: a fun turn-based JRPG with an excellent combat system which however clashes with the low budget and not always refined nature of the experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
STARBITES is a terrific game with a lot of heart for fans of turn-based RPGs, anime-inspired adventures, and sci-fi realms after the end of the planet.