Bitter Sweet
Starbites is a JRPG adventure game that on the surface does look like much, it’s PS2 style graphics and turn based gameplay is the most visible aspect but underneath it is a charming adventure through a post-apocalyptic world.
Taking place on the planet bitter the hero of the story Lukida who is in a constant state of debt due to misfortune. The planet itself is full of ruin and everyone is a survivor trying to survive in the world, Lukida is just but one who after a lot of saving and luck gets a ticket to escape the planet only to get ambushed shortly after and getting into more debt as grace for saving her. Gwendoll and Badger her two friends who aid her in her adventure early on in order for revenge which then turns into a big JRPG adventure as it goes.
The games most noticeable aspect visually as previously mentioned is the PS2 style graphics of the game, objects that are supposed to be circle appear as an almost hexagon while wires have edged corners, however it still has a newish look about it and looks fresh. The planet known as Bitter is one of ruin and everyone is trying to survive, every character has a personality that is a result of the world they live in and has an atmosphere that is believable. Traversing the world of Bitter takes place by following a map and moving between areas, the maps are deep enough for some light exploration where you can find items and explore and grind enemies if you wish, I only wish there was more variety with the landscape as everything looks so Barren and Desert like, and it is simple a case of moving between areas, there are no puzzles or obstacles to overcome in Starbites.
Starbites has a slow building start, you learn the main character Lukida and her struggles and as the story progresses each character develops in the game also showing their own struggles, all this is told in a meaningful adventure.
Starbites is a turn based JRPG where each of your characters fight in mech suits against other mechanical monstrosities. Combat is actually a really simple affair to the point where it is nothing new and it is simply picking what each character will do for battles to play out. As you fight you will automatically exploit enemy weaknesses with enemies showing their weaknesses to certain affinities once damage has been dealt. The Drivers High system acts as a powerful move set boost that can happen and is charged by acting out in battle or being attacked by foes so will charge naturally on its own, once full you can immediately perform an upgraded attack from the characters skillset with additional boosts or features, its simple enough and can help turn the tide of battle but it is not something we haven’t seen before.
When characters level up, they earn Talent Points to spend across a three-branch skill tree, boosting baseline attributes or combat abilities. Rather than manually unlocking new skills, characters learn them automatically at set level milestones.
Customization primarily revolves around your characters Mech Suits better known as Motorbots, which feature four gear slots: one dedicated to a weapon and three reserved for armour. This gear strictly enhances stats without offering any special perks. For gameplay-altering passive traits, you look to the Motorbots engine and cores instead. While the engine delivers foundational stat modifiers, you can equip up to three cores to gain passive or reactive behaviors—like triggering a counterattack or receiving a temporary boost when a fight kicks off.
Ultimately, the progression system mirrors the game’s combat: it isn’t incredibly deep, but it has just enough complexity to remain engaging and make interacting with its mechanics feel rewarding.
The game has a generally good overall soundtrack and sound design and the games voice actors do a good job of letting each character shine.
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.
A PlayStation 5 Review Code was provided by NIS America. This article is featured on OpenCritic
