The description of the game should have started with the last paragraph, because it describes (almost) fully what to expect from it. It IS text heavy (which is not a problem, though I was genuinely surprised how much text I've read through after reloading a save and using the "skip" option). The images it features are drawn nicely, but there are only so many (about seven characters + backgrounds). The story is interesting and brutal, if a bit short (2-3 hours worth). For all those, the game could still have been good. Unfortunately, it is let down by the number and weight of choices the player is allowed to make. I haven't counted, but I would be very surprised it there were more than 20 screens in the game which asked for user input. Not only that, these choices mostly have no consequence, and only affect the next few lines of dialogue. In the end, there are no branches in the storyline (apart from the last choice) and players are unable to influence how the story unfolds in any meaningful fashion. In other words: "visual novel" here doesn't mean a "Choose Your Own Adventure" / "Fighting Fantary"-style experience. Instead, it is as if players could choose between two versions of the very first paragraph of each chapter in a novel. Which does not a good game make.
It has no story, and only four levels. The graphics are hideous: the sprites are huge and seem completely out of place. The controls seem fine, but don't save the game. Just compare it with Tyrian, which has beautiful, lush graphics and a wonderfully witty story with satirical jabs at media or the corporate world. And it came out one and a half years before Stargunner. Not to mention it is also free (just look up OpenTyrian in Google or here on GoG). Heck, even Wing Commander IV predates Stargunner by nine months! There's just no excuse for this game.
(Disclaimer: I played the original, not the version here.) This game had great promise, but unfortunately it did not quite fulfil it. The artwork is unique and very nice, in places beautiful. The 3D dungeons are very ugly in 2016 (or indeed 2 years after the game came out), but have a certain charm to them. The problem lies elsewhere. First, the story starts out great, but soon becomes very scarce. Also, there is this sense of urgency, but there is no timer in the game. Which is good on one side, namely, one can explore the world; on the other, it completely takes the tension out of the game. On second thought though, so far so good, because the game's timekeeping is bugged: while the party can traverse great distances on the world map in an hour, inside buildings it is hardly enough to walk down a corridor. :) The rule system could have been improved as well. Skills / abilities don't seem to improve much, however many skill points are thrown at them, and mana is painfully scarce, forcing one to run out of some dungeons every half a level or so. All in all, it feels as if the game was released too early. It wouldn't have taken much to make it actually good. On the plus side: I don't know how GOG packaged the game, but the original definitely works under DosBox, so Mac/Linux users can play it as well.
