StarFire Eternal Cycle, A Much-Needed Review!

There is the romantic idea that it is difficult to make a truly bad video game. That even the worst project, while dragging itself through endless iterations, testing sessions, and developmental survival struggles, will somewhere along the way absorb at least a little bit of the soul of its creators. And then a title like Star Fire: Eternal Cycle appears, and a person realizes that it is possible to see effort, energy, and at the same time… complete mental chaos. 

As if someone ran into the studio with a bucket of anime glitter, a screwdriver, and a script from three completely different video games. And that is roughly where our adventure begins.

Want to play something completely different? Check out our Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review!

The Unusual Genre Cocktail Behind Starfire Eternal Cycle

This is the debut child of the team Ethereal Fish Studio, which, for months before the Steam release, pushed players to wander through the demo, leave feedback, and occasionally complain about the problematic frame rate. If you are wondering what the premise of the game is, it is simple, but quite entertaining on paper. 

Here, the intention was to meaningfully combine the unpredictability of roguelite philosophy with the hard-hitting rhythm of classic beat ’em up games and pour everything over with anime fanservice style that shines so strongly that you start to think the damage to your eyesight you recently noticed definitely came from this game. In the en,d the result is a roguelite side-scrolling beat ’em up that is equally confused and charming, and at the same time uneven and incredibly fun.

The story is, of course, anything but modest. The year is 2149, and we have reached the seventh round of the Apocalypse. Obviously, the previous six were not enough for us, right? Planet Earth has been drilled through like an exaggerated Swiss cheese, and after the cracking of the Moon’s canyons from which swarms of insectoid and hungry aliens flew out, the human race had to move to a space station named Dawn Station. Under weakened energy shields, while somewhere beneath the Earth’s crust, the Hive is rippling, humanity in space must make a final decision. What this decision actually i,s we will probably NEVER find out because the game only pretends that it has a narrative. The introduction is completely fine, but after it everything definitely stops.

The Roguelite Backbone of Starfire Eternal Cycle

Star Fire: Eternal Cycle actually tells its story worse than the Souls games. Here, maybe a small piece of text awaits you, or some memory chip here and there, but everything feels as if these are discarded ideas from some other scenario. There is everything here from shock moments that announce an additional plot, and then, of course, disappointment, then biotechnological catastrophes, after that weapons assembled from body parts, and finally a boss who has a very inappropriate cannibalistic menu. Naturally, all of this that we listed passes by the main heroine like an unwanted bus while the desired one waits almost an hour for the 108 in London (yes, I have been hurt before). 

The result is an emotional collision of anime colorfulness and horror elements. As if you are watching Teletubbies while someone in the background plays Lovecraft on a gramophone. Although that is not far from the truth. When the narrative is this confused, the player does what every normal member of this population thinks should be done, and that is a general brawl. Fortunately, combat is what keeps this game alive. Star Fire is primarily a roguelite, which means that every run through the levels goes by a different path, you will encounter different palettes of enemies, and everything else that comes in such packages.

Upgrades and Core Currency

The system is simple: fast strikes, heavy strikes, dodge, specials, or elemental attacks. When you dive a little deeper into the mechanics, you begin to notice that there is an entire range of counters, combos, perks, and mini-builds that raise your blood pressure while synthwave pounds in the background. Do not worry, you will not go bare-handed, even though your fists are weapons in themselves. The arsenal is diverse. From axes and hammers all the way to flamethrowers. Every weapon has its own elements, its own combo trees, and its own weaknesses. You can upgrade them with various modules and change their mechanics. This is a real playground for players who love these kinds of things. And on top of that, roguelite, pure delight.

All of this works because the attacks, dodges, and specials are so attractive that the dopamine fix shakes you out of your pants. Even though the enemies are mostly soft as if they were made from paper and goodwill, the game attacks you with quantity rather than quality. In order to upgrade, you will use cores as currency. 

Visual Brilliance vs. Design Chaos in Starfire Eternal Cycle

At the end of every arena, you choose modules that shape your current run, but the balance there is very problematic. Bosses, despite their impressive visual identity, in an ordinary fight with only a slightly stronger build, deflate like an old balloon. Difficulty scaling sometimes looks as if it is a victim of heavy RNG rather than a strictly calculated progress curve. Meta progression is an even bigger punishment because it is brutally slow. Worse than in PayPass games and those similar to them. An incredibly large grind!

Visually the game looks excellent. Color palettes are bright and psychedelic, effects fly on all sides, and everything appears attractive. Worlds change quickly: lava, desert, space stations, and all of that look good until you notice that these environments have absolutely no stylistic connection with the story. The tone of the game jumps as if two different directors argued in the middle of development. Star Fire: Eternal Cycle is a title that has everything needed to be excellent, but creatively and narratively, it is “all over the place.” The story is chaotic, progression is exhausting, and all of that comes with visually inconsistent art in relation to the narrative. 

In Conclusion

What is good is the combat, the tempo, and the feeling that you are in the middle of animated chaos. This part knows how to produce an adrenaline rush and the desire to continue. Unfortunately, besides that bare desire, the other motivation for progression is buried by poor balance. This is definitely an experience that some will adore while others will curse it, and most will remember it by the famous inner question: “Man, what did I just play?”

StarFire Eternal Cycle is a game that could have been something truly special, but because of narrative dispersion, there is no thread that connects everything into a consistent piece. Only if you want to enjoy pure brawling will this game make sense; if you're looking for something more, feel free to find another, better–realized title.

Rating from the text:6/10

The game deserves 6.0/10 because the energetic combat and visual spectacle are undermined by chaotic storytelling, poor balance, and exhausting progression.

Recommended age group:15+

 I would recommend the game for ages 15 and above because it contains horror imagery, violent combat, and disturbing themes such as cannibalistic bosses that are unsuitable for younger children.

Gemini AI-style Summary:

Starfire Eternal Cycle is an ambitious but messy roguelite beat ’em up that dazzles with neon anime visuals and satisfying combat yet collapses under a confused narrative and punishing grind. Set in a bizarre 2149 apocalypse, the game throws players through randomly structured runs filled with flashy weapons, modular builds, and hordes of paper-thin enemies. 

While the moment-to-moment fighting delivers real adrenaline, inconsistent balance and disconnected storytelling leave the experience feeling like several games stitched together. It is entertaining chaos for action fans, but far from a polished classic.