Starflight

This article is about the video game. For travel between stars, see Interstellar travel. For other uses, see Starflight (disambiguation).

Starflight
North American box art
Developer(s)Binary Systems
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Greg Johnson
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Genesis, Macintosh
ReleaseIBM PC
August 15, 1986[1]
Amiga, C64
1989
Atari ST, Macintosh
1990
Genesis
May 15, 1991[2]
Genre(s)Space trading and combat simulator, role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Starflight is a space exploration, combat, and trading role-playing video game created by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1986. Originally developed for IBM PC compatibles, it was later ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh, and Commodore 64. A fully revamped version of the game was released for the Sega Genesis in 1991.

Set in the year 4620, the game puts players in the role of a starship captain sent to explore the galaxy. There is no set path, allowing players to switch freely between mining, ship-to-ship combat, and alien diplomacy.[3] The broader plot of the game emerges slowly, as the player discovers that an ancient race of beings is causing stars to flare and destroy all living creatures.

The game has been widely praised by both contemporary and modern critics, and is one of the earliest instances of a sandbox game. It led to the development of a sequel, Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, and influenced the design of numerous other games for decades after its release.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ign was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ign-sega was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Ackerman, Kyle (April 10, 2008). "Starflight: When Emergent Play Was Only a Floppy Away". Frictionless Insight. Retrieved July 7, 2012.