Sophstar
Released Feb 2022
A vertical arcade shoot'em up with an inventive teleport system, lots of fast-blazing action and explosions, tons of boss fights, a risk/reward based score system and a proper challenge for both veteran and new players of the genre.
100% positive · 107 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $9.99
Can't confirm — worth a look
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Evaluation
Sophstar launched on February 18, 2022 as a complete arcade shoot'em up. Banana Bytes actively patched the game through its first year and a half, fixing bugs and adding quality-of-life features like Training Mode and visual filters.
After a long quiet period, the developer returned on June 17, 2026 with version 1.12 — described as arriving "after nearly 3 years." This update revamped Training Mode to allow section-by-section stage practice, added bullet outline options, player shot transparency controls, and background dimming settings, and migrated the project to the latest version of GameMaker. A small follow-up patch (1.12B) was released on June 18, 2026 to fix a crash in Stage 6 introduced by the engine migration.
The update carries no announcements of future content, no roadmap, and no language suggesting further updates are planned. The developer's note that "everything seems to be working correctly" and their characteristic sign-off ("We hope you enjoy this update and continue having fun with Sophstar!") reads as a self-contained release, not a prelude to more. There are no DLC listings, no unreleased content on the store, and no outstanding commitments of any kind. The 1.12B bugfix patch represents the final state of the game as of June 18, 2026.
Evidence
Version 1.12 released after nearly 3 years, adding revamped Training Mode, bullet outlines, shot transparency, and background dimming. No future content announced.
Hotfix 1.12B released to address a crash in Stage 6 caused by the GameMaker engine migration. No further content announced.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Banana Bytes
Achievements
32
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
Sub-Lieutenant Soph has lived in Galanian for her whole life, having no memory of when her existence started, and no idea of how she developed her teleporting powers. But after being sent for a recon mission, all of what she knows about herself is about to change.
Sophstar is a vertical arcade shoot'em up with heavy inspiration from the best games of the genre from the 90s, while adding new-exciting features and regular game modes for both casual home players and hardcore arcade fans.
Sophstar is a vertical arcade shoot'em up with heavy inspiration from the best games of the genre from the 90s, while adding new-exciting features and regular game modes for both casual home players and hardcore arcade fans.
- 9.5/10 Sophstar is essential and has everything to become a modern classic of the genre.(Jogos Mofados)
- An excellent game, designed by people who know what makes a fun shooter.(Shmup Junkie)
- It's not every day that we have a release as good as this. (shmupsBR)
- The sheer variety and depth elevates it to a must play (...) they have created the kind of indie game us old-school shooters fans want and deserve.(Shmup Junkie)
Features
- Proper arcade 240x320 resolution.
- 6 Different game modes.
- 8 Stages on Arcade/Story mode.
- 60 Stages on Cadet School mode.
- 9 ships to choose from, each one with different main weapon, subweapon and teleport. Pick the one that suits you style better or just go the extra mile and master all of them!
- Tons of unlockable features.
- 6 Difficulty levels
- Different endings depending upon player skills.
- More than 20 bosses/mid-bosses to fight.
- Smooth controls with "Focus Movement" which allows for pixel-perfect movement.
- Approachable score systems for both new and veteran shmup players.
- Full control support, supporting both digital DPads and Analogue Sticks (But allowing only 8 way constant speed movement).
- Vertical (Tate) screen mode for authentic arcade feeling.
- Innovative teleport system .
- Score Attack, Timed Challenge, Endless Mode and Ultimate Challenge are some of the modes that give you extra content and hours of gameplay.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Aug 17, 2026
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