- Speedrun-centric design… Emphasizes precision control via flight path system
- Composed of 5 worlds and 100 levels, covering everything from beginners to hardcore.
Smash Attack Aus, an indie studio based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, and the U.S. publishing platform indie.io announced that the sci-fi drone 2D platformer ‘Nullstar: Solus’ will be released simultaneously on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on April 16.
The game is a sci-fi 2D precision platformer where you control a drone to explore a collapsed megastructure. Designed around precise flight controls and speedrun elements, it offers the fun of replay challenges and record-breaking competition through 100 levels and an online leaderboard.
A drone pilot’s desperate struggle unfolds in a dying megastructure
The game is set in the distant future. Humanity discovers the existence of an unstable, infinite energy source called ‘Nullstar’. This mysterious energy can power an entire planet, but it is also a ticking time bomb capable of destroying the world if it reaches a critical point.
To this end, megacorporations hire archivist teams to search for traces of the lost world and collect valuable Nullstar fragments. Players take on the role of a scavenger drone pilot dispatched to the orbit of a damaged megastructure, tasked with recovering the treasure buried within.
Precision control is key… High-speed gameplay perfected by the flight path system
The game is a precision platformer where you race through underground spaces and passages submerged in oblivion, avoiding mechanical and organic hazards.
The drone can move in all directions, and mastering the ‘Flight Path System,’ which involves selectively turning thrusters on and off to maintain maximum speed or drifting around seemingly impossible corners using air brakes, is key to breaking records.
You can also compete for records with players around the world through online leaderboards, and as your skills improve, flight logs are deciphered, and stories about the world and characters are gradually revealed.
5 Worlds, 100 Levels… A Structure That Starts Easy and Deeply Reaches Out
The game consists of 5 game worlds and 100 levels, set against the backdrop of the ruins of an ancient civilization encroached upon by nature, featuring increasingly higher difficulty and new dangers.
Each level is designed to be short and condensed to encourage repeated challenges, and allows for different play styles depending on various path choices and control methods. While accessible to beginners, its structure requires proficiency to appeal to hardcore users as well. Additionally, a Challenge Mode consisting of higher difficulty and darker levels is provided, along with content for players seeking an in-depth challenge.
A passion project by a 10-member indie team that started in mid-2024
Smash Attack Studios is a Tasmania-based game development, esports, and content production studio led by Dean Baron, which has grown based on the experience from its predecessors, ‘ShapeVS’ and ‘Broken Roads’.
When development of Nullstar: Solus began in June 2024, it was a project intended to reclaim Baron’s personal development goals, but it later evolved into a team project with the addition of about 10 talented developers from around the world, including Art Director Ryan, the art team, programmers, narrative specialists, level designers, and audio specialist Alec Shea.
Baron stated, “The art was the biggest challenge,” adding, “The game garnered attention thanks to the art team.” Regarding the game’s structure that combines single-player gameplay with online leaderboards, he explained, “It was designed from the start with levels that can be completed quickly and focused on speedruns.”
Nullstar: Solus Related Information
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Smash Attack Aus (Smash Attack Aus, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) |
| Publisher | Indie.io (indie.io, USA) |
| Genre | SF Drone 2D Precision Platformer |
| Release platform | PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Release date | April 16, 2026 |
| price | $9.99 |
| Level number | 100 (5 worlds) |
| core system | Flight path system, speedrun, online leaderboard |
| Play Mode | Single player |
| Steam Page | https://store.steampowered.com/app/3094210 |
