- [Aug 19-26 China Showcase] Getting Wrecked? 3 Boss Survival Tips from Dev! - 21 August 2026
Hey everyone,I'm Yang, the "one-man army" behind STAR FIRE.Got some good news: STAR FIRE made it into the Steam China Showcase (Aug 19–26)!Now, real talk for anyone new here. This game is a fast-paced 2D bullet hell Boss Rush. You fight guardians. Yes, the screen fills up with bullets. Yes, one slip and you're back to the start.So before you get flattened into a pancake and rage-delete the demo, I put together three survival tricks. Learned every single one the hard way, by dying over and over during development. They actually work. I promise.💡 Dev's Survival Trio：👀 Tip 1: Watch for the tells.I just redid all the art in full HD. Not just to make catgirl Eira cuter (though that helps). More importantly, those tiny boss animations right before they attack? They're now crisp enough to read frame by frame. Spot the tell, find the gap. Even the craziest bullet storms have one.⚡ Tip 2: Stop…
- [Aug 8–9 | COMIDAY GAME SHOWCASE] Hardcore Boss Rush Demo at Chengdu Booth C-6! - 5 August 2026
Hey everyone!After holding back this massive surprise for so long (the complete 17-language story overhaul and HD character art redraw), I'm not just showing it off on your PC screens. This time, I’m setting up a booth to bring it offline and face your real-device test runs in person!That’s right! From August 8 to August 9, I’ll be bringing our brand-new Demo (v0.0035 build) to the Chengdu COMIDAY30 Anime and Game Showcase (CD30)! As a third-party hardcore event jointly hosted by Uneeon and ComiDay, this is an extremely influential doujin game festival in Southwest China. I am deeply honored (and a bit nervous!) to be part of it!But still... since we’ve come this far, let’s go all out! Whether you're coming to meet up in Chengdu or opening Steam from anywhere else in the world, I’ve got you covered:🗺 Offline Player Track: Welcome to 【Booth C-6】 to "Punish" Me! If you're in Chengdu or v…
- Honestly, I didn’t think I’d rewrite the story in 17 languages! | v0.0035 Update - 4 August 2026
Surprise! I really wanted to pull off something massive for you guys. ːsteamhappyːI've been quietly reading through all your comments. As a solo dev, pretending my game is flawless is just lying to myself. You made it clear: "The dialogue feels like sleepwalking, and the character art has its own 'blurry aesthetics'." So, instead of a lazy hotfix, I went all in with a huge overhaul. Demo v0.0035 is officially live. Come check out what I've been working on! 💬 1. 17-Language Story Overhaul: More Fun, Less GenericDialogue is the soul of this game, and I want everyone to enjoy it without barriers. I have completely restructured the texts across 17 languages. • Better Worldbuilding: I re-edited the dialogue flow for every character. It is not "machine-translated perfect," but it is much more natural, fun, and captures the quirky vibe of our game world! • Smoother Reading: No matter which la…
- Don't let the cozy art fool you. My game is live for Steam Next Fest! - 16 June 2026
Hi everyone, I’m Yang, the solo developer behind STAR FIRE. My game is officially participating in Steam Next Fest, and the Demo is ready for you right now. The Contrast: Cozy Art vs. Depressing Bullet Hell Don't let the soft, heartwarming visuals fool you. This is a game where "it looks cozy, but plays depressing." Beneath the cute exterior lies a punishing hardcore arena. Here is what you need to know before jumping in:• 3 DEMO LEVELS: Challenge 3 intense Astral guardians in this Next Fest Demo. Each guardian features intense, beautiful, and lethal bullet hell patterns. • PURE BOSS RUSH: No tedious grinding. No dragging mob fights. From the very first level, it is a pure showdown of skills.• TWO DIFFICULTY MODES: Ready for a chaotic showdown that tests the absolute limits of your reflexes? Choose Normal Mode (it is highly challenging!). Just want to enjoy the story, characters, and th…
- Star Fire Joins Bullet Fest: Play the Latest Version Now! - 8 June 2026
Hey everyone, I am Yang, the solo developer behind this game.I am incredibly excited to announce that my game has been officially selected for the Steam Bullet Fest! To welcome this amazing festival and to ensure both new players and long-time fans have the best possible experience, I have been working late to bring you the latest 0.0034 trial version.This update not only includes the hardcore features that the community has been asking for, but I also pushed through last-minute optimizations for control details right before the festival gates open!🌟 Bullet Fest Demo Highlights\ Control details and peripheral polishing:\ Added the ability to use the keyboard "Attack Key" to confirm selections and flip pages during dialogue scenes.\ Completely resolved a nasty bug where key rebind settings caused the interface display and functions to malfunction.\ Fixed a bug where controller prompts d…
- Demo Update 0.0033: Dev Listened! Quick Restart Added & Haunted Bugs Fixed! - 3 June 2026
Hey everyone, I am Yang, the solo developer behind this game.Thank you so much for all your recent feedback and suggestions! As a solo dev, every single piece of your feedback gives me the motivation to keep grinding away at the code. I have been working late to optimize the game based on the pain points you reported, especially for controller users and high-skill players. This update should make your experience much smoother!Here is the breakdown of what is new in this update:🌟 Community Requested Features\ Make it easier to try again:I added a "Restart" button directly inside the levels! This one is for all the hardcore players out there striving for those perfect, no-damage runs. Now you can instantly reset in one second without returning to the main menu. Good luck with your no-damage runs!\ Confirm menu choices with the attack button: You can now use your "Attack Button" to confir…
- [Devlog] 2D Hand-Drawn Boss Rush Game "Star Fire" May Recap by a 40yo Solo Dev - 28 May 2026
Hey! I am Yang，the solo developer behind Star Fire. As a 40-year-old former programmer, bringing this passion project to Steam has been an incredible journey. I am truly grateful to everyone who has playtested my free Demo and shared their thoughts over the past few months.May was a major milestone for my game. I participated in several online and offline events, and I would love to share these highlights with my community.Online Festivals Wrap-upMy participation in the Eastern Game Fest and my video campaigns on Bilibili have successfully concluded. Seeing my showcase videos reach tens of thousands of views was a massive boost of motivation for a solo creator like me.Puyuan Esports Festival by FireflyFrom May 16th to 31st, Star Fire was featured live at the Puyuan Esports Festival organized by Firefly. On the opening day, I had the honor of presenting the game live on stage and engagin…
- Demo Update 0.0030: No more "hitless" tourism in these 3 cozy zones！ - 14 May 2026
Hi everyone, I’m Yang, the solo developer behind this game.Thank you so much for playing the Demo. As a solo dev, every single piece of your feedback means the world to me.Based on your initial feedback highlighting the contrast between the "cozy hand-drawn art style and the hardcore difficulty," I’ve spent the last few nights fine-tuning the Demo. This patch focuses on balancing the three major biomes and giving the protagonist a more agile movement feel.Here are the patch notes for this update:1. Level Difficulty and Visual Polish I’ve re-drawn and polished several assets for the Grassland, Forest, and Beach biomes to enhance the overall visual atmosphere. Meanwhile, I’ve adjusted the stage difficulties to better accommodate players of different skill levels.Forest Stage (Casual Difficulty Decreased): The bullet hell pattern density has been lowered, allowing players who previously go…
- [Demo Update] 7 Key Iterations: I-Frame, Visuals, and more (v0.0022) - 5 May 2026
Hi everyone! I am Yang, the developer of Star Fire. Since the release of the demo, I have received a vast amount of valuable suggestions. As a solo developer who has spent 700 days on 100% hand-drawn art, I deeply appreciate and respect every player's experience.In response to the feedback regarding combat feedback and presentation details, I have completed the v0.0022 update which includes 7 core optimizations.※ Manual Update Note: Since the game is not yet released, if your Steam client does not trigger the update automatically, please go to the store page and manually click the Download Demo button to get the latest version.The specific contents of the v0.0022 update are as follows:1. Combat Balance and Feel (Core Updates)Difficulty Rebalancing: We noticed that some players found the initial experience quite challenging. In this update, we have extended the dash invincibility frames…
- [Eastern Game Fest] Star Fire Bullet Hell Boss Rush , Free Demo & Livestream！ - 28 April 2026
Hello everyone! My game Star Fire is now part of Eastern Game Fest！The event runs from April 27 to May 5, 10 AM PT, and is an online showcase for players around the world.Star Fire is a hand drawn bullet hell boss rush action game. You step into the role of cat eared girl Ayla and face off against twelve zodiac guardians in intense bullet battles. Dodge, find openings, defeat bosses, and listen to each guardian’s story.During Eastern Game Fest, we have two new things to share:A brand new PV (with gameplay footage) has been released: Watch NowDemo update: New character art and story dialogue added for a more complete experience. Download and try the demo now! Developer livestream: During the event, the game developer will host live streams to chat about development and gameplay tips. You are very welcome to watch!The demo lasts about 30 minutes and includes 3 stages. Every time you try t…
- [BGM Game Show] Star Fire Joins the Online Event：Latest Demo Available Now！ - 16 April 2026
Hello everyone!My game Star Fire is currently participating in the BGM Online Game Show (April 14 – April 20), a global online showcase for games.Star Fire is a hand-drawn bullet hell Boss Rush action game. You play as the cat-eared girl Ella, fighting against the twelve zodiac guardians in intense bullet hell duels – dodge, find openings, defeat bosses, and listen to each guardian's story.During the event, we have two new things to share:A brand new PV (with gameplay footage) has been released: Watch NowA demo update: new character portraits and story dialogue added, making the game experience more complete. Go download and try it!The demo is about 30 minutes long and includes 3 stages. Every time you try the demo or add Starshard to your wishlist, you are supporting Ella's search for "the brightest star".Thank you all!
- Major Demo Update: Main Story, Character Portraits & New PV Now Live! - 13 April 2026
Hello everyone,I’m YANG， the developer of Star Fire.Since the first release of the demo, I’ve received a ton of enthusiastic feedback and encouragement. Today, I’m very excited to announce that the Star Fire demo has just received a milestone major update!Here’s what’s new in this demo update:Main story dialoguesCharacter portraits (live2d/illustrations)Brand new promotional video (PV)I hope these additions will give you a better and more immersive experience!▶️ Brand New PV: A combat adventure of love and courage, fast-paced, satisfying, and full of heart!📖 Main Story Now Available : The story officially begins! Dive deeper into the world and interact with the bosses like never before.This update is a huge step forward toward the full release. Your playtests and every piece of feedback are what make this game better.I’ll keep listening to your thoughts and bring more content in future…
- Spring Renewal! A Journey of Warmth and Devotion Awaits You on the Store Page - 26 March 2026
Hello everyone. I’ve been updating my game Star Fire’s store page to present better content for you. The new store page is now fully updated and live in this spring season!About the World of the Star CompassThe Star Compass. A place that is not really a place. Every soul with unfinished wishes falls here.To find the one she lost, the cat‑eared girl Eira steps into the depths of the Star Compass, where she meets twelve guardians trapped by their own emotions…About the GameStar Fire is a hand‑drawn Boss Rush bullet hell action game. You control Eira and face off against the twelve guardians of the Star Compass in fast‑paced 1v1 battles. Dodge, jump, weave through bullet patterns, listen to their stories, and gather Emotional Stardust…Store Page Updates• A brand new game description that conveys the world and gameplay more clearly • Main character introduction: the cat‑eared girl Eira • St…
- Star Fire Demo Update 2! New art, smooth anime, fixes, score tweaks. Jump in! - 17 March 2026
Hey everyone! I'm YANG. A fresh demo update is live!Thanks for all the feedback so far. This update is packed with fixes and improvements based on what you've told us. Check it out:🖼️ What's New & Improved. New Game Capsule Art: Based on your feedback, I've updated the game's capsule artwork to better reflect the game's content and give it more visual impact.. Character Polish: I've given the character design a touch-up and smoothed out a lot of the animations.. Animation Improvements: Added physics based effects to make actions feel more dynamic and "juicy.". Button Navigation: You can now hit ESC or the East button on your controller to go back, which is much more intuitive.📌 Bug Fixes. Fixed the controller stick jitter bug.. Fixed the playtime calculation bug.. Fixed a bug in the scoring system.. Fixed a bug that caused the menu to occasionally become unresponsive or crash on close…
- Starfire in the press: Some coverage before and after the demo launch - 1 March 2026
Hi everyone, I am Yang.Around the time the demo launched on January 28, some media wrote about Starfire. I picked a few to share here.There are many more. I put together a full list at the end if you want to take a look.Thanks to every outlet that covered the game. And thanks to all of you who played and shared your thoughts. It means a lot.
- Starfire at SZCAF (2025) and other events before the demo: Photos and thoughts - 26 February 2026
Hi everyone, I'm Yang.On January 28, the free demo of Starfire went live on Steam. Before that, I brought it to three offline events. Today I want to share one of them: the 14th Shenzhen Comic & Animation Festival (SZCAF 2025).It was my first time sitting behind a booth at SZCAF, waiting for strangers to try my game.One after another, players sat down and played. They gave feedback about what felt good, what got them stuck, and how the art and animation could be better. One player later messaged me with pages of detailed notes.That feedback kept me going. It was the first time I felt like someone out there actually wanted this game to exist.Some photos from the eventShenzhen TV came by and interviewed some players. Got a few photos from that.By the way, Starfire also made it to an IGDA meetup in Malaysia recently. I wasn't there. Someone kindly brought a video to show. Couldn't spot it…
- Starfire Demo Update: Sharper Bullets, Clearer UI, Instant Wishlist! - 3 February 2026
Hello everyone!Thank you to everyone who has tried the demo and provided feedback! To improve your experience, I just released a small optimized update.This update focuses on adjustments for "combat fairness," "UI experience," and the much-anticipated "support method."✨ Main Update Content:\ Bullet Pattern Collision Timing Optimized I've adjusted the collision generation logic for some bullet patterns. Now, all bullets will only collide 0.3 seconds after becoming fully visible, giving you clearer and fairer reaction time.\ Multiple Display Issues Resolved I fixed occasional level selection misalignment and UI overlap issues in the map interface. Navigation is now clearer. I also optimized the post-failure screen, resolving an overly dark UI to ensure options are clear.\ One-Click Wishlist Addition You can now directly find the "Add to Steam Wishlist" button on the demo's main interface.…
- Play the Starfire Demo & Join the First Explorers! - 28 January 2026
Hello, everyone!We are thrilled to announce that the free playable demo for Starfire is now live on Steam! In just the first few hours, we've been amazed by the interest from players around the globe. A huge thank you to everyone who has already joined this early journey.In this demo, you will experience:A Basic Tutorial: Master the core controls of Eira, our black-and-white catgirl heroine.Three Full Boss Fights: Challenge distinct bosses, each inspired by a different constellation with unique attack patterns and bullet-hell styles.Two Difficulty Levels (based on valuable festival feedback):Simplified: Aimed at a smooth 20-minute clear for experiencing the core flow and feel.Normal: The original, tougher challenge, aiming for about 1 hour for skilled players.(We'll consider adjusting the Simplified mode for the full release if players find it too easy.)This demo is designed to let you…
- The ‘Starfire’ Demo is Now on Steam for Review! - 26 January 2026
Hello everyone! I'm YANG, the solo developer behind Starfire. After a year and eight months of full-time development, I'm excited to announce that the demo for my 2D hand-drawn side-scrolling Boss Rush game, Starfire, has been officially submitted to Steam for review!About Starfire: This project fuses the intense action of classic side-scrolling Boss Rush with a dreamy, hand-drawn anime art style. Here’s what awaits you:Pure Boss-Rush Action: Take on a series of uniquely designed bosses. Test your reflexes and strategy against complex bullet patterns and fast-paced combat.A Unique Hand-Drawn World: Every scene, character, and animation is crafted by my hand, creating a vibrant and personal fantasy universe.A Fully Solo Endeavor: I have created every part of this game alone ，coding, art, animation, VFX, and music， It has been a challenging and immensely rewarding journey.You can support…
