Star Luster/Gameplay

Main Menu

 * : Press the Select button to choose between the Training, Command, and Adventure modes of play.
 * : Press Start to begin the selected play mode.

Combat Mode

 * : Pushing up causes the ship's nose to rise.
 * : Pushing down causes the ship's nose to lower.
 * : Pushing left causes the ship to pivot to the left.
 * : Pushing right causes the ship to pivot to the right.
 * : Press and hold the A button to accelerate your ship up to its maximum velocity. Release the A button to decelerate until your ship is standing still.
 * : Press the B button to discharge one of your beam guns. The beam will be directed towards the location of the crosshairs on your screen, which is always oriented in the direction of your ship's nose.
 * : Press Select to leave Combat mode and switch to Map mode. This will replace the long range scanner in your cockpit with the galactic map grid.  You will be unable to move your ship in its current sector of space until you return to Combat mode.
 * : Press Start to pause the game.

Map Mode

 * : Use the direction pad to direct the galactic map cursor to the location on the map that you wish to warp to.
 * : Press the A button to warp to whichever location is currently selected by the galactic map cursor. If there are enemies in the sector that you just arrived in, you will immediately return to Combat mode.
 * : Provided that you have a supply of photon shots remaining, press the B button to discharge a photon shot to whichever sector of the galactic map the cursor is presently in.
 * : Press Select to leave Map mode and return to Combat mode. You will regain flight control of your ship.
 * : Press Start to pause the game.

Combat Mode
Understanding the information provided to you by your control panel is essential for success in your mission to save the universe. There are four major components of the cockpit view that are highlighted in the image to the right. There are explained below.

Map Mode
To the right is a zoomed in view of the Galactic Map as it appears in the place of your LRS in the cockpit. The ability to read this map is necessary to make good judgments about which sectors of space should be made a priority. While in this mode, you use the direction pad to position the cursor in a sector of space that you wish to hyperspace to, and press A. You may also select a sector of space with the cursor, and fire long-range photon torpedoes at the enemy. The number of torpedoes (4, 6, or 8) required to defeat any enemy squadron depends on its strength (more on this is discussed in the Walkthrough). Your torpedo supply is indicated by the eight smaller squares located directly to the left and right of the Galactic Map. In addition to the symbols that you see on the map, the position of your ship will also be indicated in it's current sector. The key to the map is as follows:

Ship Damage
As mentioned before, each subsystem of the Gaia has two functions. Damage to each subsystem can disable one or both functions, resulting in decreased performance that must be overcome or repaired at a base. The following table discusses each function and what will occur if that functionality it lost.

Enemy squadrons
When you arrive in a sector that an enemy squadron occupies, you immediately enter Combat Mode. In order to clear the sector, you must defeat all 10 of the enemies' craft. Despite the differences between the various ships, there are some features common to all of them.
 * Squads possess three degrees of strength. The color of the squad indicates their strength. A blue squad is the weakest.  A gray squad possesses medium strength.  And a purple squad is the strongest.  The degree of strength determines how many shots are needed to defeat the craft, and how much damage their shots can do to the Gaia.
 * Only three ships will attack you at one time. As soon as you enter, three ships will engage you.  Whenever you destroy one ship, it will be replaced with one from just outside the visible range of your LRS.  When 7 ships are destroyed, the last enemy to arrive is typically the Deathraptor.
 * The enemy will only shoot at you when they are directly in front of you. As unrealistic as it might seem, enemies will never fire at your ship if they are above, below, in back of, or to either side of you. They must be, to some degree, in front of you before they will fire.  This way, you never have to dodge an enemy bullet that you never saw coming.
 * The enemy will usually attempt to line up with you. Because of the rule above, in order for them to fire at you, they must attempt to reach your field of vision.  So even if they start out above or below you, they will attempt to merge with the plane of space that your ship is currently in.  In other words, don't try too hard to seek the enemy out.  They will come find you.
 * Enemies use an approach and retreat pattern. Once an enemy has your position, they enter a particular flight pattern.  From behind you, they fly over and away from you, firing backwards, as long as they remain in your field of vision.  Once they escape the view cone on your LRS, they turn around and continue to approach you until they end up behind your ship, and repeat the pattern.
 * Enemy bullets are "attracted" to the front of your ship. The enemies do not fire straight shots. They fire bullets that continuously correct their velocity in order to hit the nose of your ship.  Therefore, you can easily confuse the bullets by changing your orientation frequently, forcing the bullets to over-correct themselves and fly past you.

Ragura
This is the weakest craft of the Battura fleet. They can be destroyed in one shot, regardless of strength. Once they appear in your view, get them in your crosshairs quickly and blast away. Don't wait around to see if they are destroyed. They are defeated so easily, you're better off moving on to the next enemy threat right away.

Aleph
The Aleph is the most common craft to find in each squadron. They are not the fastest, but they possess the most defense after the heavily armored Deathraptors. Except for the blue Alephs, more attention is required when fighting against Alephs since they are not as easily dispatched as Raguras. Keep them in your crosshairs for as long as possible and fire continuously. Watch out for shots fired from purple Alephs, as they can damage one of your subsystems.

Late
Late are, by far, the fastest moving craft in any squadron. Additionally, they are the second strongest offensively after Deathraptors. Fortunately, they aren't too common. Getting a Late in your crosshairs is a difficult endeavor. Your best bet is to chase after one with your thrusters while it is flying away from you and fire at it's back.

Deathraptor
The fearsome Deathraptors (which, not so ironically, looks like the Death Star) is the deadliest foe in the game. Fortunately, you never deal with more than one of them (with one exception in Adventure mode), and only after the majority of the squadron is defeated. They are the strongest offensively and defensively. The fact that they are slow is no help. That just means they will have greater opportunity to fire at you as you get closer to them, and their shots are entirely destructive. One shot from a purple Deathraptor will completely destroy the Gaia, ending the game immediately. Constant motion is highly advised when you attempt to take these on. Standing still is an invitation for annihilation.