Hyperstar Run

Hyperstar Run is designed by Scott Almes and published by Button Shy. It launched on Kickstarter on January 7, 2025, advertising as a solo only game for ages 8+ with a play time of 15 minutes.

In Hyperstar run, players enter a video game (a row of cards), trying to beat each level consecutively using four attempts/lives. To do so, players will need to utilize the video game buttons in both their hand and buttons they have gained from defeated levels. Along the way, players will encounter different abilities and combination button presses they can use to further their progress in the game.

Let's step into the review.

Quality - 8/10 - As with all Button Shy games that I have played, the 18 cards in the wallet-size game Hyperstar Run are good quality. This is another game that you don't have to worry about damaging by throwing in a pocket, bag, or anywhere else. It has the right level of durability for its size, and the cards are a great level of thickness as well.

Artwork - 7/10 - The art by Mary Buzanowa is both pleasing to the eye and adds to the ability to interact with the game's mechanics. The illustrated buttons, monsters, and video game feel of the cards add to the theme as you progress through the game. Overall, the art is simple in concept (reflecting the simplicity of the game), but fairly well designed.

Theme - 8/10 - I think the theme of Hyperstar Run is unique and engaging. I like the concept of pushing buttons on a video game controller to try to defeat enemies. This game does a good job of translating that concept to a card game in a way that makes sense, including buttons available in your hand, new buttons you can access as you progress through the game, and the opportunity for combination moves.

Learnability - 8/10 - This game was fairly easy to learn, though I did have to reread the manual a few times to make sure I was understanding the game mechanics properly. I do think some work can be put into how the instructions are delivered, adding clarity and an ease of reading to topics like the end of a round or card abilities.

Weight - 4/10 - I was a bit disappointed in how this game was balanced. After learning how to play, I could easily beat the game every time on expert mode with only half the allotted lives. I also did not find any reason to use the card abilities, as I was able to beat the game quite easily without them. There are a few things I think could be improved in this area, but I will get into that further under Mechanics below.

Engagement - 4/10 - While the theme and art of this game was engaging, I found the game play far too simple for my taste. I tend to prefer challenging games, and I know that there is value to simpler games for various settings and different people. However, this one did not seem like it would hit the mark for many.

Decisions - 3/10 - The decision making in this game was also very simple. In its most basic form, you are simply matching available icons with needed icons to progress through the game. Those are a simple one to one match up in many cases, without a great deal of options or variability. I could see this being slightly more interesting if you forced yourself to use as many abilities as you can, but since the abilities are optional in the game (to be used to help you progress), it didn't make any sense to use them when they weren't needed.

Mechanics - 3/10 - I was most disappointed in the mechanics of this game. I think a lot could be improved if the abilities were used in a different way (required or naturally embedded in the gameplay without the option to simply skip their use). I also would have appreciated less available lives or more complex cards. One example might be to use tiered levels of cards (maybe four cards of an easy level, four cards of a medium level, and four cards of a difficult level) that you could progress through while still maintaining a fairly random order of card placement. One other simple change that might improve gameplay would be to not allow the resetting of buttons (reusing the buttons from passed levels) once you progress to a new life/round. Lastly, over several plays, I never encountered the opportunity to form a combination with the buttons and cards available. There simply were not enough opportunities to be able to line up together as the cards were laid out on the table. Overall, I think this could have used a few more play tests from various individuals, and has good potential, but has missed the mark with its game mechanics.

Solo Play - 4/10 - Because of the poor game mechanics and low engagement levels described above, this game made for a poor solo play. Games only lasted 1-2 minutes, and were not very fun because of their simplicity and lack of available decisions. The game is designed to be solo only, and I agree that it is a great concept for solo play. If it is able to be flushed out further and gain a little bit of complexity, I think it would hit the mark quite well in this area.

Shared Play - N/A - Hyperstar Run is a solo only game.

Replay Value - 2/10 - Games are very similar from one to the next. There is not a great deal of variability in gameplay, in opportunities based on the way cards are drawn, or in decisions encountered. I played this game several times not because it was enjoyable to do so, but because I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything, that I was understanding the game correctly, and that my findings were accurate across many plays.

Hyperstar Run has such a cool concept for a game. It's a tough task to contain an entire game in 18 cards, but I have seen Button Shy do a much better job at this in other games. I think Hyperstar Run misses the mark, but has a lot of plausible opportunity to be reworked into something good. 

Overall Rating 2.6/5.0

Keep playing, friends.

(Disclosure: Button Shy provided me with a copy of Hyperstar Run in exchange for an unbiased review.)