Mobile platforms receive their fair share of criticism for their role in the less savoury practices prevalent in the industry today, but it would be rather ignorant to say that there aren’t games being released for mobile that push the boundaries of what a mobile game is. The Story of a Star by Mårten Jonsson is a great example of that fact.
It might not even be correct to call it a game at all—Jonsson himself seems to prefer the term ‘experience’. The Story of a Star allows you to experience and explore the life of a star from start to finish, discovering stories from around the galaxy as you go. You might bear witness to the creation of life, or intergalactic war, or perhaps you’ll simply want to spend your time basking in the beauty of the cosmos.
With the mobile marketplace being packed to the gills with games ridden with microtransactions, or shallow retreads of well-worn ground, there’s always room for an experience like this that very much makes its own rules. The game follows Jonsson’s 2012 release The Story of a World, a similar title in terms of structure and tone with a focus on planet-side matters.
This is a title that veers to the very edges of what we can call a video game—certainly compelling territory for anyone interested in where and how video games and art intersect. The Story of a Star is available on the Google Play Store for Android users and the App Store on iOS devices and costs $0.99. You can view a trailer for the game on its official website.