Before WayForward became strictly known as the “Shantae guys”, they made a living by releasing a lot of licensed games. Amid all the Nickelodeon and superhero tie-ins made for Gameboy Advance, once in a while, an original game might squeak out. These were usually their passion projects and were fueled by ambition over a paycheck.
Sigma Star Saga was one of the few original titles the boys at WayForward developed between Barbie and SpongeBob games. The idea was to blend the high-speed excitement of a space shooter with the depth and epic scale of an RPG. Released at the tail end of the Game Boy Advance’s lifecycle, it missed the opportunity to appear on the Nintendo DS and went on to develop a cult following among those who played it.
It sure as hell wasn’t perfect, but it had moxie, and you could glimpse the potential if the game spawned sequels. There may have been no sequels, but now we have a deluxe port boasting enhanced gameplay. What’s evolved in this new port, and does this once-obscure GBA gem still shine? Dive into our Sigma Star Saga DX review to find out!
Sigma Star Saga DX
Developer: WayForward, Mighty Rabbit
Publisher: WayForward, Bandai Namco
Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Game Boy Advance (as Sigma Star Saga), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
Release Date: August 15, 2005 / March 31, 2026
Price: $24.99
Ian Recker is a decorated ace pilot and the former leader of Sigma Squadron. After narrowly surviving an opening battle that decimates his team, he is assigned a perilous undercover mission: to infiltrate the Krill Empire as a double agent to gather intelligence on their rumored superweapon. Captured by the Krill, he is fitted with a symbiotic parasite suit that enhances his abilities and enables him to pilot their bio-organic ships.
As he navigates six alien planets, Ian Recker becomes deeply involved in Krill society, racing for control of powerful “bio-matter” hidden within the planetary cores. What starts as a straightforward espionage mission quickly descends into moral ambiguity. Loyalties become unclear as Recker discovers that neither side is purely heroic nor villainous in a story that’s part Heinlein, part Star Trek.
The Krill’s presence on Earth is fueled by secret agendas, with both human and Krill leaders chasing god-like power through alien matter, often sacrificing their own people in the process. The story evolves from military sci-fi to explore themes of trust, sacrifice, and cosmic consequences, featuring multiple endings that depend on your choices.
The story is not remarkable, but it’s enhanced by a vibrant cast of characters centered around moral ambiguity and shifting loyalties. The protagonist, Ian, struggles between his duty to humanity and the connections he forms with the enemy, making his internal conflict central to the story.
His two main companions form a tense romantic triangle: Psyme, a fiery, rebellious, sexy, purple-skinned Krill pilot who is bold, sarcastic, and fiercely loyal once she warms to Ian, and Scarlet, a brilliant and determined human scientist who is captured by the Krill and becomes entangled in the conflict. The women distrust each other intensely, forcing Ian to tiptoe through his relationships while maintaining his cover.
Ian contending with the two female leads is the stuff of old-head otakus. Psyme is especially your classic, hot-headed tsundere-type, but with a little bit of a Klingon streak. There’s also something delightfully delicious in taming a warrior woman into becoming a wife if you choose the Psyme ending.
It is also important to note just how sexy Sigma Star Saga is. They should have called it Sexy Star Saga. All the girls in this game are designed with the same care put into the girls’ desirable characteristics as seen in modern Shantae games. Scarlet’s exposed midriff is made of only a few pixels, but WayForward’s artists maximize appeal with very little to work with.
The sexiest is easily Psyme. She is one of the most memorable characters in Sigma Star Saga, a fiery purple-skinned Krill ace pilot who wears a delightfully skimpy bikini. As a mid-ranking officer in the Krill military, she is bold, sarcastic, rebellious, and quick-tempered. She constantly calls Ian an idiot for failing to grasp Krill customs while threatening to kill him in fits of anger… kind of like another famous anime tsunedere girl.
Kind of like Blaster Master, Sigma Star Saga alternates gameplay between two modules. The planetary away missions play out on foot in a classic overhead action RPG style. Players navigate by solving light puzzles, utilizing various tools and keys found throughout the world, engaging with characters to advance the story, and uncovering hidden items.
The overworld has a mild Metroidvania structure; new Gun Data and equipment often unlock previously inaccessible areas, encouraging backtracking. The data chips are divided into three categories: cannon, bullet, and impact.
Sometimes, as Ian, you get into a gun battle, and the gunplay feels too ambitious for gameplay built around just two buttons. All you can do is run and shoot. The shoot-em-up combat fares much better.
With dozens of chips available, the possible weapon combinations are endless, allowing deep experimentation with spread shots, lasers, rockets, wavy beams, and more. The controls feel tight, and all the slowdown from the GBA original has been fixed in this latest version. Some Gun Data combinations can make you ridiculously overpowered, turning the game into an effortless walk in the park, and even bosses won’t stand a chance.
The shoot-em-up gameplay isn’t exactly Gradius, but it’s competent. Your ship’s playability is largely determined by your Gun Data and how much you’re willing to explore and grind. The visuals and boss designs are oversized and resemble toy monster styles from the late ’90s. Everything features bold shapes and vibrant, cartoony colors, so don’t count on encountering any surreal, H.R. Giger-style monstrosities.
The dot-matrix pixel filter reduces the garishness of the GBA color palette. GBA titles tended to exaggerate their colors, so it’s a welcome feature that helps make Sigma Star Saga look nicer on a huge display.
The DX iteration of Sigma Star Saga focuses mostly on cutting down on wasting time. Backtracking has been made less frustrating, and some maps no longer include pointless loops or dead ends. Additionally, the encounter rate has been reduced. The developers recognized that playing as Ian on the planets wasn’t as engaging as the shoot-’em-up battles and wisely chose to ratchet up the pace.
It’s clear why Sigma Star Saga became a cult game. Combining shoot-em-up action with the epic scale of a sci-fi RPG is very appealing. The art and visuals hold up exceptionally well, as expected from WayForward’s pixel artists. The story and dialogue are nowhere near as clever as it aspires to be, and it’s a generic plot, but Psyme’s presence makes up for it. It never goes beyond being more than a collection of references that the developers really liked or grew up with.
Sigma Star Saga DX was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a code provided by Headup Games. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Sigma Star Saga DX is now available for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.
