Starro the Conqueror is a DC Comics villain that first appeared in Brave and the Bold number 28 in March 1960. This character is an alien, super powered mind controlling giant starfish trying to take over the world. He was the first villain for the Justice League and despite the cool CGI and complex special effects used in the current Justice League trailers, Starro came at a simpler time before cosmic level CGI and wide screen special effects.
Originally Starro was stopped by the building material quicklime, with the help of then side kick in the making Snapper Carr. Over the years it has became a bigger menace. And after the movie Alien (1979), Starro was made even more disturbing and dangerous.
To celebrate all Things Justice League the massive online game DC Universe Online is currently running a campaign featuring Starro the Conqueror. Within this campaign characters from both sides, villain and hero fight off the star invasion in The Flash’s hometown of Central City. However, instead of one or two giant starfish easily taken out by quicklime, Starro has cloned himself, an ability he gained in the 1980s, and very much like the creatures from Aliens, has a stage of life where his spores can attach itself to a host and control that person’s body (without the host exploding, however). Despite the possible amusement of purple and blue starfishes bouncing around in the air with a fact that you come across citizens which can be controlled by Starro, as well as hatcheries where Starro spores are being developed, it adds a brightly colored creep factor to the game deeply immersed in the DC Comics mythology.
During gameplay, you fight against not only different Starro creatures in different levels of maturity, but you also will fight against citizens controlled by Starro, as well as missions against iconic DC heroes and villains you will have to survive and beat.
Amongst these characters are Kid Flash, Black Lightning, The Trickster, and Weather Wizard.These are among the controlled characters around the invaded Central City. During missions involving two, four, or eight players, you can have fights with bosses such as Power Girl, Hawkman, Lex Luthor, Zatanna, and even Dr. fate.
One of the missions the player can complete the in run of the campaign is to release citizens who are controlled by starro from your captivity. Many citizens of Central City will have blue and purple alien starfish on their face.Using a substance called quicklime players are able to citizens from Starro, as well as disrupt Starro hatcheries.
During this campaign specialized supplies, armor, and items for a player’s base ,if he has the headquarters or base DLC , can bbw gained from missions completed during the campaign. One of the items that come in possession of the player is grenades or canisters of quicklime along with helping to free citizens from Starro.Also players can be controlled by the space starfish during some raids. When controlled the screen looks like the image below taken from the game
Another player with a quick line canister can free the controlled player before he wreaks too much damage upon his teammates. This boss along with any controlled Atlanteans, controlled players, and other Starro creatures can wreak havoc for the players.
With this adventure taking place in Atlantis as well as in Central City, there are several surprises that will either add to the fun for DC comics nerds or be extra creepy. The current campaign runs until May 31st. The game is free to play however, certain content is required to be purchased, such as the DLC for a home base, also some raids or treasure boxes cannot be acquired without a subscription.
With all the hype over the release of Justice League trailers as well as the merchandising and other content being released ahead of the movie, it is good time for online gamer to have an opportunity to get drop to the heart of DC Comics history. The campaign is available until May 31st and is available for PC, Xbox, and Playstation platforms. Enjoy the game and happy starfish hunting.