To kick off a spree of dolphin games, mostly happening on my streams this week (check it out live at twitch.tv/miloscatter or the archives at www.youtube.com/user/Wiseguy934/videos !!) I caught up with this charming Wii U exclusive. It’s a simple little thing, but addictive and fun while it lasts.

Shattered Star is an expanded port/sequel of a Flash game just called Star Splash. It’s an arcadey experience, with short levels intended to be replayed; in fact, the default option is to practice a level before doing your “proper” run. Failing a proper run reduces your overall score which didn’t concern me too much, and there’s no game over state thankfully. I just enjoyed using the skillset of my adorable dolphin character to tackle each new challenge.

And this is one acrobatic cetacean. Your five energy bloops, refilled instantly by bouncing or water contact, let you multi-jump high into the air or dash; there’s also the dive move and of course sonar as any good dolphin game has. It’s all in aid of collecting stars, given a Rayman 2-like context in this console version of the game; a faction of mechanical cephalopods has “shattered” a mystical “star” and you have to grab all the bits. Of course like the water level in the stages it’s a bit shallow, but enough for a game like this.

Besides, there’s a smidge of worldbuilding in the backgrounds you pass through on your little quest up to the (quite challenging) final boss. Every six levels you get a change of scenery along with a new peppy song to swim to by a range of talented composers, from bright beaches to an Atlantis-like volcano area, to a sci-fi city. It adds a sense of adventure to this score-chasing autoscroller.

Unlockable features include a second dolphin skin, hard mode, and a separate, short, two-player competitive mode. It’s a lovely little confection, and if you don’t believe me, try out the Flash version for yourself: www.snailsanimation.com/starsplash_play.php