Dare to be Digital is the leading Game Developer contests for students in the UK, and now one of the winning 2012 games is available on Windows Phone... and a cracking little arcade puzzler it is as well. Starcrossed mixes in the collecting and platforming fun of Mario, the gravity assisted shenanigans of Angry Birds Space, and a control system based on rockets and newtonian mechanics

First up, a bit about Dare to be Digital to set the scene:

Dare to be Digital is a video games development competition for extremely talented students at Universities and Colleges of Art. Teams of 5 students, usually a mix of artists, programmers and audio, assemble at Abertay University for 9 weeks during June to August to develop a prototype video game, receiving mentoring from industry. The students also receive a weekly stipend of £150 per student, free accommodation at the University's halls of residence and a team budget of £200.

Student competition aside, you really should take the time to look at Starcrossed, because it's a really good game, and one that is going to take time to solve perfectly. The level based approach takes the 'three stars' reward system, but the Finnish development team have actually made it really hard to get three stars on each level by looking at the time taken the number of in-level stars collected, the number of rockets used, and how stylish the player moves (for example bonus points are on offer for nailing perfect landings).

Starcrossed has made the jump from Dare to commercial release in a very fast time frame, and joins fellow Dare graduate from 2010 Mush on Windows Phones. Grab the trial, and start firing rockets to make your way home via the Windows Store.

Hat tip to ThisIsXbox, and you can read more from developers Kind of a Big Deal on their Dare2012 blog.