The Goa’uld is out of the bag: We finally know what kind of game Stargate: Timekeepers is going to be – and reveal all the gameplay info available so far.
There are two types of people. Group one reacts to the cue “Stargate End Season 7” with a disinterested shrug of the shoulders and then devotes itself to some normie activity like stock trading or hiking in the Alps. Meanwhile, group two has long since called for “Battle over Antarctica!” because the great battle against Anubis has been burned into your memory forever as an unforgettable sci-fi spectacle since 2004.
For people like you, Stargate: Timekeepers exists. Oh, and if you like trading stocks or hiking: You’re still cool and welcome to stay as well, because Stargate is for everyone – and quite rightly one of the most iconic sci-fi series of the early 2000s. And we don’t want to hear anything about “But the effects are such trash!”, because as every Jaffa knows, it’s not what’s on the outside that counts, but what’s on the inside.
And there could be a lot in Stargate: Timekeepers. Meanwhile, we finally know more about the gameplay, scope and story of publisher Slitherine’s mysterious attempt to serve up a worthy video game for the Stargate brand after all the failed attempts. So let’s lock in the chevrons and off we go.
What is Stargate: Timekeepers about?
Stargate: Timekeepers actually picks up from said season finale of Stargate’s Season 7. The campaign begins with the battle over Antarctica, but your SG squad gets caught in a time loop and must fight Anubis’ minions and defeat the new System Lord Dolus over 14 story missions. And if you think of SG-Trupp as the SG-1 team around Carter, O’Neil and Teal’c, then we’re afraid we’re going to have to pull the wool over your eyes: Timekeepers is based on a completely new troupe.
- Eva McCain is the leader of the new SG unit, trained martial artist but equally fit with the assault rifle.
- Max Bolton scales every wall and snipes enemies from a safe distance.
- Derreck Harper uses drones to cripple enemy systems and heal colleagues.
- The Jaffa A’ta clobbers with a battle staff and sneaks more agilely than the rest.
- Xugga belongs to the Unas people and joins the force during the campaign.
The new line-up allows the developers to root their adventure in SG-1 lore, but at the same time break new ground: “With existing characters, that wouldn’t have been possible. But now we have the freedom to create a completely new story in this universe. We also have the full support of the series creators for this.”
Series fans should still encounter a few familiar faces in Timekeepers. According to the developer, however, these are not necessarily the good guys …
The Time Loop Mechanic
The time loop logically provides the groundhog effect: Timekeepers wants to encourage you to play missions multiple times and differently, because the 14 missions can develop the story in very different directions. You can go back in time and revisit places you have already discovered with new skills and technologies.
But be careful: in the missions, your team is always putting their lives on the line. Your success or failure will not only influence the composition of your squad, but also the end of the game.
“If you jump back and forth in time, you will see how the story develops and how the places the player has already been change,” the developers explain. “This way we can show players something familiar from a different angle while hiding new dangers they won’t expect.”
What that means in concrete terms, we’ll have to wait and see. But from the team description, smart foxes will have already deduced what kind of game Stargate: Timekeepers wants to be.
What kind of game is Stargate: Timekeepers?
You like Commandos or Desperados? Then rejoice, because Timekeepers will be a real-time tactics game. You control your hero squad from the top view in real time through areas peppered with enemies and ideally take out Goa’uld, Kull and the like stealthily. As in Desperados 3, there will also be a so-called Tactical Mode, with which you can synchronise actions, for example, to bring three guards around the corner at the same time.
The worlds of Stargate: Timekeepers can be thoroughly explored down to the smallest detail, the developers reveal. To get the most out of your team members’ abilities and to get your enemies around the corner as cleverly as possible, you can also interact with the environment.
Of course, many questions remain unansweredn: How varied are the locations? Is the story really any good? Does it capture the charm of the original? When will Stargate: Timekeepers be released? And will there be a third season of Stargate Universe at some point? Hopefully.
