A real-time strategy game that almost completely hides base building? Starship Troopers gets it really wrong, but still enormously fun.
I have to admit, before this review I didn’t know Starship Troopers [Editor’s note: May the Brainbug suck your brain!]. But as a strategy expert, the test of Terran Command came to me anyway.
So, following a tip from our video guru Fritz, I watched the first film in the series as well as the game – and I didn’t regret it. Starship Troopers is a strange film and somehow also cool. And it’s the same with the PC game that has now been released.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a real-time strategy game that does almost completely without base building and focuses on squad-based battles. There is no skirmish mode and accordingly no multiplayer. For 25 euros you get 19 campaign missions, plus a few independent scenarios.
Qualitatively, Starship Troopers: Terran Command is almost what you would expect from a licensed game: a big name with a weak gameplay framework. Still, there’s more. Namely, an unexpected amount of fun.
Table of Contents
People vs. Bugs
Basically, this game is about shooting a bunch of bugs – just like in the movie. Just like in the movie, the story revolves around the fight against the bug species, which constantly poses new problems for the mobile infantry, also because the human leaders permanently underestimate the supposedly stupid bugs.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command makes use of the wicked humour of the original and stages the exaggerated war propaganda and the racist feeling of superiority of the humans well in the cutscenes. In the details, however, some of the charm is lost, because the individual fates of the MIs (Mobile Infantry) are not illuminated and thus an essential part of the original is missing. The story generally gets going late and does not shine with too much ingenuity.
No resource mining, but resource management
In terms of gameplay, Star Ship Troopers: Terran Command is also explained quite quickly. You start each mission with a few troops that act as squads. Combat engineers are in threes, normal MIs are in the dozens.
If the squads take damage, the number of units is reduced, but you can replenish them for free at drop points from command posts or replace them with another unit type. There are 13 different unit types in total (infantry only), but most of the time you only actually use about half of them.
Units have well-defined strengths and weaknesses, so are either effective against light or armoured bugs, have area damage, are good against moving targets or can set up stationary defences.
The game’s “economy” is limited to two resources, or rather currencies. You get supplies by capturing fixed command points and through depots that can be found from time to time on the map. The second currency, “war support”, is obtained by completing side missions.
While “Supply” simply determines how many units you can throw into battle (better units need more supply), “Combat Support” either unlocks other unit types or builds defence towers with your pioneers. There is no base building or resource gathering in Terran Command.
The challenge of the game therefore always comes from the question of how you use your contingents and when you advance where, as well as from the control of the units themselves. They have special abilities that can be used manually and lines of sight or lines of fire. The latter, in particular, is an important factor that requires your constant attention.
I’m in front, no, me! No, me! ME! ARGGHH …
Generally, you should always move with the attack move (right mouse click while holding down the A key) so that your units attack everything between them and the target point. But stupidly, there is no automatic unit AI that pulls squads apart when they block each other’s view.
This causes squads that can’t shoot at the moment to run forward. The moment they have overtaken the unit in front, this unit now wants to go forward again, so that an endless scramble results. This leads to the army as a whole advancing too quickly. As long as you are dealing with a few enemies, this is not a problem, but with a larger number, the damage caused is no longer sufficient, so that your troops virtually run into the enemy.
And as you can imagine, it doesn’t end well when ranged fighters stumble into a bunch of bugs with razor-sharp claws. So at such moments you must intervene, stop the troops (S key) and manually pull them apart.
The interface gets in the way of operating the troops
Squads gain experience over the course of a mission and rise in rank, which eventually grants an upgrade. For example, a fleet officer can order a powerful air strike through such a level upgrade. Normal soldiers get a kind of shotgun attack or a bomb with a time fuse.
Now it would have made sense for you to be able to take units from one mission to another if they survive, especially since you can also rename them. But like so many things that would be obvious or part of the standard repertoire of an RTS, this feature is missing.
For example, if you have two MI units selected and you use the special ability of one of them, the second one will also show the cool down. You must select the unit separately to use its ability. Since the game does not show you in the interface which unit is which, you have to click through all the squads.
Overall, the unit interface is a disaster, to say the least. This makes it impossible to use all the special abilities sensibly in hectic situations. There is also no pause function.
Besides, a large part of your attention goes into positioning the squads correctly anyway. Apart from the problem of the firing line, enemy types appear in the course of the campaign with attacks that you should better avoid.
Also in terms of graphics, Terran Command doesn’t have that much to offer. The entire campaign takes place on or in the same desert planet. The environment has few details and there is no weather system either. And even the staging of the cutscenes, although atmospheric, is kept very simple.
At least the soundtrack is good. It is only based on the original, but I personally like it even better, especially the main theme, which is a little more upbeat.
Editorial conclusion
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is the strangest game I’ve reviewed in recent memory. For although it commits many, easily identifiable serious errors in gameplay and interface, it also entertained me most of the time. That’s almost certainly because of the Starhsip Troopers licence, which hits my sense of humour pretty well with its parodic hooray patriotism.
And it’s also because, despite poor unit AI, it’s fun to get the bugs out of the way. Terran Command is like a shooter, only as a real-time strategy game. Just switch off your head a bit and lead the mobile infantry to victory. That has something. Nevertheless, it must also be clear that the general quality, for example in terms of graphics and story, leaves a lot to be desired. I would therefore recommend the game especially during a sale.
