Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Review (PC)

I played the original Starcraft and its Broodwar expansion quite a bit when I was young, fascinated by the simplicity and elegance of the strategy system and by the cool story that Blizzard was telling, with larger than life characters and more twists and turns than any science fiction series.

I loved Jim Raynor and his heroic stance and the spiritual superiority of the Protoss and over time, I came to appreciate the way the three main races of the universe were locked in continuous combat with each other because of circumstances and betrayals rather than out of genuine hatred.

I was also dying to learn how the mysterious ending of Broodwar could play out.

So I was somewhat disappointed when Blizzard chose to tackle an entirely new story thread with Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, although I enjoyed the tale of redemption and unrequited love that the game was trying to tell.

Now, close to 3 years later, the development team is ready to deploy the second chapter in the saga, called Heart of the Swarm, which focuses on the exploits of one Sarah Kerrigan and her Zerg faction.

Blizzard is not yet telling the Starcraft story that I want to hear, but the single-player campaign it has created is a true spectacle, while the multiplayer adds enough changes to make it attractive once again even to hardcore players who know every tactic linked to Wings of Liberty.

Story

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is not a game about nuances or about the eternal battle between good and evil.

Blizzard has managed to keep the narrative personal and intimate even as vast armies clash during the cutscenes and huge spaceships are destroyed in mere moments, which is a feat by itself.

Chain attack

Tender moment

The characters are larger than life, none more than the Queen of Blades herself, who emotes through the cutscenes, sheds tears for Raynor, swears revenge, struggles with her dark nature and the call of the Zerg Swarm.

This is high drama and the writing aims for majesty and for a heroic tone that sometimes feels out of place.

These characters have long lost any connection with the humanity they still had in the first Starcraft, but the story itself is enjoyable, especially when the bad guys of the universe get their comeuppance, which is often delivered by people who have done even worse things to reach their aims.

Gameplay

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm might offer the purest real-time strategy available in the AAA space at the moment, with mechanics that would be instantly recognizable to anyone who has also played the first game in the series, launched in 1998.

Base building has been abandoned by most titles these days, but Blizzard still allows players to create their own structures, use them to upgrade their units and expand the creep on which the Zerg thrive in order to give them bonuses during combat.

Base creation

Swarm action

Creating a solid force with a variety of units is a requirement for success in single player, where the Artificial Intelligence serves as little more than speed bumps for the player as he races to get the next bit of story.

Kerrigan is also very present during the single-player campaign, with a variety of powers that can modify the way a gamer approaches each tactical challenge and a progression system that makes her a juggernaut by the end of the story.

The meta-game from Wings of Liberty also makes a return, with missions that specifically allow gamers to evolve their units and make them more effective and choices that affect the long-term make-up of Zerg forces.

Play Video

There are also a number of planets to explore with a unique mini-arc linked to each and a clearly defined enemy to battle to the death, although Blizzard sometimes seems too focused on variety and forgets that this is still a real-time strategy experience.

The single-player tactics and general design have little in common with the multiplayer.

Here, the changes added by Heart of the Swarm will lead to a number of tweaked strategies and changed opening gambits and it will be very interesting to see how various star players adapt to the additions that Blizzard has made.

Graphics and audio

Despite the fact that three years have passed since Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty was launched, Heart of the Swarm does not seem to offer significantly improved visuals and I have often wondered why Blizzard feels the need to keep the view point so close to the ground.

The real spectacle in the game is linked to the single-player cutscenes, which must have cost quite a bit and feature impressive feats of animation and technical effects.

Planet choice

Evolution options

The soundtrack and sound effects are suitably epic, given the usual level of attention that Blizzard pays to polishing its games.

Multiplayer

In many ways, the very classic design of Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is linked to its immense multiplayer popularity, which forces the development team at Blizzard to make only minute changes for fear of losing its audience.

The new game introduces a number of changes to the multiplayer modes, with an extended set of training options that will prepare newcomers for the coming battles and a new approach to replays that makes it even easier for players to learn from those who are better at Starcraft 2.

The unit and tactics challenges will force veterans to change their approach to Heart of the Swarm, which does mean that this is a good moment to jump into competitive matches and try to keep up with the progress of the community.

Blizzard seems to push Terran players towards a more flexible approach to the battlefield, modeling their tactical response on the way the enemy tackles each match, while the Zerg still focus on fast attacks and on smart group management.

The Protoss changes are harder to read, but it seems that the focus is more on air power than in Wings of Liberty.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion