14 DAY TRIAL // 
Before going into details I must confess that Galactic Dream: Rage of War is a frustrating experience from a reviewer's point of view. It was created by a little known developer called Evolution Vault, which then got a distribution deal with Strategy First. It's a real space strategy game which promises control of massive armies, an interesting storyline and, last but not least, a humorous take on familiar themes.
The fact is that small developers, who clearly do not have the resources, both material and human, required to create a game with high production values that could be forgiven a few uninspired gameplay mechanics, should focus on creating an innovative experience which brings something new to the genre. Rage of War could not be Kane's Wrath, a game that presents the player with very classic RTS gameplay because its fan base and its high production values allow it to get away with this and receive great reviews. Rage of War should have tried to be something like Darwinia, which managed to capture the player with the way it mixed genres and stripped the strategy element of the game to its core.
Unfortunately, the developers created a game that feels old and unprepared to try something new. And it's a real shame, considering that indie developers should always aim for something new. There's no way an indie effort could beat AAA titles, which have millions of dollars invested. An indie title should create its own game and it should excel at it. Rage of War does not create a game and looses because it plays by someone else's rules. The developers say that the first version of their release was a blend of mechanics that combined Starcraft with Master of Orion, but then they decided to streamline their concept, eliminating tech trees, upgrades and special abilities in order to create a game that focuses on massive combat.
Humanity needs to evacuate its last remaining planet as a chain of destruction that began in the center of the galaxy threatens to engulf it. The fleet, lead by the elite Space Forces, must seek a new home for itself when it encounters the aliens that call themselves the Argo. The aliens seem to be superior beings with very advanced technology, but humanity manages to ally itself with a splinter group. Now, the quest for a new world must wait while intergalactic war takes center stage.
The above setup, while not groundbreaking, could make for an interesting story. The problem is that the static conversations between characters are not very compelling and the much alluded to humor is nowhere to be found. There are also some pretty heavy borrowings from Battlestar Galactica, which the developers consider one of the most important influences. Judging by fact that we're dealing with a low budget game, it could be OK if the gameplay was extraordinary. But that's where the real issues start.
Gameplay
Think Starcraft in space. Then take out one of the races. Then remove the special abilities of the units. Then remove the unit limit and move all the action to deep space. These are the rules on which Rage of War is created. Get your base up, deploy some miners for resources and then start churning out troops to take on the enemy. The bases that you have to dismantle are normally pretty high on defenses, relying massively on turrets. A big force is required to take them out, so be sure to wait out for some time, while building furiously. Go for a force that features a diverse composition, as there's a rock, paper, scissors system in the game that means any force made up of only one unit will get shot down rather quickly.
It's unfortunate that the developers chose to make the tutorial unskipable even if the control scheme for the game is pretty classic, as far as real time strategy games go. It serves some purpose as the tutorial also offers a bit of storytelling, but maybe that could have been repackaged into a single player mission, with the control bits packed off into a tutorial the player could choose to ignore.
I admit not having finished the single player campaign and the developers promise that it picks up after the first few missions. My experience was of fighting a lot of turrets with a lot of ships and being frustrated by how tough the turrets were.
The skirmish mode, dubbed Custom Game, is much more entertaining than the campaign. The action is fast, with multiple threats keeping you occupied while you try to tech up your base and gain an advantage. The enemy will attack from the very beginning of the game and will give all but the most experienced of players a run for their money.
The game makes the AI throw masses of units at you, so you need to constantly watch out for intruders while also keeping an eye out for flank attacks. The building queue on the shipyards only holds five units, so you'll need to click your way through ordering more units multiple times during the fights. It feels quick and brutal, but it also feels like it does not require tactics. You just have to keep your ships pointed towards the enemy and outbuild him. You need to build a composite force to deal with all possible enemy threats and then go on a rampage.
The graphics are uninspired. Rage of War is pretty generic, with the ships looking like all those you've ever seen in a space game and with buildings impressing just with their ability to move around the game space. Space is also sparsely populated with asteroids and other debris, the emptiness not really being done justice by the graphics engine. It looks like something that the industry could have produced when the original Starcraft was launched and it's certainly behind a game like Homeworld when it comes to the graphics department. The upside is that it will run on almost all the systems available today.
Surprisingly, the music in the game is pretty cool. There is a very nice mix of trance and classical themes that are very appropriate taking into account the sci-fi twist of the game. The voices are also pretty well done, with the caveat that some of them are clearly picked up from high powered TV shows (there's one from Battlestar Galactica you'll pick out from the rest quite easily) and that at times the writing itself is too space opera like in its tone.
Multiplayer
Galactic Dream: Rage of War offers both local network games and an Internet lobby. Unfortunately, there are hardly players to be found on the Internet server. The games are not very different from those against an AI, except that human players tend to be a little more forgiving than the computer.
Conclusion
Galactic Dream: Rage of War could have been interesting. The human vs. AI skirmishes in Custom Mode are quick and sometimes fun, even if little actual strategy is involved. Sadly, the single player campaign lacks soul and doesn't provide any incentive to continue playing.
The action can be quick and engaging, with a lot of things going on at once. I also suspect that ardent old school RTS players, the ones that typically still play Starcraft in multiplayer, will love Rage of War. But it does not innovate and those that moved on to more open strategy titles will be disappointed in the game.
It's a release that only shines when it comes to skirmish battles, so, if that's your thing and if you enjoy Starcraft like rushes combined with big fleets, you need to try out Galactic Dream: Rage of War.
