14 DAY TRIAL // 
Engineers move to the front, using flamethrowers to stop incoming warriors, while rifle squads deal with ranged bug threats and other incoming warriors. I have the snipers selected, using their longer range to quickly attack any incoming flying threats. These squads are holding the line, allowing a bug nest to empty before I move to blow it up. The biggest problem is a logistical one: too few dropships for my reinforcement needs. So, I might have to allow one of my riflemen squads to be depleted, while I make sure my specialists are in top fighting shape.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is developed by The Artistocrats, with publishing handled by Slitherine Ltd. I played using Steam on the PC. This is a relatively straightforward real-time strategy experience that mines its setting for all its worth.
Players become the leader of the mobile infantry forces sent to deal with the bug infestation on the mining planet of Kwalasha. There’s not much more to the narrative than that, although there’s variety when it comes to objectives. The writing aims to capture the tone of the movies but there’s not enough satire, even though the cutscenes are trying. I like that the tutorial is about the disastrous Klendathu invasion. The unit barks become very repetitive quickly and there’s no real emotion injected into the script.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a classic real-time strategy experience. Players will move squads around, select their targets, and choose special abilities, as they try to hit primary and secondary objectives. The universe offers gamers a wide array of forces to work with, from the classic rifle squad to the mechs that the humans deploy to counter the most powerful aliens. It’s important to mix and match forces and make good use of their various special abilities (don’t neglect those unlocked when a unit reaches Elite status).
The game’s focus is on positioning. Most units cannot fire while moving and they cannot shoot through friendlies. Players need to consider force composition and then place each squad in the line where it can contribute the most. The bugs always have bigger numbers and surprising angles of attack, while humanity relies on firepower and on the ability to replace fallen soldiers inside a squad.
There’s no direct resource gathering in Starship Troopers: Terran Command. Players will secure locations to get more supplies and have to work within a war support limit. The game is not interested in allowing a player to put a hundred squads in the line and steamroll an enemy position. But it also makes it easy to replace a lost soldier or unit (although it takes time to get their veteran level up again).
The title’s biggest problem is that units have to be babysat to perform. I understand that the developers want players to set up firing lines and then control the squad that can solve a particular tactical problem. But units don’t fire on holes that dump out more bugs on their own. Their pathfinding is very limited. They get stuck. The need to constantly check on everyone does create tension. It also creates frustration that the rest of the mechanics do not compensate for.
I like the decision not to show enemy health bars because it makes engagements tense and underlines that individuals are entirely expendable to the enemy. But the bugs, especially the melee-focused ones, feel too slow. Warriors should show up quick and terrify a classic rifleman squad. In Terran Command you can see them coming and direct fire to stop their advance. The game needs this to keep engagements balanced but it feels wrong for the universe and makes the classic compound defense moments less impressive.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command does not try to render the world of the mobile infantry in glorious details. The developers have managed to make the game readable at all times, especially when it comes to the all-important firing lines. But the squads themselves have little personality and all the bugs seem to be less threatening than they are in the movies. The sound design suffers because the voice acting is limited while the soundtrack is well-suited to the action but lacks variety.
The Good
- Focus on positioning
- Decent use of the Starship Troopers universe
- No health bars for enemies
The Bad
- Limited RTS innovation
- Mediocre writing
- Limited sound design
Conclusion
The development team at The Artistocrats played it too safe. The idea that unit positioning is crucial should have been explored in greater depth, alongside the combined arms elements. Terran Command offers a solid strategy experience but I would not recommend it to anyone who is not a fan of Starship Troopers.
Review code provided by the publisher.
