The Pegasus Expedition Review (PC)

Three fleets have been repaired, which consumed quite a bit of my material resources and forced me to delay building a few extra outposts. I am also behind when it comes to the fast travel network that’s required by a growing stellar territory. But I have a solid battlegroup that is ready to take the fight to the enemy and, hopefully, get the humans another planet they can actually settle on.

In many ways, what we’re doing here is repeating the biggest mistakes of Earth. Our fleets have barged into a new galaxy, and conflict followed. We cleared ten star systems in about five turns and started building outposts, with almost no thought spared for the entities which were already living here. But Earth is under threat, and that justifies some very immoral actions.

I use both moves for my strong fleets to get them to a new star system, bypassing a hazardous one. The enemy is clearly outnumbered, but I want to minimize losses. So I choose two create two strong groups, and act carefully but with overwhelming force. That includes the use of nuclear weapons, which is not something that other powers will look kindly on, and the use of expensive Lightning Strike tactics. I start the battle and watch as my fleets enter the system, bent on conquest.

The Pegasus Expedition is developed by Kalla Gameworks and published by Fulqrum Publishing. I played it using Steam on the PC. This is a science-fiction-themed strategy game that also delivers a complex narrative.

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The story’s science fiction premise is pretty grim. Humanity, which has managed to explore and inhabit the Milky Way, is attacked by an overwhelming alien force that’s constantly pushing them back to Earth. Leadership gets desperate enough that they consider abandoning their home after building a portal to the Pegasus galaxy.

In the core campaign, gamers will become the expedition leader that pushes through the wormhole first, quickly finding itself in conflict with the inhabitants of one corner of this new galaxy. There are other powers out there that might be more amendable to diplomacy or even cooperation. But with the situation on the home front deteriorating, players will have to make tough choices to try and make sure that humanity survives. There’s plenty of dialogue with other expedition leaders who present options, wondering how the new galaxy’s powers will react to what the player decides.

The Pegasus Expedition is a turn-based strategy game centered around fleets and systems. The initial expeditionary force is capable of defeating enemy fleets to secure systems. But players quickly need to establish outposts and colonies, develop an industrial base, research new tech, and find ways to expand without suffering catastrophic losses.

Fleets can only travel two systems at a time (a fast travel system expands their range), and not all stellar systems are connected to one another. Some are hazardous, some barren, and most only support limited development. A planet that can be fully colonized is a prized asset that needs protection.

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All combat in The Pegasus Expedition takes place in a solar system, between fleets of spaceships. Ground forces are not involved. And players do not directly control any ship, its movement, or what targets it can engage.

Before battle is joined, commanders will choose how their forces approach battle, which includes their formation, their tactical approach (more complexity means higher costs for the player), tactics, and the moral approach. Using nuclear warheads will make it easier to get systems but also makes every other faction angry. After the player makes his choices, ships will swarm around planets and stations, fighting independently. The game can still activate four stratagems and choose whether to use some context-sensitive actions.

Moving fleets around is important, as is recruiting admirals around which to build new ones. Research opens up new options for fleet upgrades and economic development. Conquest does not make sense if the acquired systems cannot contribute resources to the faction.

Pegasus is a new galaxy and every faction the humans contact is unknown to them. But the game offers a full suite of diplomatic options, and, with pressure or good deals, there are ways to get alliances going. But some of the native political entities will never forget how the Zeus fleet killed inhabitants to replace them with humans.

None of the mentioned gameplay systems is very deep, but they mix in interesting ways. The level of challenge is high. Gamers need to carefully consider how they invest their starting resource stash. It’s easy to over-commit to a battle and then find that you lack the forces to resist a counterattack from an angry alien empire.

The Pegasus Expedition wisely makes sure that players will never get too close to a ship or a building. This allows the game to create the feeling of grand space opera without breaking the bank. Because battles aren’t entirely controlled and happen at the scale of a solar system, it’s easy to suggest the existence of massive fleets while only giving gamers a few tactical options. The user interface is good, easy to understand, and a good fit for the science fiction theme.

The sound design is less successful. Despite the many narrative events, none of the characters is voice acted, and that limits the level of immersion. The sound effects are limited in scope, while the soundtrack works hard to suggest both the heroic effort of the human fleet and its precarious position.

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The Good

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Conclusion