Who knows if Robert A. Heinlein, author of the science fiction novel Starship Troopers, would have ever imagined that, more than sixty years after the publication of his novel, thousands of gamers could participate in the eradication of the arachnid threat comfortably seated in their gaming chairs. Well, one must admit that he probably wouldn’t have even imagined that his novel would spawn a mini-cinematic universe across four films, the first of which is undoubtedly a true cult of 1990s cinema, given that the rights were sold posthumously after his death.
Over the years, the brand has made a few sporadic appearances in the video game world, but Starship Troopers Extermination (from now on STE) is without a doubt THE game that many fans have been waiting for since 1997. The developers of Offworld Industries, creators of Squad and Beyond the Wire, have intelligently crafted a title designed almost exclusively for the fandom, minimally contextualising the game and embedding a whole series of delightful Easter eggs that only fans can spot and appreciate. This co-op shooter, currently in early access on Steam, has proven decidedly fun and "cinematic", delivering moments that seemed ripped straight from films. Still in its incomplete version, the title has, however, proven a little too bare in terms of content, a problem we hope will be resolved with future updates.
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EVERYONE FIGHTS. NO ONE QUITS.
In the 23rd century, Earth is governed by a military-fascist federation, where the only people who enjoy full social and political rights are those who have served in the military. Military service is so deeply embedded in popular culture that, after finishing high school, students don't choose which university to attend, but rather which military corps they hope to join. The entire Earth population seems to live in an unusual and utopian state of harmony and brotherhood, simply because of the presence of a common threat: the 'arachnoids' or 'bugs', an alien race with which humanity has come into contact — and, coincidentally, into conflict. the 'arachnoids' or 'bugs', an alien race with which humanity has come into contact — and, coincidentally, into conflict.
These few lines are the bare minimum of introduction needed to grasp the gameplay loop of STE, but, as already mentioned, the developers saw fans of the saga as their sole target, and therefore (at least temporarily) ignored any form of introduction or contextualisation to the story born from Heinlein's mind.
As previously hinted, the game is a co-op FPS, but unlike typical co-op titles for 3-4 players, in STE we'll be playing alongside a full 15 other players, essentially forming a squad that must complete a series of objectives before reaching the LZ for extraction. At the moment, maps and objectives are fairly limited, mostly consisting of desert areas with the occasional derelict factory or military station, obviously teeming with aliens of varying sizes.
Interesting the core building mechanic that base building that involves the final mission phase, where, upon reaching an abandoned old outpost, the Mobile Infantry Marines must build defenses and raise barricades to fend off waves of bugs that will be summoned. True, the options are quite limited, but it’s still a mechanic we’ve appreciated — adding a touch of strategy to the splatter-fueled frenzy that dominates the rest of each mission.
The only good bug is a dead bug
On the one hand, STE brings together elements that work well and deliver hours of fun; on the other, even the most devoted fan will notice the main issue after a few hours of play: repetition. This is largely due to the lack of content, as already noted — the gameplay works and is fun, especially when matches become hilarious thanks to VoIP and that small touch of role-play and player quotes that compensate for the repetition of dubbed lines.This is largely due to the lack of content, as already noted — the gameplay works and is fun, especially when matches become hilarious thanks to VoIP and that small touch of role-play and player quotes that compensate for the repetition of dubbed lines.
The maps are few and, despite their size, too similar to each other; the bugs, likely to stay faithful to the original material, are also extremely limited in variety (though tearing them apart is still immensely fun); the equipment of the soldiers belonging to the three classes in the game (Assault, Defender and Support) shows practically no meaningful differences, making progression to unlock various upgrades entirely negligible.
Service guarantees citizenship
So, Offworld Industries has put a decent concept on the table, a brand capable of drawing in thousands of fans and nostalgics, and a gameplay that knows how to entertain. There’s still a lot of work to be done to enrich the game with activities, content, and to make progression more enjoyable and varied. Optimisation is also far from complete, with the title performing brilliantly on a blank screen, only to suffer severe frame drops as soon as the arachnoids start filling every pixel of our monitors.
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