I have finally come around to play this game as it was on sale and I have… an opinion. I’d like to see if there are others who share this opinion or maybe have a different one and want to share their perspective.
Now, this game is around two years old but maybe someone might not have played it yet and plans to in the future, so I’ll use the spoiler tabs.
To get one thing out of the way, the controls and gameplay mechanics are fine to me, it’s a visual novel and not an open world action adventure after all.
Tap for spoiler
So the story itself is actually kind of fine and the whole thing feels very much like an episode of any given trek show that is not DS9, DISCO, LD or PIC. I also don’t mind that the foundation is very much memberberries, the game does enough of its own stuff.
However, there are two minor points and a major one that don’t sit quite right with me, the minor ones being Rydek’s condition that is built up in the beginning but except a meeting or two with the doctor doesn’t lead anywhere, and that there is no resolution to the bioformed people. Do they stay Tkon? Is there a way to reverse the process? Will they be locked up in penal colonies or what?
The major one was a letdown kinda early on. In the beginning the story is set up to be about a conflict around an oppressed and an oppressive people and Federation’s role in the history of this oppression. This looked to be a discussion about how to resolve such long lasting and very entrenched situation and also a discussion about kinda neocolonial responsibilities. But that was dropped completely and only hinted at in the wrap-up with connotations of bothsideism. Very disappointing IMHO.
So, what do you think?
I think I largely agree with your points.
I’m also really annoyed that the choice tree required a website that no longer works. Additionally, for the overall results of the graphics, I’m rather bugged the game is that hardware intensive and think they could have easily optimized to make this game more accessible to lower-end hardware. I did my entire playthrough on an AMD laptop with iGPU (on Linux through Proton), and it was mostly playable.
spoiler
One of the worst parts graphically was the tractor beam at the mining facility; if I looked away from it, I could do around 24 fps, but the moment I looked at it, the game game became a slideshow.
However, it was still really fun, and I only payed $12.50 for it.
spoiler
I wish I didn’t have to hate Bedrosian, but the universal hate is deserved. She suggests genocide with the frequency Worf suggests firing phasers or Shaxs suggests ejecting the warp core. I really wish they would have toned it doen a bit or written her differently.
Also, I wish we had more time with Urmott; as good an officer he was, he had less chance to impress me than Westbrook, and thus I couldn’t choose him as first officer. Part of this is just an inherent structure issue with Starfleet (as summed up in Eddington’s “you don’t get to be captain wearing a gold uniform” or the story of Harry Kim), but honestly, for being the first officer you meet (besides Ensign cannon fodder), his story underwhelms.
Though really, if I could really choose, I’d try to make the doctor my first officer, though I’m not sure she would have accepted.
I did really enjoy the starbase and Resolute environments, and I wish more games would immerse the player in a Starfleet ship that way.
Also, anyone else think the space British empire aliens all just looked like a realistic rendering of Squidward?