Star Command enters the world of "space opera". Understand here that it will be a question of managing your ship and your crew during your interstellar epic. You will have several types of weapons and rooms that you can modify at your convenience and according to your desires. The game can be purchased on the Play store or the App store for 2.99€. Despite its low price, there are some flaws that spoil a recipe that could have been promising. Is it a pale copy of FTL: Faster Than LIght, or a game in its own right, that's what we'll try to discover.
Star command, discovering the universe
You will start the game not as a simple soldier out of the cradle (or out of his mother's skirt, as you wish) but as the captain of a spaceship, a real one, a tough one, one that has some experience. So begins your adventure, as in any RPG game, simulation you will start with a simple mission, then as the game progresses the battles will become more complicated and management will have to be anchored in your mind. During your journey, you will change galaxies, meet strange creatures, and above all, fight all sorts of belligerent enemies with a fierce and pugnacious spirit. The best thing to do is to go back and forth a bit to get the hang of the game, and don't forget to assign your crew to the combat or space engineering rooms. Star Command is simplistic in its 8bit design or pixelated if you prefer. So far, nothing too bad, the music even makes the whole thing visually very pleasant, it is by its gameplay and its depth that the game loses its charm.
Interesting gameplay where are you?
As you can see from the title, I have several complaints about this game. First of all, the room and crew system is a good thing, really, it makes the game interesting to assign a crew and allow them to gain experience. What is missing for me is some depth to the gameplay, a little more. In fact, the pitch of the game runs out of steam very quickly besides the very predictable storyline.
Star Command will be played out in two phases, the first of which will be preparation, equipment and crew selection. And a second phase of combat which will consist of defending your ship during the assault of bloodthirsty enemies. The entire crew will play a role, whether it be in terms of arming, repairing or even dodging damage. Recruiting and upgrading rooms is done via a token system that you can collect from battles or dialogues. Room and crew upgrades can be counted on the fingers of one hand, however, so there's no need to panic the crowds...
And the background?
I have already expressed my opinion on the pixelated style, 8bits is nice (a bit nostalgic maybe?). The sound ambiance is also nice. However, the space backgrounds are a bit too similar. Moreover, the story is too predictable, and the scenario fits on a piece of napkin. The game is full of humour, but too many attempts fall by the wayside (I should mention that the game is entirely in English, but nothing too complex). As with any RPG, you expect a wide range of dialogue and a specific outcome. And that's where the problem lies. Most of the conflicts, whatever the choice you make, will end in a fight (fights that are ultimately very repetitive and do not lead to a satisfaction of victory). In short, we regret the lack of depth in the game. In short, that's what we could say about test .
My opinion
Star Command could have been a very good game, when it was kickstartered in 2012, it promised us a lot. Star Command still offers a good lifespan, we'll play it once and regret the lack of depth. Note that the studio is developing "Star Command Galaxies" which seems to take the concept with more funding. We may have a decent game within the year, but let's not cry despair.
