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0 It’s so nice to see Starship Troopers getting so much love these last couple of years. First we had the strategy game Starship Troopers: Terran Command. Then Starship Troopers: Extermination, a multiplayer FPS, where you and other fellow cadets team against waves of bugs. And now the new single-player FPS, Starship Troopers Ultimate Bug War.
Would you like to know more?
If you love the franchise then you can pick up the game on Steam and PS5. Although today I am checking it out on PS5.
Gameplay
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, has us play a dramatic retelling of Major Samantha Dietz story. We will play her story from the start with her time at basic training. All the way to her non-surprising victory against the bug menace. The game plays as your typical action FPS, with us landing on a mission, and then receiving orders. You can finish these objectives in any order fitting to the player. While fighting back the arachnid there are various weapons from the movies for us to use. Like the standard issue Morita Mk rifle, or the powerful Hawkeye Sniper.
You will have to manage health and shield in Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, but these are easily replenished. Thanks to levels having crates scattered around, or summoning a supply drop, which also gives weapons ammo. Other armaments are available to you with air support drops. Sometimes you may get an orbital strike, White Phosphorus, or an ally mechs for assistants. You can get more of these with the supply drops you get.
In the mind of the enemy
In addition to playing through the Major’s story, we also get an additional smaller campaign for the bugs. Sadly no real story on their side, more just what-ifs. In these missions, we play as the Assassin Bug. It doesn’t have many features but is able to switch into two other forms from its base one. The hopper is used to fly around the map, so you can travel quicker. While also slamming down to the ground to destroy any pesky human assets. And another is the Assassin’s Tank mode. In that form, we become slower, regain health, and a powerful fire breath. Which is usually used by the Tank enemy type.
Tank Mode however requires a recharge after use, but it’s not that bad and killing humans speeds it up. Other interesting stuff the Assassin can do, is use bug nests to heal and summon other arachnids to aid it. The bug missions in Starship Trooper: Ultimate Bug War, all play the same, which does seem repetitive, but with them being so short. It isn’t a real complaint. In the missions you must harass a few specific areas. Before ultimately going for the levels Command Centre.
Graphics & Audio
Visually and audibly Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War is stellar. It has a retro look graphically, with environments, bugs and the player character in 3D, and fellow troops in a 2D style, akin to the original DOOM games. Colours are excellent and very 90s space-age, and the design of each level is fun and easy to navigate. Cutscenes are, as expected for Starship Troopers, cheesy and ever so ‘patriotic’. They’re also live action, featuring the original actor from the film, Casper Van Dien (reprising his role as Rico).
The voice acting is also superb, and very on brand for the franchise, from the funny one-liners the troops have in combat, to the cheesy (and low-key threatening) tone of the cutscenes.
Longevity
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War offers 25 trophies for you to unlock, with a couple tied to difficulty. And some for secrets. I beat the game after 6 hours and this was after both human, and bug campaigns. There are secrets for you to find in the levels, but I never came across any.
Final Thoughts
Although short, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War leaves its mark on a classic franchise with its fun chaotic levels. Gun-play is fun, and getting to play as the bugs was a nice touch, although a rather simple experience. I did feel as if there weren’t a lot of swarms and I wish there was. But the game is great regardless, with you really feeling like a hero. And the fact that the whole game itself is meant to be just another form of in-world propaganda is just brilliant.
I highly suggest picking up Starship Trooper: Ultimate Bug War. It really deserves the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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