In 1997, Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier released a movie based on a book from the fifties. Ever since that time, I have been a big fan of the series. Whether it was the movie, the animated cartoon, or one of the sequels, I have loved the universe. Fast Forward to 2023, and we are introduced to Starship Troopers: Extermination by Offworld Industries. With its initial release set only as Early Access on Steam, it has been one of the best versions of the movie world on a PC platform. Do you want to know more?
Calling All Citizens
It’s time to do your part and join the fight on Agni Prime. The Bugs are running rampant, and the Mobile Infantry needs every able-bodied trooper to get into the fight. With several game modes available, you can play the way you want. The first opened mode is Assault and Secure. In this mode, you are dropped into the battle area and charged with killing all of the Bugs you can. Avoid getting yourself killed, and keep others from dying as well. As you move through the hordes of Bugs, you will come upon an area with a mission objective. At this point, you build up defensive walls, ramps, turrets, and more to defend the objective. Once the objective has been achieved, you will exfil by drop ship.
The second mode is ARC Slam. In this mode, your sole mission is to defend the ARC core and ensure Bugs don’t destroy it before it can upload its data. You will start building up your defenses all around it and hold what you’ve got until the wave ends. After achieving the objective, you will again extract through the drop ship.
The third mode currently available is Horde mode. In Horde mode, survival is the key. Initially, base construction is key. This is where you make your final stand. Your character and team are spawned onto the map at once. Immediately start building the base defenses to protect everyone from the oncoming Bug horde. Ten waves have to survive before heading to the extraction drop ship.
Each of these modes are fun to play, and I have enjoyed many hours learning the build system, and figuring out the best choke points to use when targeting Bug units.
There are several versions of troopers play as, and a lot more versions of Bugs to defeat. First, the Human forces come in Hunter, Operator, and Bastion presets. Each character is set to its own setting. Hunter is the basic set with the standard assault rifle preset to begin your career with. The operator is a medical type of character who helps keep everyone alive. Finally, we have the Bastion class, which is set up with a defensive barricade that is deployable around your character. The MK1 Carbine is the standard rifle for all classes, but there will be more as development continues.
This game crawls, sir! There are lots of Bugs to take out, and there are all different types. The Arachnids have five main types as of right now. They are the Drone, Warrior, Gunner, Plasma Grenadier, and Tiger Elite. Drones are the small bugs you see carrying the Brain Bug in the movie’s final scenes. The Warrior class is the standard Bug predominantly seen as a quick-moving class. Gunners target classes using jump jets with accuracy and fast firing of their red goo attacks. The Plasma Grenadier type is the blue one that comes out of the ground later in the matches and is a rarer Bug type with cumbersome armor and strong attacks. The final Bug is the Tiger Elite. These are some tough enemies right here. They move quickly and hit with a powerful punch. They never stop until they are dead or you are.
Doing Your Part
As first-person co-op shooters go, this is a good one to play with friends. The lobbies hold up to sixteen people. Four fire teams hold four people each. Pick whichever team you want to and voip to your teammates as you go. I prefer to recite lines from the movies like “Nuke’em Rico” or “Hold what you’ve got!” It makes the game a little bit more fun when you can roleplay little parts. The Roughnecks are not a fire team in this title, and I feel like this is a huge miss here. One other miss is the lack of a story campaign. A story mode where you go through and are potentially a new recruit who gets picked up by the Roughnecks and is led by Rico could be really fun for all Starship Troopers fans.
We are doing our part, are you? The Federation needs good troopers like you to check out this title and kill some Bugs.
As an Early Access title, I wouldn’t venture a score currently, but it is a highly enjoyable co-op shooter. It is currently very cheap to buy and helps the devs add to the overall game as they go. Would you like to know more?
