It took a year a half, but "Star Command" is finally here, and with it comes a lot of the charm Warballoon initially promised. Though that's not to say the game completely delivers on its promises, something that may or may not be a sticking point for it.
The game places you in the Captain's seat as you build upgrades and facilities and hire new crew. All of the minutia is run by you from training your crew to firing all of the weapons during combat. You are able to name your crew members, similar to "XCOM: Enemy Unknown," and in a similar fashion, you may shed a tear or two when they are inevitably killed.
The pain of deaths is cushioned a bit through the wonderful style of the game. It's brightly colored and the animations are charming. It's the type of pixelated adorableness that instantly endears and some of the animations are downright funny. The music, as I reviewed, is wonderful and bolsters the gameplay well, especially for a mobile game.
As you progress along the campaign (you can make occasional stops along the way to level your crew members), combat often comes fast and furious, emphasis on the latter. Combat often escalates right to that desperate do-or-die moment where you're frantically sending your crew to various places where they are needed and making tough calls. Do you send your super leveled, super awesome person to deal with an issue, or do you keep him safe and risk killing others as a result?
The actual combat itself may or may not appeal as it's mostly timing based, ala "Guitar Hero" or "Theatrhythm" (to name another iOS offering). This makes battles a bit more frantic as you're juggling timing and your crew's actions. Unfortunately, as with most touchscreen offerings, responsiveness is occasionally sluggish. As you're spinning multiple plates, it gets frustrating when the controls aren't moving as quickly as you are. Plus, the menus get rather cluttered and confusing on occasion.
But the biggest complaint I have for "Star Command" is how repetitive it gets in short order. The first time you lose a crew member, it's sad and upsetting. The 50th time, it gets old. Most importantly, however, is that the initial game which sparked our interest and curiosity in 2011 is not what we're playing today. The original pitch promised away missions, derelict ships and planetary exploration. That's not present in this game.
This has prompted some folks to proclaim this is one of the first Kickstarter lemons. The game itself is good, but it's not quite as great as the game that was promised us. The developers have promised updates and add-ons over time, but as of now? It feels like they served the main course but the side dishes are still in the oven. Not a great dinner party to attend.
"Star Command" has drawn a lot of comparisons to FTL, which isn't entirely fair or correct. "FTL" is, admittedly, a better game, but it's more like a true space sim, whereas "Star Command" plays more like an onboard combat simulator. It's more repetitive and occasionally needlessly frustrating, but it has an undeniable charm and promise of future additions. It's not bad, it's just not as great as it could have been.
Star Command
Platform: iOS
Developer: Warballoon Games
Publisher: Warballoon Games
Released: May 2nd, 2013
Price: $2.99
Score: 7/10
