Starship Troopers: Terran Command Hands-On Preview

If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you have seen the movie Starship Troopers, or at least have heard of it. It is based on a novel written by Robert A. Heinlein in 1959 which tells the story of citizens who have to enlist in the military if they want to earn the right to vote or run for political office. The wars they will fight aren’t on Earth — the battles they are fighting are against extraterrestrial arachnid and bug-type creatures on the planet of Klendathu. These aren’t the bugs that we are used to seeing here; they possess advanced technologies like spaceships, so they won’t be squashed easily.

Starship Troopers: Terran Command takes place in the same universe as the movies. The story is told through FedNetTV, a service that brings you the latest news and accomplishments of the federation. FedNet claims that these feats have inspired people to join the journey of citizenship and service by enlisting. The first special you see is about The Battle of Klendathu, but instead of just watching it you are living it as one of the troops in the fight. The game has multiple difficulty selections, ranging from very easy to brutal depending on how familiar you are playing real-time strategy titles with each of these having a different damage modifier to make things a bit easier or taxing for you. Each challenge will let you change this setting so you don’t get stuck if you are finding it too easy or hard, which is a nice addition. The game will auto-save whenever you complete an objective, but also allows you to save at any point in time if you need to leave the game.

To control the Mobile Infantry you use your keyboard along with a mouse. You left-click on the unit that you want to move, then right-click on the location that you want the troop to go to. There is a limited radius of where you can go, so it may take a few times to get them where you want, but your soldiers move pretty fast so it’s not much of a problem. The troops shoot automatically as soon as an enemy comes within range, so you just have to keep track of how close the enemy is getting and avoid them if needed. The first mission acts as a tutorial showing you how to navigate the map to complete the objectives assigned to you. In case you didn’t notice, there is a map on the bottom left-hand side of the screen that shows you where you are supposed to be headed with a star, in case you feel lost. Some of the missions have the soldiers destroying bugs or the hives that they spawn from, protecting radio stations, capturing ammunition caches, and in later battles, you will call in other troops like engineers who build turrets, or snipers for backup. 

Between the missions, you will see an animated movie with a great hand-drawn look to them on FedNetTV showing you the battle against the arachnids and information about the next fight you will take part in. The music felt epic and dramatic, making it perfect for battling the bugs, and that gives you the feeling that every fight against the aliens is important and could be your last if you aren’t careful. Your enemy has a massive army compared to the humans so it is very easy to get overwhelmed if you get too confident.

This is a great title to play if you love RTS games, or even if you don’t have much experience playing them. The option to change the difficulty on every mission makes it very accessible to both beginners and veteran players. Starship Troopers: Terran Command makes you feel like you are part of the action fighting alongside all of the recruits to take down the hordes of insects trying to take over the galaxy.