Recent reviews by Moms

Bottom Line Up Front (Overall 6.5 /10) *WILL CHANGE UPON FULL RELEASE*

- Been following the development of the game since release. Excellent concept but still needs more time and development to showcase true potential
- Reminds me of a mix of early 2000 PS One games like Dune 2000, Wargames: DEFCON 1 and Warzone 2100
- Sandworms!
- Some stunning backdrops - gives Dune vibes!
- Developed by one person - still better than most AAA garbage in the Steam Store at the moment. Happy to support Martin any day of the week (part of the reason why I bought the game)
- No difficulty slider at this time. There is no difficulty scaling. The AI does not seem to follow the same rules as the player in regard to resources and they produce units quicker than the player
- Needs a lot of unit / faction balancing especially with resources and time to produce units or build structures

*BIGGEST COMPLAINT AND ISSUE* - Sometimes alien units do not respond to actions on click and just sit there to be shot at during a battle. The amount of times I click on a unit to attack something and they just sit there is very infuriating. PLEASE FIX THIS.

Gameplay Loop (6/10)

- A single game can take hours. Huge maps to cover
- Switching between FPS / RTS gives flexibility to how you play each map

Gameplay Mechanics (6/10)

- Very basic RTS commands - no stop, hold fire, engagement, grouping etc orders as found in other RTS
- Very basic FPS controls - it works well for this style of game. DO NOT EXPECT COD / BATTLEFIELD / COMMAND AND CONQUER RENEGADE level of controls at this time
- Can switch from first person to third person in some units (mainly infantry units)
- 3 different factions, but the 2 human factions are pretty much the same. The two human factions needs more work to make them different enough (either in play style or unit variety)
- Pathfinding is hit or miss at times

Presentation (6/10)

- Excellent environmental backdrops
- Some of the human units look like their rendering is flat or unfinished (at least on the screen i'm using)

Sound (6/10)

- Some gunfire sounds could be a bit more punchy
- Some alien sounds could also use a bit more volume to convey presence
- UI voice is very faint - needs more work as I can hardly hear what is being said
- Music is actually sick! whoever composed it needs a raise. It will do well with more punchier frequencies with Dolby Surround etc. I thought I picked up some similarities to Pearl Harbour / Flags of Our Fathers Japanese Navy attack music

How this can be a 10/10 game / Developer wishlist

- Better optimisation - I've got a decent PC setup and I can hardly get a consistent 60 FPS on most sessions (by comparison i get 60 FPS consistent on DCS and Space Marine 2 - my two most resource draining games)
- Better pathfinding for units (as covered by other reviews)
- Better shading / geometry for human units (mainly infantry)
- Add unit special abilities. eg, infantry can have grenades, all aliens have burrow ability, tanks can have overcharge ability etc
- Add unit customisation (eg. unit / team colours, special abilities, modify alien genetics to enhance their abilities)
- Better voice UI
- Better sound optimisation
- Needs a difficulty slider

My Specs

Intel I5 13500K
RTX4070Ti
80 GB DDR4 RAM
SSD
Samsung 4K TV 60 FPS
Game is on the highest graphical settings with VSYNC ON - FPS will drop to 10-30 during high levels of unit activity

Bottom Line Up Front (Overall 8 /10)

- A simple, yet fun game worthy of investment. Probably the best game representation of the Starship Troopers universe yet
- Plays more of a Real Time Tactics than a Real Time Strategy game
- Excellent artistic style and game environment really shines
- Easy at first then the missions get challenging past Mission 5
- Very basic base building mechanics
- Lacking features of most modern RTT / RTS games such as a 360 degree camera, skirmish mode and multiplayer

Developers, if this game had multiplayer, skirmish, 360 degree camera and the ability to play bugs this game would be a masterpiece.

Gameplay Loop (6/10)

- Only giving this score based on the fact that there are 2 DLCs at the moment and there is a lack of skirmish and multiplayer
- Few mission varieties but it suits the game universe
- Campaign is nice and lengthy especially with the DLCs
- Achievements are not difficult to obtain but definitely a good challenge in some missions. Might need a few replays to succeed

Gameplay Mechanics (7/10)

- Very few controls to learn the game
- Some units will not conduct their special ability on first click (most prominent one is engineers using the demo ability)
- Needs some unit micromanagement (sight lines and unit special abilities) to be efficient in a mission but it is not tedious

Presentation (8/10)

- Excellent artistic style and eye candy
- Some of the unit explanations can benefit with a rotatable unit model when you view their stats
- Captures the vibe of the Federation very well
- Little to no glitches, gameplay or graphical bugs

Sound (6/10)

- Some gunfire sounds could be a bit more punchy
- Some arachnid sounds could also use a bit more volume to convey presence
- Voice acting is bearable and relevant

How this can be a 10/10 game / Developer wishlist

- Introduce the arachnids as a playable faction
- Introduce Multiplayer
- Introduce Skirmish
- Introduce a 360 degree camera

Specs

Intel I5 13500K
RTX4070Ti
80 GB DDR4 RAM
SSD
Samsung 4K TV 60 FPS
Game is on the highest graphical settings with VSYNC ON - consistent 60 FPS no issues

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT
- Extremely fun space shooter looter, pays homage to Freelancer, Starlancer and Colony Wars series
- Endless hours of enjoyment
- Superb visuals
- You can see the love and dedication the developers put into their product
- Well worth the $74 with what the game offers
- Very polished game and it's execution is very smooth and crisp especially the menus and UI
- I'm extremely happy to support Rockfish Games and hope they continue to improve the game and add more content
- Consistent 60FPS on EPIC settings and a 4K TV

PROS
- Visual and effects quality is second to none (9/10)
- Sound quality is excellent, especially on a subwoofer and soundbar (10/10)
- Gameplay is easy to pickup, learn (10/10)
- Longevity is really up to the player - You can finish the main campaign in 20 or so hours but there are plenty of side quests and puzzles to keep you entertained for a long time. There are many ship options to choose from and unlock new items / equipment (10/10)
- Story is quite amusing and the voice acting and banter is better than equivalent games (6/10)

CONS
- Some enemy types rubber band depending on the scenario and the number of units on screen
- No multiplayer (it's not that type of game as the developers have said so this is not really a detraction, but this game would be on a whole new level if there was multiplayer co-op / PvE or PvP)

MY SETUP
- Intel i5 13500
- Nvidia RTX4070Ti 12GB VRAM
- 80GB DDR4 RAM
- Samsung 4K TV 60FPS
- All graphics settings on maximum

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT
- Excellent game with high production values. Well done to the developers and I am happy to support them
- Highly recommended time sink if you want mindless fun for an hour or so, or want to take a break from your other main games
- Extremely smooth, addictive gameplay. Consistent 60FPS on ULTRA settings
- Beautifully executed game package - while campaign is short, there's plenty of options in PVE and PvP
- Not necessarily worth the $89.95 for the 8 or so hour campaign with only 3 planet locations with 6 maps in total, however the production values is what makes one of the best games I've played in recent times
- The parry system does not feel quite right, it's very clunky and you take damage anyway almost making parries useless in some scenarios
- The in-game animations during some mandatory actions where you take damage can annoy some players
- The game's linear style similar to old school games like Ghost Recon Future Soldier may put off some players. The game's insane attention to detail and mechanics prove not all action games don't have to be "open world" and the linear style does serve the game well

OVERALL 9/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND even if you're not a Warhammer fan

GRAPHICS (9/10)
Pros
- Fluid and nothing short of stunning
- No noticeable lag with so many things on screen
- Set pieces are stunning and accurately captures the dark world of the 40K series

Cons
- Some off the distant set pieces or flying Nids flicker sometimes but it is not readily noticeable

SOUND (10/10)
Pros
- I've got a Bose sound bar and subwoofer and feeling the thud and crack of every weapon is insane. Whoever was in charge of sound needs a raise

Cons
- Nil

GAMEPLAY (9/10)
Pros
- Fast, fluid and responsive
- Movement is precise and you can feel the weight of the armour with every step and finishing kill animation

Cons
- You take damage during mandatory action animations. Hopefully the developer can balance this as your health and armour gets stripped very quickly no matter what difficulty you are playing
- The parry system and melee are clunky - it doesn't feel as smooth as games like Ghost of Tsushima, which has a similar parry system with the blue (heavy attacks, can be parried) and red indicators (special heavy attacks, can't be parried)

LONGEVITY (6/10)
Pros
- The game has some random spawning in Ops maps, which vary the game somewhat, but you can generally predict where enemies will spawn
- If you have friends to play with it's extremely fun and addictive
- The developers released a roadmap for 2024/2025 which looks to add more maps, weapons and content. If these remain a free update to the base game and separate from paid DLC cosmetic content then this is a welcome change from other game developers which block certain base game content and functionality behind a paywall. THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE!

Cons
- The Ops (PVE) can get repetitive and boring for the number of maps available
- There is a significant delay sometimes when waiting at the launch bay. Not sure there is a bug, but it definitely occurs when someone leaves or joins your squad
- PvP seems a bit unbalanced and not as engaging as PVE

MY COMPUTER SPECS
- Intel I5 13500K
- Nvidia 4070Ti 12GB VRAM
- 80GB DDR4 RAM
- Samsung 4K TV (60FPS)

In-game settings all on ULTRA preset

I own Helldivers as well (200+ hours) and I find STE enjoyable in it's own way. Yes both of them have their issues - STE fills a different niche when I feel like playing something different. I hope Offworld doesn't abandon this game in light of the overwhelming success of Helldivers. STE has the potential to make a comeback like No Man's Sky if executed and polished well and the features on the roadmap are delivered. The Cosmetics DLC is VERY expensive for what you get and considering the game still feels like an EA product, I would advise against it unless they fix the base game. Overall it's fun and offers a different experience to Helldivers and has some cool features however unless you are a real fan of the Starship Troopers Franchise, it is not worth the asking price - wait for a sale.

Graphics - 6/10 - looks stunning on 4K and DLSS. Some areas of Valaka and X-11 look reminiscent of PS2 graphics however, which is something not be expected from a game at this price point. The character models look a bit cheap, but acceptable. The Arachnid models look great though.

Gameplay loop - 6/10 - There's a bit to do but not much in a way of explaining how they work. There is plenty of weapons, perks and cosmetics to unlock. The Company-based mode needs more work in the UI as it is not very easy to navigate. I have not been able to play a Company-based match yet even though I managed to join a Company.

Sound - 6/10 - weapon sounds are still weak after the release of 1.0. There is not enough substance or feedback and it sounds like I am shooting a spud gun most of the time. The arachnids sound ok you can generally hear them sneaking up on you.

Replayability 6/10 - The modes are enjoyable for a few hours but after that it can get repetitive. You have the option of "re-enlisting" once you obtain Rank 100. They need more maps and meaningful unlockables.

GAMEPLAY ISSUES / GLITCHES

1. GAMEBREAKING - If you get respawned sometimes you cannot move and you're frozen in one spot. The only way to reset it is if you leave the match (and lose all your XP) or get killed, or force a respawn.

2. ANNOYING - Whenever I log into the game, my Class Loadouts are changed or set to default Morita Mk1. I have to change it each time I play a match.

3. ANNOYING - Screen glitching - Doesn't seem VSYNC works in the Video Options.

4. ANNOYING POTENTIALLY GAMEBREAKING - Arachnid movement is very janky and the hitboxes are inconsistent with the Firebugs and Bombardier Bugs. The Arachnids sometimes teleport from one location to the other.

5. ANNOYING - A direct hit from the Bombardier Bug can either send you to space or bury you under the map indefinitely during a match.

PC SPECS
- i5 13500K
- RTX 4070Ti
- 80GB DDR4 RAM
- 3 TB HD
- 4K Samsung TV

Own Starship Troopers Extermination as well. Many players will compare the two, each game has their own positives and negatives. Helldivers 2 is executed better in terms of gameplay at this time as there is more to do and it's more developed. Expect to die a lot initially.

Only issue I have is the servers, this is a topic that's been talked about a lot so I won't repeat it, but just be aware this is to be expected. I've only managed to connect twice since I bought it last week. Of the 16 hours or so logged by Steam, I've only played for 10 hours total with 6 hours in the loading screen - I'm confident the developers are doing everything they can to resolve the issue and no one can blame them for the unexpected success they had since release.

I am concerned though it crashed my computer just today - this has never happened before and my PC is a high end gaming rig.

Overall I rate it 7/10 and this score will only increase over time as the developers fix the known issues