Star Control
System: Genesis
Release Date: June 1991
Developer: Toys For Bob
Publisher: Accolade
Genre: Strategy
Conquest of the galaxy is up for grabs in Star Control! It’s total war between the Alliance of Free Stars and the Ur-Quan Hierarchy. Each side has seven different races piloting their own type of ship in the battle. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. This is a port of a home computer release, which usually has me wary. Which side will you join and can you turn the tide in your favor?
There are three gameplay modes that you can choose from, Practice, Melee, and Full Game. The practice mode has all 14 ships available to choose. Depending on how you set the control of your opponent, among human, computer, cyborg, or psytron, will decide whether you get to pick the ship or not. Human control means all choices and battles are controlled by a player. Computer means the AI does the work. Cyborg has the player making strategic choices, but the computer fighting battles. And Psytron works with the computer making strategic choices and the player leading the battles. I think these different control schemes are quite neat to have baked in.
Each ship has two gauges, one measuring your crew and the other measuring your fuel. The goal of each battle is to deplete your opponents crew before they can do the same to you. Your weapon systems are fired with the B Button and what that weapon is varies among ships. The C Button activates the ship’s special ability, which is unique to each race. The pilot portraits are quite interesting, moving around as you control your ship. There are many tactics you can employ to defeat your opponent. Here, I used the Arilou’s immunity to gravity and inertia to defeat the much stronger Ilwrath ship. The Mycon’s seeker plasmoid is a formidable weapon that is incredibly deadly at close range, but weakens the longer it chases you. The downside is it uses a lot of fuel, so if you can close in before that regenerates, you can overpower them. Like here with the Syreen’s Siren Call. I found success with the human ships by running, flying backward, and launching nukes as my fuel replenished. Sometimes the placement of ships at the beginning of the battle can give you no chance of victory.
The Melee mode has you in a seven on seven gauntlet battle. The first team to destroy their opponents ships wins the day. The meat of the game comes in the Full Game mode. You can choose to play as the Alliance or the Hierarchy and take part in fifteen scenarios. The first I picked was entitled Exterminate! and pitted one Ur-Quan Dreadnought (the strongest ship in the game) against a pack of Shofixi Scouts. The Alliance must destroy the Dreadnought before the Hierarchy wipes out all colonies. I realize now that using the kamikaze ability of the Shofixi multiple times is the key to winning here.
The strategy comes in building up your resources to win each scenario you play. Each turn you have three actions you can take. There is a star chart map that you move from star to star on. As you reach them, each star will turn from blue to red, green, or white. Green stars can be colonized, giving you a place to replenish your crew as you win battles. They also allow you to move between stars without using an action. Red stars can be mined, giving you a Starbuck each turn. Starbucks are used to build new ships from your Starbase. Stronger ships have higher sale prices. White stars allow you to build fortifications. These stop enemies from moving through without being destroyed first.
Settling a colony, digging a mine, or building a fortification each take one action to start and two turns to complete. Ships are built instantaneously taking one action and added to your fleet. (53:25) Each move not involving a colony star takes one action. If you end a turn at the same star as an enemy, you are then taken to the battle screen. If multiple ships from either side end at the same star, a gauntlet battle begins. The game ends if you complete your objective or have the enemy completes theirs. After winning the Escalation scenario with the Alliance, I tried the Target Earth scenario with the Hierarchy and walloped them with my Ur-Quan Dreadnoughts and their tiny fighter ships.
Graphics: 2.0
The rotating star map is interesting, the battles are alright looking, but I do like the captain portraits.
Sound: 1.5
It’s pretty much weaponry sound effects outside of each ship’s winning ditty.
Gameplay: 3.5
I was surprised by the strategy mode and the different ships all require different tactics, which is well met.
Difficulty: 3.5
Some ships have a natural advantage over others, but if you know their strengths and weaknesses, you can compensate to some degree.
Fun Factor: 4.0
I actually really liked this game a lot and had a blast playing it.
Overall Rating: 2.9
Star Control earns a B. If you like strategy games, this should be right up your alley. I definitely recommend giving it a shot. I wish the Genesis would have got the sequel, too.