Simply put, Star Trek: New Worlds is a big gamble. I have a lot of faith in 14 Degrees East because Starfleet Command and Klingon Academy turned out so well. Yet we have to consider the fact that this title tries to rely on an aspect of the Star Trek license that really doesn’t exist.
The fact that ground based combat was never focused on in the series means that New Worlds has to stand out as its own game. To allow a player to pretend Star Trek doesn’t exist and see it as the game without the license. Sure, some of the technologies are there as well as some of the classic Star Trek races, but this is a really is a ‘New World’ for Star Trek gaming.
Overall the project seems to be a bit more ambitious than it appears at first glance. On the outside phaser tanks can be seen running this way and that, little ships buzzing around taking care of business, it all seems very automatic. After spending a bit of time with the game I found the use of crew and a bases resources to actually be a little harder to grasp. The play style may mimic the classic real-time strategy formula, by sticking true to the way technology works in this particular universe things had to be changed.
With the actual use of crew, opposed to the mere presence of crew, there is a deeper system of gameplay to be found. One that might be hard to appreciate since many of the other games pieces that are supposed to be supporting these concepts really don’t work as well as they should.
As with most of the titles from this development team, the visuals are for the most part stunning. The terrain lacks a variety in visual treats that the rest of the title offers, but the general ‘alien world’ effect has been pulled off fairly well. The terrain may not look too pretty much the functionality of the many paths to a goal and what seems to be a half-hearted approach at variable elevations, makes most of the large maps very entertaining.
When playing New Worlds I get this feeling that it is unfinished. That may not be the case but the functionality of the game’s video/audio options as well as its play modes is really lacking and this might be what ultimately limits this title from showing off some of the true innovation behind the ideas it has utilized. Look for a full review sometime soon.
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