Forget Johnny Rico: In New Starship Troopers, Bugs Rule, Not Humans!

To boost morale and fund the war against the Arachnids, the Earth Federation's brightest minds developed Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! This simulation lets future soldiers experience combat as either a Mobile Infantry trooper or an Assassin Bug. Although, some might suspect the Arachnids had a hand in the simulation's design, given some questionable developer choices.

Human Campaign

The simulation recreates events from the film "Starship Troopers." Before each mission, cutscenes feature General Johnny Rico and his comrades delivering motivational speeches. Players won't control Rico himself; instead, you command a trooper named Samantha, whose entire campaign revolves around hunting an Assassin Bug.

In every mission, Samantha is deployed onto a large, open map. Mission objectives typically involve clearing and holding territory, as well as pressing buttons – a task seemingly beyond the capabilities of other soldiers. To destroy anti-air bugs, special explosives are required, which must first be located, as they are otherwise invulnerable.

Giant Plasma Bugs can be eliminated using tactical nuclear warheads. In the initial mission, these weapons are conveniently located near the targets. However, in subsequent encounters, you'll have to carry them for some time, and if you switch weapons, your character will discard the nuke.

You'll need to fight your way to objectives through hordes of bugs, attacking in groups of 5-10. The core Arachnid army consists of bugs seen in the film, but there are exceptions, such as soldiers controlled by parasites. Warrior Bugs and armored Centurions pose the greatest threat, while flying pests are more of an annoyance. As for the napalm-spitting Tankers, they can surprisingly be taken down with a knife.

To eradicate these pests, you have access to a full arsenal including assault rifles, shotguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, and exotic weaponry. Assault rifles, machine guns, flamethrowers, and burst-firing sniper rifles prove most effective, as other weapons suffer from balance issues. A well-aimed grenade can instantly destroy a bug nest. Weapons and ammunition on the ground often blend into the environment, sometimes requiring you to wait for corpses to despawn before you can spot them.

Eliminating bugs triggers supply drops containing ammo, armor, and weapons. If you're lucky, you might even find superweapons: a giant laser, an orbital bombardment, an electric bug-zapper, or an allied mech. Some mechs are controllable, allowing you to mow down bugs with machine-gun fire or a chainsaw. After a few minutes, the mech runs out of fuel and self-destructs – a critical flaw, as fuel depletes even if you exit the mech.

You can recruit other troopers to your squad and assign them targets. However, their support is mostly moral. These "meat shields" following Samantha often ignore enemies until they've found a "convenient" position. Bugs, meanwhile, prioritize attacking Samantha, easily sweeping aside any human obstacles in their path.

On normal difficulty, ammunition is plentiful, and missions feel like a cakewalk; dying requires deliberate effort. On "Citizen" difficulty, however, the tables turn: Warrior Bugs kill in just a couple of hits, enemies are more resilient, and ammo is constantly scarce. Any desire to play on higher difficulties is quickly quashed by incompetent allies who fail to provide proper cover or support – and often shoot you in the back.

Missions contain secrets that impact gameplay. In one cave, I discovered a film reference which, when activated, significantly increases the level of gore.

Campaign for Bugs

The simulation allows you to "think like a bug" to better understand how to eradicate them. Across five missions, you take control of an Assassin Bug, and playing as it is incredibly fun!

The Assassin can mutate into three forms:

• Winged form allows you to soar into the air to scout enemy positions;
• Warrior form lets you tear enemies apart in close combat;
• Tank form enables you to douse enemies with napalm, though this weapon needs to be reloaded during battle.

Missions quickly devolve into a joyous destruction of everything alive. You dive from the sky onto enemies to systematically dismantle their bases. You'll need to break down gates and turrets, paving the way for your comrades. In battle, you receive support from hordes of Warrior Bugs and all the special bugs encountered in the human campaign, including other Assassin Bugs.

Ironically, it's in the bug campaign that humans suddenly become competent: if you're not careful, they can swiftly deal with your Assassin Bug. This forces you to think tactically and retreat to nests that restore health and armor.

Diagnosis

It's evident that the developers put significant effort into making Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! a unique game. High-quality cutscenes, large-scale battles, and readily available superweapons make the on-screen action feel epic and patriotic.

Unfortunately, the human campaign's gameplay mechanics often leave you asking, "Why are you doing this to me?" You constantly encounter incompetent allies and enemies, along with numerous frustrating minor issues. Sometimes weapons and ammo are hard to spot, other times you run into blocked paths to key positions, forcing you to find detours. And who thought it was a good idea to make mechs self-destruct when they run out of fuel, even if you exit them?!?

However, the bug campaign is so outstanding that the game is worth playing for it alone. Finally, a Starship Troopers project lets you play as the Arachnids! And you're not just any bug, but a cunning and powerful Assassin, leaving the humans with no chance.