Thanks to Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 cult classic, Starship Troopers has stayed relevant with a number of sequels, television shows, and video games. Some of these have embraced the film’s political subtext and satire better than others, with others being more similar in tone to the 1959 novel. The latest game in the franchise, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! does a great job of blending satire with its retro-shooter style and will please fans of the Verhoeven film.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! has two campaigns, with the first being from the human perspective. This is a traditional shooter, albeit one with a fun retro flair, featuring some great sprite work and an art style that reminds me of classic 90s shooters. Levels are surprisingly open, as players are able to do objectives in an order of their choosing before leading up to a final battle prior to excavation. There are also swarms and swarms of bugs to kill, which makes finding ammo key and rewarding players who use the full array of weaponry they can find around the levels.
However, what really won me over was when I got to watch the live-action cutscenes in-between levels. It’s incredibly meta, with the game you’re playing actually being propaganda that is trying to turn children into new recruits. Delightfully acted with a proper degree of camp and cheekily written, and featuring Johnny Rico, these cutscenes are hilarious and do a great job of rewarding players for completing each level. The funniest twist comes at the end of the game’s second campaign, which had me laughing hard. It really helps elevate what would’ve otherwise been a good game into a memorable one that plays into what makes the franchise itself so special.
Ultimate Bug War’s secondary campaign is called bug mode and has you wreaking havoc as an assassin bug. While this is a pretty cool idea, and there are a few transformations that allow you to either fly in the sky or spew fire, it gets pretty repetitive as you are destroying the same few structures over and over. I didn’t find this to be as fun as the main game, and I would’ve preferred more levels to the eight-level human campaign instead, but I do have to say that the hilarious ending to bug mode made it my favorite moment of the game, so it’s well worth playing as a result.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War also has a high level of replayability. This is thanks to its four difficulty modes (the hardest being appropriately titled Citizen), and each stage holds two secrets that can be found. The secrets can then be enabled during missions, with some hysterical in-world “developer commentary” tracks being unlocked by default. Throw in a fun trophy list, and you’ve got a shooter campaign that is short but one you’ll come back to quite a few times.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Review: Final Verdict
While Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! can be uneven in spots throughout its two campaigns, there is no doubt that it wonderfully understands the appeal of the franchise and makes the most of the license. Featuring a hilarious and meta story element that shines in the live-action cutscenes, any Starship Troopers fan will want to check this retro FPS out.
SCORE: 8/10
As News’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 copy for our John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando review. Reviewed on version 1.100.100.
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