While space combat shooters are not exactly ten a penny these days, (as seen with the recent cancellation of Star Wars: Attack Squadron) indie game studio Born Ready Games is seeking to revive interest in the genre with Strike Suit Zero: Directors Cut, a “new and improved” version of the original, which sought to break new ground. This new edition of the game sees the game also ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and boasts a completely rebuilt introductory section, a more forgiving checkpoint system in missions, and an almost entirely overhauled graphics engine with major improvements to the lighting engine and texture work. It was always an attractive game, but now it looks sublime.
Although not entirely successful in terms of originality, the game mainly takes cues from classic space shooter Colony Wars, Homeworld, Star Wars and anime/manga series such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross, attempting to combine the best of each to create a new and cohesive platform for space combat fun.
What results boils down to a game where you control a spaceship that can transform into a mech in a wholly 3d environment, which may not be the most innovative thing in terms of gameplay in the world, but certainty provides for some solid enemy variation and space combat shooter not too far from the heyday of Star Fox.
Unfortunately, the story is lackluster at best, and somewhat nonsensical at worst. Much like Mobile Suit Gundam, Strike Suit Zero is set in a distant future and tells the story of a war between the United Nations of Earth and the colonies who want to become independent. The U.N.E and colonial forces are at a stalemate until the colonists discover an alien weapon that can be used to destroy Earth and ensure their victory. The only means to stop them is with an experimental fighter ship called the Strike Suit, which the player pilots.
The setup for the story is a bit cliche; from the rebellion to the prototype mech suit, little characterization occurs throughout the missions. It mixes things up a bit when aliens appear partway through, but even that doesn’t really have any lasting appeal. Still, it’s unfair to judge a game based too much on narrative when its focus is on gameplay and aesthetic, and in that respect Strike Suit Zero largely succeeds.
The combat, whether in Pursuit or Strike modes (Spaceship or Mech, effectively), is good for the most part but it does have some hindrances. The controls are kind of complicated to get used to, which can make your first few hours with the game frustrating. Nearly every button has a different action assigned to it, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember the somewhat complex control scheme while in the heat of battle. When it all finally clicks into place however, space combat is smooth and largely enjoyable.
Where the game really works is when your ship gains the ability to turn into a mech. Really, there’s nothing comparable in Strike Suit Zero to this transformation, and being able to decimate your enemies with ease while in the Suit makes up for any frustration present in the standard spaceship Pursuit mode combat. That being said, you will spend roughly half your time in Pursuit mode, because being in Strike mode uses up energy. This energy does replenish over time and is increased when you destroy enemy ships, but it doesn’t last long. Luckily there’s plenty of stuff to blow up so you won’t be missing out on the mecha goodness for a large portion of the game.
Since the action takes place in space, you’re able to move around freely in full 3D. Though disorientating at first, you’ll get used to it fairly quickly, although targeting is a bit more inconsistent since locking on works differently in Strike and Pursuit modes. In Pursuit mode, there’s no real way to lock on, except with missiles. Trying to shoot a moving target in 3D space is challenging, but not really in a rewarding way. The game does feature a reticule that shows you where to aim, but too often it’s not precise enough in the 3D space to feel wholly accurate. In Strike mode though you can lock on to anything, with any weapon - and it makes the shooting more enjoyable.
In both modes, though, there are instances where you have to manually fire, such as when having to shoot weak spots of giant enemy ships during mission objectives. The reticule size also changes depending on what type of primary weapons you use to reflect the different strength and accuracy of different weapons.
Mission objectives are fairly straightforward: locate an enemy and destroy them. The game occasionally mixes things up, by tossing you into a nebula that renders your target locking mechanics inert, or will put you in a random debris field or in guard of a ship convoy, but the missions are mostly simply riffs on the same idea, and it’s to the game’s detriment.
In the audio visual department, Strike Suit Zero is a mixed bag, and the actual spaceship and station designs all look good, they are somewhat uninspired, and look far too similar to ships from the sci-fi stories that inspired it. Even the Strike Suit itself, while having a bit more originality to its design, still looks a little generic in comparison to similar-sized mechs. The backgrounds and lighting, however, are totally breathtaking, and there’s nothing quite like sailing your ship between planets, stars and asteroids. The score itself is also excellent, consisting of mostly Middle-Eastern inspired ambient electronic music courtesy of Paul Ruskay. Ruskay also composed the score of the original Homeworld, and his expertise really shows.
While ultimately derivative of its predecessors, Strike Suit Zero‘s goal as a successfully funded Kickstarter project was clear: Reintroduce the space combat genre and give it the TLC it deserves. In that respect, Strike Suit Zero succeeds admirably, and although it might not herald a revival of the genre, it’s certainly a game that knows who it’s aimed at, with particular attention paid to fans of anime and space sim games. If that’s your bag, then you’ll probably find plenty to enjoy Strike Suit Zero; if not, well, it still has just enough appeal to remain worthy of consideration.
Daniel Horowitz
@horowitzcentral
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