Publisher:
Shareware
Developer: Topfiero
Review By: Brian Rubin
Published On: Monday,
December 18, 2000
Introduction
Space Combat sims have been around
for a very long time, but it was the original Wing
Commander that put the genre into the spotlight. These
games give us heavy doses of sci-fi action, a lot of
plot, and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, one aspect of
these games, the plot, can get old real fast, and many
people find themselves skipping the usual FMV cut-scenes
in order to get to the next action sequence. This is
where Star Wraith comes in.
According to the website, the philosophy behind this
shareware space sim is simple:
“I've always enjoyed a good space combat game.
Most are fun to play and challenging to master. However,
I was always disappointed by the fact that such games
required putting up with dull movies, drawn out plots,
and massive disk space requirements. Often, I didn't
want to play the roll of an actor or become involved in
a pointless plot, I just wanted to dogfight in a
rewarding space combat simulation. I found that many
other players felt the same way. There were a few space
sims that offered straightforward combat action, but the
graphics were frequently bland and the technology a
little behind the times. So I set out to make a
simulation that would include the graphics, sound, and
combat action of modern space sims, but without the
disk-space-hungry movies and plots. I asked other gamers
what they would like to see in a simplified space combat
game, suggestions included easy controls, intense
action, wingmen commands, squadron options, performance
tracking, mission creation, solid AI, and various weapon
options. As a result, Star Wraith includes all of these
in a small 7-megabyte download. If the game has enough
interest, I plan to add more features that may include
new ships, weapons, environments, options, graphics,
sounds, and probably multiplayer support.”
Sounds simple enough, right? Does Star Wraith deliver
on all of these promises while remaining a small
download as well as a shareware product? Read on and
find out my friend.
Documentation
None was included, so this section
doesn’t apply.
Gameplay
Game play in Star Wraith is exceedingly
easy to get into, which is a good thing. The basic
targeting, weapons, and wingman commands are all there,
and they’re pretty intuitive to figure out. While we
don’t have the complexity of, say, Freespace 2, we have
enough here to keep us going for a long time.
Game play is basically the same as most other games
of this type…get a mission, fly the mission, destroy a
bunch of stuff, fly home. The nice thing about Star
Wraith is that…that’s it. This minimalist approach to
the game play is quite refreshing, and keeps the game
quick and intense.
There are a few aspects to the game that can also
keep it fresh. While you only fly one ship in the game
(more may be added later), you have a variety of weapons
to outfit your craft with, such as different lasers and
missiles. These weapons differ in their power usage,
explosive yield, and so on, and can help you find the
perfect balance between offensive power and speed.
We also have basic wingman commands, such as
attacking your target. Other than that, that’s really
it. There’s no jumping between sectors, no mid-mission
briefings, no fat, just get in there, do your job, and
get home. While some might think this would get boring,
the single player options (outlined below) keep the game
fresh.
So how does it fly once you get into the game? Pretty
darned well, if I do say so myself. The flight model is
very reminiscent of the heavy hitters in the genre, such
as Freespace 2 or Wing Commander, but a few added extras
have been thrown in. When your ship’s shields are hit
with a weapon, it’ll shake your ship off course, making
flying under a laser barrage quite difficult. While this
was frustrating at first, I actually appreciated its
inclusion since it made evasion much more a tactic than
other sims where lasers just bounce off your shield with
no other effects.
Overall, this minimalist approach to the genre is a
great shot in the arm, and the game play, while simpler
in terms of scope than others, still manages to be a
helluva lot of fun.
Visuals
The
graphics in Star Wraith are quite good for a shareware
release. While the HUD might look to be a bit sparse in
terms of graphical flair, it gets the job done. The
environmental graphics remind me a bit of Freespace 2,
definitely not to shabby at all. The ships aren’t too
detailed, but that’s okay. The weapons effects are
pretty well done, and the effects they have on shields
are also well represented. Overall, as with any
shareware release, the graphics aren’t the big selling
point, but in this case, they’re pretty darned
good.
Aurals
The audio portion to the game is
also pretty good. Weapons sound sufficiently “laser-y”,
and missiles have that nice “wooshing” effect. When a
shield is hit, it gives a satisfactory “electric-bolt”
sound, letting you know that a hit has bee scored.
There’s only music in the menu, but that’s not a bad
thing, as it doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay.
Overall, the sound is minimal, but gets the job
done.
Solo
This game has two options to the
solo player, a randomly generated campaign, and
instant-action missions. We’ll first take a look at the
instant action missions. In instant action, you have
three choices, free flight, gauntlet, and create. Free
flight is pretty self explanatory (fly around at your
leisure), as is gauntlet (wave after wave of enemy
coming down upon you). The create mode is the most
interesting of the three, as it allows you to create
your own missions based on a set of parameters you set
up, such as type of mission (defend, escort, strike,
etc), the amount of enemies, wingmen, capital ships, as
well as what type of environment this will take place
in. The creator allows you to create a wide variety of
missions, extending the products legs.
The campaign is the real meat of the program,
however. This campaign is randomly generated, so you’ll
never fly the same series of missions twice. The goal is
always the same (beat back the enemy), but the missions
you’ll fly are always different. We have all the usual
suspects here, from strike missions, escort missions,
and scout missions, to shooting down enemy torpedoes
before they hit your carrier. The variety here is
impressive, and will keep you coming back. Star Wraith
also allows you to track your statistics, and keeps you
apprised of your weapon usage and accuracy in detail.
What’s missing here, that other games in this genre
have? Well, character creation, advancement in rank, and
a detailed plot are all thrown out here, but in a way,
this is quite refreshing, as it allows you to quickly
get into combat with little mess or fuss. Overall, we
have here a VERY fun and playable space combat sim that
gets rid of the extraneous stuff found in other games
and just gives us the combat, which is why we’re playing
these games in the first place. I’d have to conclude
that, for $15, this is one heck of a game.
Multiplayer
This feature isn’t in Star Wraith,
but it is promised.
Fun Factor
I’ve actually had a ball playing
Star Wraith. It’s fun, easy to get into and play, and
easy on the eyes as well. One can actually lose a lot of
time playing this game, as it definitely gives you that
“one more mission” feeling. The missions are varied
enough to keep you interested, and not worrying about a
campaign or storyline was a real benefit, as it allowed
me to concentrate on the fun.
Wrap Up: