BATTLESTAR GALACTICA DEADLOCK a ton of tactical fun with rich depth on many levels. The voice acting is excellent with a strong Battlestar Galactica military flavor.
I’ve never been a Battlestar Galactica fan but games like Homeworld and the absolutely insane subterfuge of Eve Online make me green with envy over tactical space sims. Always nice to look at, I’ve rarely turned my hand at playing them. Slitherine’s Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock provides me with an introduction with a tactical, turn-based effort for me to sink my teeth into.
At first glance, this game seems light on content. The main menu presents you with a campaign and an offline skirmish mode that presents you with AI opponents. There’s no multiplayer to speak of which, in comparison with the PC version that arrived in August, puts the console edition at something of a disadvantage. It’s a lean package that has to rely on it’s campaign to maintain a player’s attention. Thankfully, it’s engrossing and presented well enough to do just that.
With over a dozen missions, the campaign spoon feeds the basics to you before layering on more complex situations. There’s a lot of depth on offer as you consider enemy armaments, positioning. You can tinker several aspects from focusing fire on specific enemies, manage subsystems and so on. There’s a lot of sliders on show that you can utilise to great effect as the need arises. For a newcomer like me, it’s a little overbearing but, given how slight the package is, the game needs it. It allows the campaign to feel very replayable. All in all, this could see you kill twelve hours with each mission seemingly taking around thirty minutes.
Gameplay is very tactical. Battles usually revolve around eliminating threats and you’ll find yourself weighing up your options whilst trying to remain on the move. It’s turn-based which allows plenty of time to consider movements and attacks. Prioritising targets and fleet composition is key as lost ships count towards the campaign as a whole. Mistakes are duly punished. Lose too many ships in a mission and, unless you can rush new ones into the fray, you’re knackered for the foreseeable future. Consequences seem heavy, even on the easier difficulty which can lead to some frustration. Save scumming is advised if you’re having a tough time of things as you can’t revisit previous missions. AI’s a little predictable as the Cylons revisit the same tactics throughout the story but it still offers a stern challenge.
Whilst the main story is the focus, side-missions allow you gather additional resources to bolster your fleet. They’re timed and will disappear after a number of turns. It really helps turn the pressure up as you manage turns in and out of the war room. At the commander’s table you can pick these whilst also managing your build queue, listen to mission briefings and jump to your various fleets. Objectives range from simple elimination of targets to escorting wounded vessels. There’s a variety that will test your mettle as you look to gain a foothold in the first Cylon war.
Presentation is strong with some impressive visuals showing off the scale of battle. Replays allow you to sit back and watch a successful mission play out with cinematic camera angles showing the detailed ship models and explosions. The music on offer is traditionally spacey and operatic which fits the tone of the series fairly well. Cut-scenes are sparingly used but the campaign opens and closes with some suitably bombastic moments. Mission briefings are delivered in a fairly typical Command and Conquer style with your only contact with a fellow human being coming via some text, voice-work and a character portrait. The acting is good and sets each scrap up well but it lacks a little flourish. The arenas of battle look somewhat sparse and samey, despite the occasional obstacle. Whilst you’re mostly focused on the fight ahead, it’s a shame the wide expanse of space wasn’t given a little more life.
The Skirmish mode offers an offline battle against the AI with a few scenarios available for you to tinker with. Sadly, it lacks the race against time that helps the campaign feel more urgent. At best, you can test out new ships and strategies in a safe environment. It’s a shame there’s no online component because I feel like this game could really shine from direct, human competition.
Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock will not please everyone. There’s a strong tactical core to the campaign which makes each fight feel important and vital to a larger conflict. Unfortunately, is a slim offering on the whole. The absence of multiplayer cuts the game off at the knees but there is some merit in replaying the story scenarios again.
Battlestar Galactica: DeadlockPros+ Faithful to the source material.
+ Engrossing, tactical combat.
+ Challenging, entertaining campaign.
+ Enjoyable musical score.
Cons+ Engrossing, tactical combat.
+ Challenging, entertaining campaign.
+ Enjoyable musical score.
- Very, very light on content.
- No multiplayer.
- Skirmish mode lacks the depth and time management of the campaign.
- Visually, a little uninspired.
Summary- No multiplayer.
- Skirmish mode lacks the depth and time management of the campaign.
- Visually, a little uninspired.
Fans will certainly enjoy what Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock has to offer. Despite the slight offering, there's a faithfulness to the source material that's appreciated. The tough race against time that is the campaign will keep players enthralled for hours. It's hard to justify the price, particularly with the lack of multiplayer, but what's here is executed well.
The memories of our youth can hold many things, be it a favourite toy as a child or a particular holiday. Events too, can hold a significance within our memories or regularities within the family circle, such as traditions or a change from the norm. For me, one of those memories involves sitting in the front room on a Saturday evening, with our tea on our laps, usually consisting of fresh prawns and crusty rolls, whilst we all munched along to the television serial, Battlestar Galactica. It was a sort of tradition in our house when I was a young teen, watching all the American shows such as Buck Rogers, The A Team and Airwolf. But my biggest standout point is always the sci-fi sagas of Starbuck, Boomer and that lovable robot dog, Muffit.
The series has since seen a more modern makeover, with better special effects, zooming camera angles, a new cast and redesigned ships. Admittedly, it’s not a series I have yet watched, but that didn’t deter me from trying my hand at Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock as it launches its Vipers to release upon the Nintendo Switch.Developed by Black Lab Games, with publishing through Slitherine Ltd, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock first released on the PC platform in 2017 and has seen subsequent releases on the PS4 and Xbox One since then. This new release for the Nintendo Switch offers the same experience, only this time around, it’s fully portable and comes with touch-screen support. It plays as a 3D, tactical space combat simulator that works in a turn-based mechanic by selecting Battlestars, Cruisers, Corvettes and Fighter craft, then plotting a trajectory for each unit and issuing a set of commands to flank, evade and dominate the opposing forces of the Cylon fleets.The story follows the events of the First Cylon War from the updated television series, but like me, if you’ve never seen this serial but are still a fan of the classic Battlestar Galactica, there’s still a huge amount here to fall in love with. Following a surprise attack from the Cylons, the Colonials are left reeling from the destruction of the fleet’s high command on the Planet Picon. With the acquisition of the new Battlestar class of dreadnoughts on the horizon, it’s left up to you, under the guidance of Rear-Admiral Lucinda Cain, to take command of the fleet from the bridge of the mobile shipyards, Daidalos, to quell the threat and onslaught of a new wave of Cylon hostilities.
You must build up your fleet to full strength again, protect the Quorum Alliance and free the Twelve Colonies from the Cylon threat.The game follows an episodic style of level, each one revolving around the escalating conflict between the Colonial fleet and the robotic Cylons. From your Command Centre, you design and build a fleet of powerful capitol ships from the Manticore Corvette to the menacing might of the Jupiter Class Battlestars.