So, say we all!
There are few franchises that I can think of that fit the genre of roguelike better than Battlestar Galactica. If you are a listener to the ZTGD Podcast then you already know that I am a YUGE fan of science fiction, and while I never got into the older Battlestar series I was aware of it. However, I LOVE the remake series from 2004, that show was groundbreaking in the best ways and it’s funny how the seeds of warnings about A.I. were being planted even then. But its this show that the Scattered Hopes game is based on and even though this game is hard as the fictional metal; adamantium, I absolutely loved it.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes doesn’t put players in control of the legendary ship but instead it has a rather genius hook. In the series after the Cylon’s have returned and laid waste to the colonies, Commander Adama gathered civilian ships and formed a fleet. He put out a call to the remaining survivors and invited them to join up with the Galactica as they make their way to the fabled 13th colony; Earth. It’s here where the game takes place, players will take command of a Gunstar (think a proto-Battlestar) first but will have access to other ships after unlocking them. The objective is to meet up with the Galactica in 10 turns with all the Cylons in the way; no pressure.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
Scattered Hopes is a roguelite in nature which means players will need to get used to failing. There is a deep tutorial that allows players to continue that run into the main game, which is a nice little perk. What players should understand at the outset is that this is a game of survival. You are not attacking the Cylons, instead you spend each attack cycle defending your fledging fleet like a mama bird. And the toasters (Cylons) will send everything they have at you. Classic ships like Cylon Raiders and their Heavy variants but here there are sniper class ships which of course specialize in long range attacks and more. Seriously, there are a ton of various ships that players will have to go up against, but they will have a hanger full themselves to combat the treat.
Classic fighter ships like the Vipers of course will form the backbone of players navel force. Players will also have access to sniper class ships and more, initially only being able to have one ship out as they progress, they can upgrade their ships with more hanger slots. As I said, this game is a roguelite and players will have to make many, many decisions along their journey to the Galactica. Among those will be how best to spend the limited resources. Perhaps you are a player who wants to put their faith in defensive cannons and nukes, instead of fighter ships; the flexibility of the R & D upgrade tree allows for various paths to success; even if it has so far eluded me.
In addition to the combat players will have to handle the everyday needs of civilians along the way. This presents itself to players as crisis that will pop up randomly, these can range from a ship suffering a radiation leak and its passengers dying to the Underworld faction stealing supplies. Each of these will have multiple ways of solving them and they will provide buffs or debuffs based on if it was passed or failed. Hero characters will help to influence the outcome of all of these situations that will occur under players’ watches. These characters can be leveled up and will provide major passive and active ability bonuses to ships in the hanger as well as the weapons on the Gunstar. Of course, there is also a pretty big negative to having a bunch of heroes on board as well.
If you are sensitive to spoilers then this is your warning for a major plot point in this now 22-year-old series.
….this is your last chance to avoid the spoiler.
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So, after players pass the first boss fight in the game the big twist that fans of the show already knew about finally reveals itself in game; the Cylons look like humans. Just as in the show, almost immediately chaos breaks out among the players fleet as everyone is skeptical of each other. Players will now have a Security option which tracks all of their heroes and allows them to be investigated. So now in addition to making sure the fleet is repaired and stocked, players will have to spend resources in order to root this Cylon out; because leaving them amounts to a major problem popping up every few turns. It was about this time that the game had me feeling absolutely and completely overwhelmed, but in a good way. Each decision I made from this point on felt heavier, do I send someone to investigate this wreck, or hold those resources to further the search for the enemy Cylon. I loved having to contend with these decisions, again even if I ended up not making it to the Galactica.
I would be remiss if I didn’t speak on the fantastic job that developer Alt Shift has done with the cutscenes and music in Scattered Hopes. Upon booting the game up fans of the series will instantly be hit with nostalgia with the melodic voice and the visual shots of ships and planets shortly before the chaos of the Cylon attack. I never say this, but I got chills hearing that music for the first time in such a long time. But their dedication didn’t just stop at the music or CGI because the in-game graphics are every bit as good. Scattered Hopes features a pixel-art-inspired aesthetic, much like the developer’s previous title, Crying Suns, but there is a greater level of depth and polish here that takes it to the next level in my opinion.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a phenomenal experience for newcomers as well as long time fans of the show. Like I said at the outset, I can’t think of a better fit for a roguelite game; a genre that is based on survival, risk vs. reward and more. Basically, the very definition of what the Battlestar revival series is; developer Alt Shift took that and has delivered a fantastic video game experience that emulates the shows high pressure tension as well as fits nicely in the lore. As a fan of the show, who can ask for anything more?
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
