Now I'm a big Trek fan, and Deep Space Nine is one of my favorite TV shows, so when I heard that this game existed I knew I had to play it despite hearing very mixed reviews about it.
The funny thing is, if you had asked me what I ideally want from a 16-bit game based on DS9, my description would be very similar to what this game is. I'd want to be able to return to the station and wander around in between missions, I'd want to be able to control different cast members, and I'd want platforming segments with methodical combat and puzzle elements a la Prince of Persia (or Blackthorn, given the emphasis on phaser combat).
The game has all these elements and very unfortunately mishandles all of them. You do get to control a few different characters, but all Dr Bashir does is a simple fetch quest and Odo's segment (with shapeshifting elements that actually gave it a lot of potential) is all of five minutes long. Hanging out on DS9 and talking to the various characters is nice until you realize they just repeat the same line over and over, and plenty of the fetch quests needed to open up the next plot point are needlessly drawn out. As an example, at one point I needed to retrieve a dirty robe for evidence only to find out from the owner that it was sent for repair. So I immediately seek out Garak, the ship's tailor, only to find him repeating his canned dialogue and not advancing the plot. Turns out I had to go find a different NPC in a deserted part of the ship who would tell me to find Garak, and only then would I actually be able to retrieve the robe from Garak's shop.
Those minor annoyances aside, the meat of the game is in the platforming sections and those are really rough. The combat is shallow, and the "puzzle" elements can barely be called that, essentially boiling down to trial-and-error obstacles and talking to the right characters at the right time. The platforming is extremely clumsy and frequently forces you to make blind jumps, and even if you know where you're going the slippery controls make it too easy to accidentally run off a ledge to your death. But perhaps the worst thing about the platforming is that they went with a Prince of Persia-style control scheme (which is ideal for slower and more methodical games), but went on to make a majority of the game timed missions. It's like playing Bayonetta with OG Resident Evil controls, and it completely smashed any semblance of game feel that the platforming segments could have had.
I like to imagine that the many issues with this game are more due to inexperience than negligence - it really did feel like the devs had more than a passing familiarity with the source material and were trying their best to do it justice. That, and the fact that Morn is in this game, is the only thing that saves it from an even lower score.
The funny thing is, if you had asked me what I ideally want from a 16-bit game based on DS9, my description would be very similar to what this game is. I'd want to be able to return to the station and wander around in between missions, I'd want to be able to control different cast members, and I'd want platforming segments with methodical combat and puzzle elements a la Prince of Persia (or Blackthorn, given the emphasis on phaser combat).
The game has all these elements and very unfortunately mishandles all of them. You do get to control a few different characters, but all Dr Bashir does is a simple fetch quest and Odo's segment (with shapeshifting elements that actually gave it a lot of potential) is all of five minutes long. Hanging out on DS9 and talking to the various characters is nice until you realize they just repeat the same line over and over, and plenty of the fetch quests needed to open up the next plot point are needlessly drawn out. As an example, at one point I needed to retrieve a dirty robe for evidence only to find out from the owner that it was sent for repair. So I immediately seek out Garak, the ship's tailor, only to find him repeating his canned dialogue and not advancing the plot. Turns out I had to go find a different NPC in a deserted part of the ship who would tell me to find Garak, and only then would I actually be able to retrieve the robe from Garak's shop.
Those minor annoyances aside, the meat of the game is in the platforming sections and those are really rough. The combat is shallow, and the "puzzle" elements can barely be called that, essentially boiling down to trial-and-error obstacles and talking to the right characters at the right time. The platforming is extremely clumsy and frequently forces you to make blind jumps, and even if you know where you're going the slippery controls make it too easy to accidentally run off a ledge to your death. But perhaps the worst thing about the platforming is that they went with a Prince of Persia-style control scheme (which is ideal for slower and more methodical games), but went on to make a majority of the game timed missions. It's like playing Bayonetta with OG Resident Evil controls, and it completely smashed any semblance of game feel that the platforming segments could have had.
I like to imagine that the many issues with this game are more due to inexperience than negligence - it really did feel like the devs had more than a passing familiarity with the source material and were trying their best to do it justice. That, and the fact that Morn is in this game, is the only thing that saves it from an even lower score.
2 Comments
Great point on the timing, but I think even if they had released the game later it's likely they would have stuck with the same plot - this game had Kai Opaka and Bashir hitting on Dax, suggesting that it's meant to take place really early in the chronology of the series. I guess it made sense because they wanted something that players could jump into with little prior knowledge of the show, but I can't imagine the gameplay won over many new fans.
Also, every episode you mentioned is excellent (Duet is probably one of my favorite across all of Trek) and I now need to watch DS9 again.
Also, every episode you mentioned is excellent (Duet is probably one of my favorite across all of Trek) and I now need to watch DS9 again.
Uni
2 years ago
On the other hand, an episode like The Siege of AR-558 coming out afterwards would have retroactively made a Dominion War shooter of... questionable taste.