In March earlier this year, I mentioned that Battlestar Galactica Deadlock (BGD) had released its final DLC for Season 1, Sin and Sacrifice. I am happy to announce that Season 2 has started, with an brand new storyline. BGD: Resurrection was released 29 August 2019, developed by Black Lab Games and published by Slitherine Ltd.
Contents
STORY
Season 2’s story starts with a bang. After the Kobal Alliance betrayed everybody three years before, the alliance of the Twelve Colonies has been completed severed. Colonial Fleet were abandoned and many went their own ways. The most essential background element to the game is the year-long ceasefire by Lachesis, which came to an end. This caused a flux of Cyclon Forces invading two-thirds of the remaining colonies.
So where do we fit into the story? Well, we’ve pretty much had enough. The title of the DLC is very apt here. At the very first mission, we resurrect Galactica, our infamous battlestar. This leads us into a ten-mission story, with several resource missions to help us tank up our fleet and squadrons.
I’m not going to spoil the story for you. However, I will state that the story is very engaging, especially for Battlestar Galactica fans. There is so much engaging content when it comes to the story-telling, that if this were a book I would call it a page-turner for sure. This will appeal to science fiction fans everywhere, and builds wonderfully upon the already fantastic story from Season 1.
What I really loved about the story was the tension between certain characters. You can almost feel the ice between some of them, while others reveal respect and utterly loyalty. The developers really put thought not only into the story, but the development of character relationships, which is important for story plot arcs.
GAMEPLAY
I’m sure I have said this before and will many times hereafter. If you are not a fan of space travelling, turn-based strategy games, walk away. If any game goes to the technical extreme of churning out this type of gameplay, it is this one.
Having said that, I am all for it!! I live for this type of gameplay. For those of you who have never picked up BGD before, let me give you a quick run through it. You have a lobby of sorts, which is your War Room. Here, you get to prepare your ships, build new ships with resources you acquire through Resource Missions, see the requirements for the main missions, and get your Battlestar Galactica and other fleet prepared and upgraded.
You need to pay key attention to strategy here. I’ve had to rework my ships a few times after failing missions. It all comes down to what arsenal and setup you are going in with. Once you enter your mission, you start by choosing the direction you want your ships to move, then selecting any nearby enemies you want to target and what ammo you want to utilise. Don’t forget to send out your squadrons too, as the enemy surely will and these squads can mow down your Battlestars if you aren’t careful.
Each mission is then carried out in turns. But it isn’t a case of ‘you go, AI goes’. Rather, as soon as you tell the turn to start, everything happens at once. Your ships obey your latest command, while the AI attacks your ships at the same time. End of turn, everything freezes and starts all over for the next turn.
It is this kind of action that really gets my heart racing. Did I select the right ammo? Was I right to send the squadrons out too early? No, my Jupiter Battlestar is down!!!!!!!
So for all the veteran BGD players, what is new? Well, the Galactica War Room has been revamped to make it easier to get into the fray. The new Jupiter Galactica MK II has new firepower and armour, while the Cyclon Command have built a new Cratus-class basestar. For squadrons, the Colonials have the Taipan, hardy fighters that are heavy hitting anti-capital strike vehicles, and the Cyclons have the Vespid, a swarm of dedicated bombers that quickly close the distance and release high yield explosives on their targets.
In summary, BDG Resurrection continues its gameplay from before with improved features, which just makes the game a delight to play for a strategist like me. It can be rather hard to get into for noobs, even on an easier difficulty setting and with the expansive tutorial. The game may also get tedious once you get far along into the game, and you are struggling to determine the best strategy for the mission. But once you get the knack for it, you will be simply love it.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
BDG Resurrection leans heavily on the same graphics from Season 1. It’s hard to fault a game with such great design and graphical detail. I simply love how you can move around the ships while you are preparing your turn, zooming in on any of your battlestars and studying the projectory of the ships before they engage in battle. The action sequences are also superb, although minimal, and you can see the level of design they’ve done for all their ships. There are a few video sequences between missions and while you are loading up a mission, which are also enjoyable to watch.
The user interface is very easy to use, even in the WAR Room, however newbies may struggle at first to get the hang around moving through the various sections even after the tutorial. However, this does not take away from the fact that the design was structured in such a way to make it as easy as possible to work through your menus.
BSG Resurrection features four new tracks from composer Ash Gibson Greig, two story cinematics, and a cast of both new and familiar voices. So while Season 1 already had amazing music and sound, Season 2 just builds upon it. I have always loved games that had great voice acting. Hell, I prefer listening to words than reading text on the screen with no voices at all. The team went all out to make sure you get the best experience, not just visually, but audibly too.
FINAL VERDICT
BGD: Resurrection serves as a fantastic start to Season 2 in the BGD universe. With new features being added, as well as new voices and soundtrack, you will simply love being called back into battle. Having always been a fan of space strategy games, I am simply inlove with all that the game has to offer.
Sadly, this type of game isn’t for everyone, and I already know a few gamers who would roll their eyes at a game like this. So if you don’t like space turn-based strategy games, I’d be careful heading over to buy it. Then again, BGD makes it so easy to play, it may just win you over to the genre.
Be that as it may, the game itself is definitely worth buying, especially if you are a hardcore space strategy veteran. It’s hard for me to think of any other game like this that is better. An easy 9/10 score.
**PLEASE NOTE: AIR Entertainment were supplied with a review copy of the game. This has in no way influenced my views on the game as per our Review Policy**
