"Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes" shows me what overpowering Cylons are
A constant lack of resources and the constant threat from the Cylons make "Scattered Hopes" a tough challenge. In this narrative tactics game, the survival of a fleet of spaceships is down to me and my decisions.
I wish I had time for a coffee. But that's not going to happen. As commander of the «Scimitar», a Gunstar-class military escort ship, I can't catch my breath. I'm responsible for my Gunstar and the many people on board. Several civilian ships are also relying on my protection. We are on the run from the hopelessly superior Cylons. These are artificial beings that were originally constructed as servants for humanity and want to take revenge on their builders through nuclear genocide.
As if we didn't already have enough problems with these toasters. There's also a lack of fuel and materials to repair the ships, which are on the verge of falling apart thanks to the constant Cylon attacks. Whether we survive the next battle is written in the stars. And then some civilians, technicians or other people keep coming in and shitting on me from the side because they don't have enough soap to take a shower. By the gods!
I make a quick decision, then the alarm goes off: the Cylons are here, the battle is about to begin. Frak! The coffee stops again.
On the run from the Cylons
If you watched the cult series «Battlestar Galactica» in the early 2000s, you will quickly feel at home in «Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes». The game picks up on numerous situations from the series. This starts with the story, which is strongly reminiscent of the first episode of the series.
The small fleet that I lead with my Gunstar has survived the surprise attack by the Cylons on the human colonies. We're trying to make our way to Commander Adama and his capital ship, the Battlestar «Galactica». But the Cylons are hot on our heels. By making faster-than-light jumps to other star systems, we are always able to narrowly escape the Cylons' numerical superiority.
After the jumps, I have some time for repairs and important decisions before the Cylons determine our position and force me into another fight. It takes two real-time minutes to calculate the next faster-than-light jump and thus pull the ships out of the fight. That's how long I have to fend off the attacks. This short time is really tough: because I can't win against the superior forces, it's all about survival.
Twelve star systems to get through this game of turn-based fleet management and real-time deployment phases. Then hopefully I'll reach Adama's fleet and can hand over responsibility.
However, this is anything but easy: the Cylons really heat things up for me in the battles and in the fleet management phase I sometimes only repair the damage from the previous battle with great difficulty.
I can't do without the civilian ships
Due to its diverse content, «Scattered Hopes» can hardly be categorised into a single genre: The game describes itself as a narrative-tactical roguelite. The constant lack of resources reminds me of «Frostpunk», but without the moral component. In «Scattered Hopes» I only make indirect decisions about life and death: an unwise use of resources or a hasty order in battle can mean the loss of a civilian ship with hundreds of souls on board.
This is not only tragic, but also means the loss of valuable supplies. The civilian ships rely on my protection, but only they produce the supplies I need for repairs and upgrades. For practical reasons alone, I therefore have a great interest in protecting all the ships. Nevertheless, in my first round, I lose both accompanying civilian ships in a difficult battle. Out of frustration (and shame), I restart the tutorial.
«Scattered Hopes» has got me hooked. The game is complex and a series of small and large disasters. But that's exactly what I enjoy so much - and I want to make it to Adama.
In the beginning, I have three hero characters at my side: the XO (my deputy), the CAG (chief of the flight squadrons) and the chief engineer. With special bonuses, they can offer decisive advantages in combat and in the Management phase or, with good morale, help me to gain helpful opportunities in the social structure of the ship. Later on, I can recruit more heroes, provided I have enough resources. However, heroic help is not cast in concrete. The heroes can also die or get angry with me and then cause me problems.
Real-time battles in the deployment phase
I experience the battles on a two-dimensional tactical map. The aim is not to destroy the Cylon ship, but simply to fend off its attack waves. To do this, the enemy sends squadrons of different ship types into battle, which try to bomb my three ships to pieces.
My Gunstar's on-board weapons do a lot of damage, but they also have a long cooldown. That's why I save them for particularly tricky situations. In defence of the fleet, I mainly use the combat squadrons that launch from the flight deck. These include the fast «Viper» for close combat battles familiar from the series and the «Raptor», which are slower but can attack enemies over longer distances with their artillery.
I quickly learn that I won't survive long if I don't read the characteristics of my units and my opponents carefully. Fortunately, I can pause the battle at any time to survey the situation and issue orders. As I am constantly outnumbered in battle, I have to think tactically. This forces me to utilise my entire repertoire of weapons and units as well as my accumulated experience. In other words: I'm having real fun.
When the two-minute timer finally ticks down to zero and my fleet and squadrons can leave the battle reasonably unscathed, I experience a real sense of elation.
Damage repair in the fleet management phase
After the battle, I can take a deep breath. But only briefly, because there's a lot to do: In addition to repairs, I have to find new fuel for the ships, complete resource expeditions, issue promotions (level-ups), upgrade the ships if possible and train their crews, as well as deal with all kinds of major and minor crises. These range from small disputes, fires and epidemics to mass unrest.
What reads like a simple to-do list actually takes a lot of time and sometimes a lot of nerves. The resources I need for almost every action are notoriously scarce. I also have to take into account the delicate balance of the various factions in the fleet.
As in the series, there are various factions pursuing their own interests: the underworld - dealers, thieves and spies -, the labour force and the military. These factions can help me gain additional resources or make my life a living hell through acts of sabotage. Many decisions improve my reputation with one faction and at the same time worsen it with another.
I sometimes miss a detailed overview of the current reputation status of a faction or hero here. There is only a display that roughly shows the status. But that's complaining on a high level.
The fleet management phase lasts a certain number of rounds (or in other words: actions). Most of the time, I can perform all useful actions in one phase, but sometimes I can't do everything because the number of crises is too high.
As soon as I have used up all the turns in the current sector, Cylons appear on the Dradis (the radar system) and I have to prepare for the next battle. Unresolved crises continue to accompany me into the following fleet management phase - often in an aggravated form.
The Cylons are among us
An important part of the series «Battlestar Galactica» are the human-like Cylons who infiltrate the survivors' ships and pretend to be part of the crew. I would have been surprised if this didn't also happen in «Scattered Hopes». And so it does.
After successfully surviving a few sectors, I learn that there is a Cylon among my heroes. From now on, I can no longer trust anyone. In addition to the actions of the turn-based phase, there are now lengthy Cylon investigations. As long as I haven't unmasked the Cylon spy, he will carry out acts of sabotage every few turns.
At the moment, I have not yet been able to reach Adama's fleet. But I'm working hard on it and will protect my fleet until it's safe.
So say we all.
«Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes» has been available for PC via GOG and Steam since 11 May. The game was provided to me by Dotemu for testing purposes.
In a nutshell
Excellent fan service and a tough challenge
When I first started "Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes", I was sceptical. The trailers seemed too ambitious and I was expecting to be disappointed. But after fifteen minutes, I sat mesmerised in front of the screen and couldn't stop. Not because it is so demanding, but precisely because of that: Because there's so much to think about and because I'm running on fumes the whole time.
The game draws me deep into the complex world of tactical battles, resource management, social crises and the constant feeling of not being able to catch my breath for a second.
"Scattered Hopes" translates the spirit of the series perfectly into the gameplay. The music, soundscape, officer ranks and even the dialogue pick up elements from "Battlestar Galactica". Many of the situations and crises that I have to overcome in the game are based on story elements from the series. Even Commander Adama makes a brief appearance.
Pro
- "Battlestar Galactica" feeling through and through
- High level of difficulty that suits the setting
- Real tactics instead of just overrunning the opponent
- Coherent realisation of central story elements of the series
- All gameplay elements interlock perfectly
Contra
- Lack of detailed information on the reputation status of factions and heroes
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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