Gratuitous Space Battles Review (PC)

Which personality represents your play style more? Captain Kirk or Captain Picard? If you know who they are and actually have a preference on the matter, then you are one step closer to enjoying Gratuitous Space Battles.

No, I don’t mean you’ll enjoy big fights that occur in space for no reason. Though I guess you’d like that as well. I’m talking about a game. It’s called Gratuitous Space Battles. There is no plot to the game or purpose except to build armadas that attack other massive fleets. That’s it. No politics, no trade, not even a resource pumping machine to build. Just drop in what ships you want in battle and hit “go”.

As simple as it sounds, the game is actually pretty complex. While the first few missions may appeal to a broad range of players the later levels will pluck the real Admirals out of a group of wannabe third rate lieutenants. This is where the opening question carries significance. If you’re a Captain Kirk, you prefer to jump into the action and beat everything up until a sexy hot diplomat presents herself to be seduced by your manly machismo. If you’re a Captain Picard, you are a careful strategist that never does anything without considering the overall consequences it may have. The world needs both kinds of captains, but only one will succeed well at Gratuitous Space Battles.

This game is built for Picards. If you are an armchair general that enjoys the preparation for battle as much as, or more than, the battle itself then this game is for you. You can customize each type of ship with weaponry, equipment and defenses before deploying them into a fight. While you can simply place your ships and jump into the fray, it would serve you better to modify each ship’s A.I. You can determine their priorities in combat as well as special tactics, such as only going after enemies that are near death or only attacking foes your comrades are attacking. All of these are delivered in a manner that any layman can understand and play with, but the amount of time required to properly prepare can easily bore those with itchy trigger fingers.