Star Trek: Resurgence presents, primarily, an episode of the sci-fi present in interactive, visible novel type.
The place Starfleet fight sims give attention to phaser battles and starship technique, and infrequently wrestle to seize the numerous sides of the present past the iconography, Dramatic Labs threads life’s ethical quandaries, familial and political themes, and the sheer surprise of the universe all through this sport. Plus all of the “Shields up, pink alert!” and phaser hearth you’d count on from a normal episode of ’90s Trek.
Initially launched in 2023 on PC and non-Change consoles, the dev crew of Telltale veterans makes use of a two-protagonist narrative to ship acquainted (and, for followers, thrilling) starship actions aboard the USS Resolute. First Officer Jara Rydek and Petty Officer Carter Diaz offer you views spanning the ranks, combining day-to-day engineering and office shenanigans with investigation, political intrigue, and stress on the prime, till the 2 characters finally meet and their tales converge.
It is a good strategy to separate these two strands with out contriving a single character to hold the narrative, remedy diplomatic crises, counsel colleagues, beam down on away missions, scan anomalies, administer medical help, and repair the warp core. The crew continues to be the star right here, regardless of this being a Rydek/Diaz episode.
And it is a first rate episode, too; one which nails the present’s mise-en-scène and writing type. Cut up into chapters, the titles (all introduced in Crillee Italic, naturally) riff on previous episode names or notable strains from the franchise. We’re within the Decrease Decks period, timeline followers; so, post-Nemesis, round a decade after TNG’s TV run ended, with Riker on the market on the Titan and everybody carrying the late-season DS9/First Contact uniforms. The Resolute is not the glowing new flagship, although, so there’s loads of previous 2360s LCARS colouring and design language from the sooner exhibits (plus some pretty Kind 6 shuttles) blended in with the sleeker, metallic sheens of the flicks.
It is on to this freshly refitted science vessel that Rydek arrives following an incident that tarnished not simply the ship’s hull however her new CO’s repute. Anxious to rehabilitate his profession, Captain Solano wants his subsequent mission to succeed at any value. There’s stress amongst his crew, too, as others had been eyeing Rydek’s put up.
Once more, that is primarily an interactive novel. Past a few moments the place you may push the left stick ahead to stroll alongside a prescribed path, you may have zero direct management of your character; every atmosphere presents static photographs with interactable icons to analyze, every initiating a brief scene. Dialogue choices affect your relationships — the traditional Telltale ‘X will do not forget that’ branching narrative setup — and the pause menu comprises a abstract of every character’s present opinion of you.
Past conversations, you get to function tools – reordering isolinear chips, modulating service beams, flipping open tricorders and scanning, that type of factor. On a controller, you may be rotating sticks and pushing between icons, whereas in handheld mode the touchscreen has you pushing sliders and hitting prompts. It is easy stuff, however properly carried out.
Each ‘puzzle’ is broadly related (transfer the tricorder round and scan throughout bands to seek out three substances, job finished), however they’re brisk and pleasantly Trek-y, with all the best terminology and sound results. Elsewhere within the audio division, though you do not get any of the exhibits’ recognisable, roaring themes, the rating does a good job of approximating the mid-’90s auditory atmosphere of DS9 or Voyager.
Resurgence is unquestionably a price range manufacturing. The video high quality varies between environments, however the Unreal Engine-powered visuals maintain up surprisingly properly on Change, though it may use an optimisation cross on Change 2, the place issues appeared a bit rougher to my eye. There’s some sleight of hand happening with prerendered video blended in with rendered scenes (at the very least that is what it appears like) and the picture is usually a little smooth, the video a bit uneven, with awkward pauses between deciding on an motion and awaiting the end result. But it surely all nearly hangs collectively, whether or not you are taking part in docked or handheld.
On the subject of issues that might increase a Vulcan’s eyebrow, Fast-Time Occasions really feel as clunky and pointless as ever right here. Elsewhere, a personality appeared at their station lacking some important headwear earlier than it magically materialised a few photographs later. One other time, because the digital camera whip-panned across the bridge, I swear I glimpsed a Bolian I would beforehand dismissed, too.
There’s a bit jank across the edges, then – once more, this is not the flagship. All that mentioned, Dramatic Labs spent its assets in the best locations, 100%. No, you possibly can’t management your characters instantly, however that restriction offers the devs complete management over the digital camera and almost each scene and atmosphere appears like one thing that might have been shot on a Paramount soundstage within the Berman period (together with a visit to ‘Planet Hell’), with good depth of subject and robust route grounding the story properly sufficient that you do not get hung up on minor tech hiccups or uncanny glide-walks.
The facial animation and voice work are glorious, too, conveying feelings precisely within the exhibits’ Shakespearean type, with writing high quality to match. Carter’s received easygoing Geordi vibes which work properly towards Jara’s extra sober, commanding presence, however each are likeable with the actors delivering nice performances. It is a testomony to the writers and performers that Spock and Riker do not feel shoehorned in for the followers, and you would be hard-pressed to inform Piotr Michael’s glorious rendition from Nimoy himself. It is all very properly finished.
Some crewmembers are extra prickly than you’d count on on a Starfleet vessel, however I typically warmed to them – all besides one, who provided solely horrible takes and the worst suggestions. Maybe different characters go into full-on sulks while you shut them down repeatedly, Worf-style, and this one did undergo personally because of a ‘wants of the numerous’ determination I made. In one other playthrough, if I channelled my Mirror Universe self and made completely different decisions, maybe we might be greatest buds.
Past that one officer, although, one of the vital enticing parts of Trek is properly represented right here: the competence porn of seeing skilled, clever individuals doing jobs they get pleasure from, and properly.
It has been some time since I performed Mass Impact, however the stability right here between diplomacy, your personal ethical integrity, and the fact of the scenario put me in that mind set. By tapping right into a story with callbacks to a Season One TNG episode, you get a bit TOS flavour, too: capricious godlike creatures, vitality crystals, and a few nice, ’60s-style hokum. For dyed-in-the-wool Trekkies, it is exhilarating, though the ending — at the very least my ending — left a major plot thread hanging in a means which felt unsatisfying.
Nonetheless, the “seven hours or extra” earlier than the credit rolled have been solidly partaking. Resurgence does not serve up dry starship useful resource administration or frontier technique – it is all in regards to the advanced determination making and ethical quandaries of precise Star Trek, plus the occasional thrill of claiming “On display” or “Interact” or “Energise”. It is correct sufficient with terminology throughout the board to fulfill anybody who is aware of photons from part inducers, and simply scanning crap together with your tricorder is a thrill. It places you in an episode, dwelling that dream of being a hyper-competent Starfleet officer, working with various, intelligent, empathetic individuals in the direction of the higher good. And searching fetching in a jumpsuit when you’re at it.
So, as episodes go, it is a good ‘un. Not a Better of Each Worlds — not one thing you are going to dig out the Blurays for particularly — however a stable mid-Season Three-er that is completely value a (re)watch.
Conclusion
Star Trek: Resurgence is a modest enterprise, however Dramatic Labs did a stellar job of capturing the qualities of the present, particularly its ’90s period, with all of the strengths and weaknesses thereof. As with the present, technically, it’s possible you’ll discover some tough edges, however the creators have labored wonders with their assets. The visible novel stylings right here swimsuit the fabric, and it is received it the place it counts, with glorious writing and performances throughout the board.
Non-Trek followers will not get half as a lot out of it, and also you is probably not tempted to return for a second playthrough. But when the present crop of Trek exhibits is not fairly scratching your itch, Resurgence does an amazing job of transporting you again a technology.
