Overview of *Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown*
Upon first hearing about *Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown*, the intriguing concept captured our attention: players take command of the starship *Voyager*, which is unexpectedly sent 70,000 light-years into the Delta Quadrant. Your mission involves making crucial decisions to ensure the ship’s survival. This includes managing resources, choosing between diplomacy and combat, monitoring crew morale, and assigning teams for various missions, where every choice could spell life or death. Will you successfully navigate *Voyager* home or forge a different path?
First Impressions from the Demo
When Gamexcite released a new demo for the game during Steam Next Fest, I couldn’t wait to experience it. I prepared myself with a cup of Janeway’s favorite coffee and jumped into the game. Although *Across the Unknown* shows great promise, the introductory segments felt overly guided, which limited the game’s potential to shine.
Gameplay Mechanics
The demo guides you through an extensive tutorial centered around the events of *Voyager*’s pilot episode, “Caretaker.” To familiarize players with its mechanics, such as resource management and crew management, the game breaks away from the main narrative. You’ll scan planets for resources and manage systems aboard *Voyager*, addressing the aftermath of its long-distance jump and the need to clear debris while rebuilding critically damaged facilities.
Linear Narrative Choices
However, players quickly find themselves following the established storyline of “Caretaker,” which often restricts engagement with the more intriguing choice-based elements of the game. Those familiar with the *Trek* universe know what to expect: a familiar sequence of events transpiring in the Delta Quadrant, including mysterious entities, missing crew members, and decisions that will determine the ship’s fate regarding the Kazon.
Experimenting with Decisions
In my first attempt, I adhered closely to the original episode, assigning character roles faithfully. The game subtly encourages doing so with each character equipped with stats advantageous for various missions. Choices presented to me—like whether to rescue certain crew members or destroy a vital array—were made with care. However, the tutorial nature of the demo dulled the gravity of those choices.
Exploring Alternative Strategies
After completing my first run, I decided to see how chaotic I could be as a captain. I opted to minimize resource management and neglected the crew’s well-being, further pushing against the narrative constraints of the demo. On away missions, I sent poorly equipped crew members into high-risk situations, testing the limits of their skills during skill checks. Unfortunately, my reckless decisions led to “Away Mission Failed” screens, indicating that the game’s narrative slips back into familiar rails instead of allowing for deeper consequences.
Future Potential
While *Across the Unknown* has many interesting mechanics, the initial demo leaves much to desire regarding player agency. Fans of *Star Trek* hoping to explore the show’s premise in innovative ways might find the early gameplay constraining. As the full game is developed, it remains to be seen how much freedom players will have in altering *Voyager*’s fate, despite hints at more significant plot alterations in the future.
