Join the rowdy Space Marshal crew on their latest misadventure in outer space. Strap those boots on, gear up and get ready to hunt space crooks! This is a story driven action game with an emphasis on stealth and tactical combat.
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Coming from the previous game to Space Marshals 3, a few changes are obvious. First of all, the game looks gorgeous. There's more detail and there are certain electrical and water effects that would feel at home on a bigger game. It might come at the expense of performance, but at least for me it wasn't that noticeable a hit and was definitely worth it, even if it did almost burn a hole in my phone.
Unfortunately, some of the other changes fare less well. The new upgrade system is especially problematic as getting better weapons is directly tied to one’s ability to complete the missions to near-perfection - something that should be reserved for those looking for an extra challenge, not as a requirement for progress. It’s also difficult to understand what weapon is worth choosing over another so you can end up digging yourself deeper into a hole with sub-par weapons and missions you can’t finish well enough.
Add to it that now the game likes to throw random ultra-difficult encounters your way and enjoyment can be very difficult indeed. It was especially infuriating when I discovered in the middle of a mission that I had taken the wrong weapons - e.g. taking stealth weapons against a finale where you have to fight a powerful flamethrower in small quarters and going from 0 deaths (and perfect score) to 15 (and no rewards) within a minute.
And when you do start getting those better weapons and items, there’s another limit on the gear forcing you to avoid using them in order to still be able to unlock the best reward for a successful mission - available only if you did it perfectly.
But once I had gotten some good weapons and stopped caring about unlocking new weapons and just equipped what I wanted and played how I wanted, with no care in the world how many times I might have to respawn, I really started enjoying this game. It’s no coincidence that the third chapter had most of my favourite maps, and I might have had even more pure fun doing the bonus action missions with my favourite weapons after the main game.
This series truly has surprised me with how much fun they can offer. The stealth is improved in this one, even if it sometimes flat-out refuses to let you use it. And the action can be very fun, once you get some cool weapons and learn to work with its slightly-sluggish aiming and chaotic violence and inputs (how many times I accidentally chose the wrong weapon for the job …). The map design also tends to be good and they're often a joy to explore. The writing is silly and doesn't take itself seriously at all, but there were still some laugh-out-loud moments. And whoever decided to put in that reference to 'Allo 'Allo!, a British sitcom about WW2 from the 80s, a childhood favourite (that for the most part held up pretty well in my 20s), thank you - you made my day. :D
I might have spent more time annoyed with the game than I’d like, especially in chapter 2 (where I even considered quitting the game), but in the end, I still found plenty to enjoy in it (and am glad I got to chapter 3). I still might not play it on anything but the phone, but eh, this wasn't released on anything else anyway :P
Unfortunately, some of the other changes fare less well. The new upgrade system is especially problematic as getting better weapons is directly tied to one’s ability to complete the missions to near-perfection - something that should be reserved for those looking for an extra challenge, not as a requirement for progress. It’s also difficult to understand what weapon is worth choosing over another so you can end up digging yourself deeper into a hole with sub-par weapons and missions you can’t finish well enough.
Add to it that now the game likes to throw random ultra-difficult encounters your way and enjoyment can be very difficult indeed. It was especially infuriating when I discovered in the middle of a mission that I had taken the wrong weapons - e.g. taking stealth weapons against a finale where you have to fight a powerful flamethrower in small quarters and going from 0 deaths (and perfect score) to 15 (and no rewards) within a minute.
And when you do start getting those better weapons and items, there’s another limit on the gear forcing you to avoid using them in order to still be able to unlock the best reward for a successful mission - available only if you did it perfectly.
But once I had gotten some good weapons and stopped caring about unlocking new weapons and just equipped what I wanted and played how I wanted, with no care in the world how many times I might have to respawn, I really started enjoying this game. It’s no coincidence that the third chapter had most of my favourite maps, and I might have had even more pure fun doing the bonus action missions with my favourite weapons after the main game.
This series truly has surprised me with how much fun they can offer. The stealth is improved in this one, even if it sometimes flat-out refuses to let you use it. And the action can be very fun, once you get some cool weapons and learn to work with its slightly-sluggish aiming and chaotic violence and inputs (how many times I accidentally chose the wrong weapon for the job …). The map design also tends to be good and they're often a joy to explore. The writing is silly and doesn't take itself seriously at all, but there were still some laugh-out-loud moments. And whoever decided to put in that reference to 'Allo 'Allo!, a British sitcom about WW2 from the 80s, a childhood favourite (that for the most part held up pretty well in my 20s), thank you - you made my day. :D
I might have spent more time annoyed with the game than I’d like, especially in chapter 2 (where I even considered quitting the game), but in the end, I still found plenty to enjoy in it (and am glad I got to chapter 3). I still might not play it on anything but the phone, but eh, this wasn't released on anything else anyway :P