Stratega RTS Review

Stratega is a streamlined, sci-fi, real-time strategy game that asks players to maintain spatial awareness. Players build webs of interconnected structures to form a base, with the ultimate goal of successfully warding off attacks and completing designated mission objectives. While the game's core concepts seem sound, it ultimately feels a bit dull and is hindered by poor controls.

Playing Stratega, in concept, is simple enough. Players have a main base hub that they can connect structures to in order to build mines for resources, weapons for defense, repair modules, etc. These structures are placed by dragging them up from a menu along the bottom of the game screen. Each structure requires a certain amount of space to be built though, and they must be attached in some way back to the main base. This mechanic makes base construction not just about efficient use of mined materials, but also of physical space.

As players progress through the first level or two, enemies are introduced to the game that players either have to fend off or, in some cases, destroy. This often requires building more elaborate bases, which consume energy, which quickly becomes another resource that must be managed.

Stratega's relatively simple interface is nice, although it may not be distinct enough for some players trying to differentiate structures. Even if players do not have a problem with look, there are some issues with Stratega as a whole. Although it seems to balance pacing for a mobile RTS relatively well, it's also not very exciting. Players can quickly learn that building repair units near weapons systems is a recipe for easy success, which basically leaves them with only having to worry about general expansion and building energy structures every once and a while.

Perhaps the most hectic parts of Stratega are actually when players do need to rely on timing, and the controls prevent them from doing what they want to do. Since every structure must be dragged onto the play field and must be connected to something else, trying to see where exactly something is being placed is really difficult (since there's a finger in the way). On top of this, the default view keeps each structure pretty small and the game doesn't feel as responsive as it should be when trying to input commands, even when using buttons like the pause menu.

In the end, Stratega seems competent on the surface but it just doesn't feel right in a bunch of ways. Some of the control issues I mentioned might be overcome when playing on an iPad, but that won't make the experience feel much more worth it. There are more interesting strategy games players could be checking out instead.