Raising Hell is the first expansion for the bug-squashing RTS game Starship Troopers: Terran Command. Players get to explore the hellish planet of Gehenna, as they take on both roles of the iconic Mobile Infantry, as well as a team of mercenaries in the employ of a major corrupt corporation as they try to control (and take advantage of) an arachnid infestation that is disrupting fuel supplies.
Gameplay follows a similar formula to the main game – players are given control of a limited number of troops (which can be replenished from bases), and tasked with surviving, clearing bug nests, and protecting various assets. This gives each encounter a puzzle-like feel, as one tries to figure out the best unit composition and placement in order to prevent the bugs from overrunning your defensive lines.
While this doesn’t make for the tense back-and-forth battles (as mistakes often lead to your forces being very quickly wiped out), and clever economic strategies you may fight in other RTS games, it still provides a stiff challenge, and I had to restart a mission more than once thanks to careless placement of my forces.
Really, this is a DLC for fans of the main game, which Raising Hell giving players an excuse to dive back into Starship Troopers universe. The new setting, toys and foes all ensure that the challenge feels different (though lacking the sheer spectacle of the later levels of the main campaign), and the story perfectly captures the feel of that jingoistic universe. Offering around 10 hours worth of gameplay, for the small fee of $15 AUD, if you enjoyed Starship Troopers: Terran Command, you can’t go far wrong with Raising Hell. ■