SPARTA 2035 – Demo Impressions

SPARTA 2035 is a turn-based tactical game that I can best compare to Jagged Alliance 2 and Xcom 2. Jagged Alliance 2 in terms of story, and setting, since you will be running a bunch of mercenaries saving a despot country from itself. And Xcom 2, in terms of gameplay, seeing as it ditches true line-of-sight, and cover that actually gives protection in favor of the more abstract Xcom 2 “board game” rules. That’s not to say it’s bad, though. It all depends on what you prefer. I enjoyed the demo for what it is, and I can say that it’s a title worth watching for the future.

Africa
There isn’t too much explained about the story, beyond the setting, since the game only lets you play the first two missions. But as it is, African countries are being toppled one after the other by some kind of cult, or terrorist organization that seems pretty darn evil. You have been hired as an outside group of mercenaries there to help and stop the madness, and eventually take the country back from the bad guys, I assume.

The writing seems okay, in line with the typical mercenary tropes. You have the attractive and collected medic, the crazy and muscular heavy machine-gunner, and the goofball guy with a shotgun, blasting smiles on people’s faces. The story seems pretty simple, but pays homage to every single Jagged Alliance title out there. So I’m fine with it just being a bunch of mercs coming together to bring swift justice in the form of a bullet (or grenade).

The shooting
The gameplay is as mentioned more aligned towards the modern Xcom games. It has a two part move and shoot system, with cover either providing half or full protection. It will determine your “avoidance” when under fire. Fairly standard stuff for any Xcom veteran. But what I think makes SPARTA 2035 stand out is the focus on realism, and the captivating African setting. There are a few gameplay improvements as well, which I think make it stand a step higher than Xcom 2. 

For example: overwatch has your man leaving cover to prepare the shot. This means he will be open for counterattack, and if hit (beyond taking damage) the overwatch will be interrupted. It’s pretty cool, as it makes overwatch more of a calculated risk, instead of a click and forget type of deal. I enjoyed this, since it works the same for the enemy. Another cool aspect I noticed is that most cover-based objects are destructible. So you can forget hiding behind a flimsy box for more than one turn, if you want to keep your body bullet-hole free. 

Overall, I had a fun time with the demo. I just wished it had a little more flair. You see, bullets don’t seem to have an impact on the environment, since everything is abstracted behind percentage instead of relying on line-of-sight. In firefights, missed shots look very weak. They don’t hit the area around the character, instead the bullets just disappear into the ether. Hopefully, it’s something that can be improved. Another thing I found a little distracting, is that every guy with a shotgun looks the same. Some randomization to the looks of the bandits would go a long way. However, it does have hilarious ragdoll effects! It gives them a one-up on Jagged Alliance 3.

I should also mention that the full game promises base building, side-quests and many mercenaries to choose and pick from. If you like Xcom-like tactical games, this is certainly something to watch!

/Thomas