The good news is that The Eradicators got a story campaign like the other Starship Troopers: Terran Command expansions—but the bad news is that it uses Territory Mode exclusively in the mission design. However, it’s not that bad to be honest. My main issue with it when I tested the beta version was that it had almost zero narrative, just endless combat, which felt very flat and gamey to me. This is now fixed with this campaign—and who knew, giving me a reason to kill the bugs, however little or much, works wonders for the old motivation!
For science!
Welcome to the radioactive hellscape of Ghutana, the designated weapons-testing planet for the Federation. With Ghutana being bombarded with all kinds of foul stuff on a daily basis, it has left it as a hostile and lifeless place—well, except for a handful of unlucky marines stationed here (including you) and a few thousand bugs.
You will act under the rude and extremely goal-driven Doctor Kraus, hell-bent on making his research into mind-controlling the bugs something that can be used in war. Now, since there’s not actually that much more to the story, this is essentially it. The tasks do escalate, and perhaps the ethics of some of these mission objectives are questionable at best—but it’s played straight. No out of place betrayals or weird twists, which made the campaign feel refreshing. You are just one military commander among many with an important assignment to complete, while keeping yourself and your men alive in a world actively trying to kill you (and probably eat you).
What I found charming is that your cute female handler and you have a relationship that might not be in line with military regulations. The redhead in question must be really impressed with you, considering the sexual innuendos thrown your way—if you succeed, that is. A fun reward, if any. These lines added characterization and worldbuilding to the story, making the campaign feel much more alive, and above all, human.
The bug killing
The gameplay works similar to the original game and the expansions, with two main differences—the Territory Mode gameplay, and the units themselves, as you are running a military science division. Territory Mode works like this: you capture segments of the map, each part giving you more resources, but at the same time scaling up the bug threat. The more stuff you can throw around military-wise, the stronger the bugs will be to challenge your men with a game of life and death. These points will also be contested by the bugs, so captured territory must be defended.
However, you won’t ever have enough resources to leave men and build defensive structures on every location, so you must constantly tear down and build up, moving up your fortification line. The problem with this mode is that every campaign mission uses it, a fact that makes the gameplay formulaic and gamey—instead of the places and objectives feeling “real” and immersive. Essentially, every level starts with a small force, with you slowly building up your army to eventually become an unstoppable war machine, covered in bug juices and guts.
It works, and is enjoyable for what it is, but this series feels and plays better with scripted campaigns and a few surprises. So, while the gameplay isn’t terrible, it becomes a tad samey and artificial after capturing flag number fifty-six. What saves it, is…
Handlers and bipedal walkers
The cool units, as you will be controlling some truly unique stuff, compared to the other campaigns. Your standard infantry are called “handlers”, and are Arachnid dog-walkers. They come equipped with a slow firing rifle that shoots poison darts, and friendly (respawning) bugs that will fight at your side. These critters are not strong by themselves, but they will keep the bugs busy, for the handlers and other units to gun them down mercilessly
The gameplay around line of sight still applies, so things can get messy fast if you have a ton of units, all pushing and shoving each other to get a shot in. And while The Eradicators feel easier due to these units (and others) in the first half of the game, the bugs quickly adapt and start to push out their own forces to circumvent your wall of traitorous insectoids. The Acid Grenadiers and the Geiger Bugs will quickly become a deep infected wound in the side, as they are both designed to wipe out clumps of marines in one exploding go. Painful!
Another interesting aspect of the military forces of the science division is their focus on bipedal mechs, from small to giant ones, that will melt the enemy and friendlies alike if you decide to stand in the wrong place. I liked how many of these use radioactive beams to cook the flesh of any biological creatures—very mad science, indeed! I’m impressed by how different this faction feels and how fitting the units are to the theme of the DLC, making it a fun stand-out part of the gameplay—and only for a measly twelve euros!
Looking the part
The Eradicators visuals look great, so no real surprise here, as it’s the same engine after all. But it can be worth pointing out that the new science division looks the part, walking around in heavy-duty hazmat suits in a world that would slowly kill them without the protection. The scale of things is still perfect, and I have to give credit to the environmental design, seeing that the areas look haggard and spooky in an apocalyptic sickly sense. Cool stuff!
Conclusion
The Eradicators is the weakest of the campaigns so far, but I will still give it three skulls out of five, since I had an enjoyable time on the desolate planet of Ghutana. This DLC was not supposed to have a campaign, initially, but thanks to feedback from the players, they switched their development halfway through to include one. I have to give praise to the developer The Artistocrats, and the publisher Slitherine for the pivot, as it’s not something they had to do. While I don’t find Territory Mode that fun, I recommend The Eradicators if you are like me and want more bug blasting. There is an expansion coming out soon called Tropical Terror that will be a return to the classic campaign blueprint. I can’t wait!
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
| System: | PC (Steam) |
| Played with: | Mouse & keyboard |
| Release year: | 2026 |
| Mods/fixes: | None |
| Enjoyment Rating: |  |
