Star Trek: Resurgence

This is a Star Trek story made by serious Star Trek fans for serious Star Trek fans. If that sounds relevant to you, then just play it already. There's nothing to debate. Just reading this is a waste of time that could be spent on Star Trek.

If you want some more details, well, Resurgence is like an extended episode of a Star Trek spinoff series that never was. New characters (mostly... no spoilers!), new ship, new places, and new peoples, with lots of tie-ins to canon and lore. Importantly, in tone it's more like a TV episode than a Star Trek movie, so it doesn't have quite have the epic gravitas expected from a theatrical release, which I think was a deliberate and right choice here. It makes the story both more achievable and ultimately successful, scratching all the itches without going too big and disappointing. Resurgence isn't intended to shake the Star Trek franchise but add to it, and it does, even providing closure on a curious old loose end.

As a video game, though, it's honestly kinda meh. For the most part it's an interactive novel that gives you choices, many of them having to do with character interactions and relationships, which are sometimes a bit too much on the "soapy" side for my tastes. Like many games of this type the canned answers can feel too limiting and consequences can appear unreasonable or even silly. Real adults aren't so trivially offended if you take someone else's reasonable advice over theirs, right? But, whatever, you get to role-play Starfleet, and that's just plain cool. There are also various mini-game sequences that are all casual and quite easy. Necessary? Nah. Give you a sense of involvement and immersion? Maybe, maybe not. At least none of that "game" stuff is especially annoying. Just simple activity sequences to move the story along.

The only significant disappointment is that as a game released in 2023 it looks like a game from 2003. Graphics are ... underwhelming. To be clear, they are totally serviceable and appropriately designed for the job. Perhaps there was just not enough budget for something more impressive. Also worth mentioning is that, at least at launch, this game was a bit of a stuttery and buggy mess. It didn't stop me from enjoying and finishing the game, but it was suboptimal. I hope it is patched and fixed. Future generations deserve stability.

OK. You have the information you need to decide on whether to buy and play this game. I trust you will make the right decision, though it may depend on a multitude of factors having to do with your loyalty to Starfleet and its values, interpersonal relationships, a desire for galactic peace, and your own identity and career ambitions. Whatever you choose, live long and prosper.