Star Trek: Klingon Academy - Multiplayer Demo

As you have probably seen in almost every science fiction movie out there involving galactic flight, piloting a spaceship is definitely not a one man job, since there are too many controls for just one person to manage. Hence, there are separate individuals keeping an eye on different parts of the ship, including navigation, weapons, and various other segments.

Star Trek: Klingon Academy is obviously based on the popular sci-fi TV series and it aims to provide the fans with an easy way to experience the joy of being in charge of a massive spaceship. However, unlike most space flight simulators, the ship is not fully controlled by the players, since some of the commands must be given to the other crew members, using an intricate control panel.

Hence, just like in the show, your most pressing duty is to give accurate orders to the navigation crew, although you also have to steer the ship at the same time. The steering part was probably added in order to spice up the gameplay a little bit, otherwise you would mostly have to stare at the ship while giving commands. On the other hand, that sounds just as exciting, as long as the underlying command system would have been a bit friendlier.

Since the demo at hand features the multiplayer component, you must know that it is possible for up to sixteen players to go head-to-head in online skirmishes, which is indeed much more fun than in single. However, the issues with the controls and the gameplay are still present, so don’t expect for the entire experience to be different once you step into the multiplayer mode.

The same goes for the graphics engine, which has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to rendering the cosmos around you. While the distant stars and nebulae are quite mesmerizing and they improve the atmosphere, closer planets and spaceships might look a tad too unpolished in some cases. Fortunately, the special effects are convincing enough to make you feel like in an authentic Star Trek episode.

In the end, Star Trek: Klingon Academy may not be particularly attractive to space flight fans in general, but it can certainly appeal to the trekkies out there. The lore is solid and the live-action cutscenes do a good job at maintaining the atmosphere, which is exactly what’s needed from a Star Trek title.