Supernova’ is a fun (but frustrating) game with a cool story – TrekMovie.com

by Arthur · October 26, 2022

Outright Games launched the action-adventure game Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova earlier this month on multiple platforms. The game is set between episode 10 of Prodigy and episode 11, which premieres tomorrow on Paramount Plus. It could also be a connection to the upcoming Season 1 finale, which is a two-parter also titled “Supernova.”

Before we get into the gameplay, here’s the synopsis:

After the Protostar picks up strange readings from a dying star, Dal R’El and Gwyndala must race against time to save their friends, their ship, new alien species and an entire planetary system before a supernova destroys them all!

Using their unique skills to overcome ingenious puzzles, endure hostile environments and battle deadly robot armies, Dal and Gwyn must rescue their captured crewmates Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero and Murf. But they soon discover a deadly new enemy, one who will stop at nothing to destroy the Protostar and change the course of history!

Outright Games is a self-described “family-friendly video game publisher” that has a pretty unique portfolio after only being in business for six years. Previous titles include Paw Patrol, My little ponyand transformers, to mention some.

Just like the Gwyn and Dal tag team in the game, our reviewers—Joethe experienced player, and Laurie, the game’s newbie—tag the team this review. Joe played on an Xbox One, and Laurie on a PC via Steam.

Both players loved the graphics, the music, the sound effects and the fact that the whole Prodigy the cast is there to voice their characters.

Dal and Gwyn in the Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova video game

Table of Contents

Gameplay

You can solo as either Dal or Gwyn (and often switch between the two). We both enjoyed this feature, especially the time when Dal and Gwyn had to tag the team to access a new area or achieve an objective. There is also a co-op mode; Steam players can do this over the internet, while console players can do it locally. But since we were on different systems, we didn’t get a chance to check out this feature.

Each character has their own unique abilities and tools or weapons, gaining more as you play. Dal starts with a phaser and Gwyn has his fretwork spear (the “heirloom” from The Diviner). They also have different abilities: Dal can raise barriers for Gwyn to crawl under and Gwyn can create bridges for Dal to cross over. As they rescue their crewmates, they also get to utilize their abilities, like Jankom’s ability to hack open doors, Rok-Tahk’s strength, and more. All of this encourages teamwork, which is a nice Star Trek message.

The good:

Joe (Xbox One): The controls are intuitive from the start. Since there are no easy, medium or hard settings, a child can feel confident diving right in. Although not necessary for reasons already mentioned, a jump button would be a nice addition.

Laurie (PC): The button layout for directional movement was a bit challenging as it used the WASD keys instead of being laid out like the top, bottom and side arrow keys. It required a bit more focus just for basic movement, at least in the beginning. This may not be too much of an issue for veteran players and/or those with dedicated controllers.

Both players: The exploration part is fun: running around exploring, trying switches and power boxes, poking around to see what’s there. The puzzles require a lot of trial and error, which can be a little frustrating, but it only adds to the sense of triumph when you finally figure it out!

Laurie: Whenever I felt stuck, I would go back to the last checkpoint and try again, which was a great strategy that only made it more fun, especially when I conquered a level I thought I couldn’t.

Joe: You can go on the holodeck and train/sharpen your skills with a walkthrough which can be very useful if you want to be efficient. I was able to get through most of the game without switching weapons, which is great for young kids who just want to play.

Laurie: I don’t play video games, so I appreciated the slow progression to more weapons and more abilities.

Joe: The mission load times were very fast – I’m used to waiting at least 30 seconds to move on, but Prodigy was almost instantaneous. Well done, Outright Games!

The bad

Joe: Camera controls leave a lot to be desired. You only see what the game wants you to see – there’s no way to look around the entire area. Right stick button on Xbox One does nothing. It would have been cool to have a more open world feel, but it can be overwhelming for a child.

Laurie: Occasionally there are glitches where a character gets wedged in a spot and requires a lot of random key mashing to get them out.

Both Players: Fighting the Watchers gets boring and repetitive, making it boring instead of exciting when they attack.

Laurie: The fights were especially boring for me, and when I got to a fight with Drednok – nice to see him again, by the way – I finally gave up. I even watched some YouTube videos to see how to defeat him and they showed me how long it would take and once I saw there were no shortcuts I was done.

Dal and Gwyn battle the Watchers in Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova

The story

Joe: This was a good continuation of the Season 1 story arc, complete with Gwyn struggling to find her missing memories.

Laurie: I loved the story, and the conceit of everyone being sent down to another place (requiring Gwyn and Dal to rescue them all individually) was a great setup. The game’s longer story is intriguing and very much in place for the show, as is the idea of the Drednok being found and reassembled.

Joe: The characters are spot on!

Laurie: The dialogue is great, even if they occasionally refer to things they shouldn’t know about (Worf’s beard, tribbles, etc.).

Joe: The language between the characters is very funny, just like the show. We even get some character development in tense moments; at one point, Dal almost admits that he has feelings for Gwyn.

Missing features

Joe: A way to skip entire sections of dialogue instead of skipping them one section at a time would be great for level playback; they’re all fun the first time, but can get long once you’ve already heard them. Varying difficulty levels would also be a nice touch to cover players’ different skill levels.

Laurie: I would have loved an option to skip all the fight sequences and focus more on story and exploration, or at least a difficulty setting. I like to think it would also be good for smaller kids, but they’re probably all better at this than me, so maybe this issue is more for infrequent players.

Overall experience

The game is fun to play and quickly becomes addictive, but the battles have the potential to wear you out with repetition. The gameplay is beautiful and there are great little touches along the way, like the ability to collect secrets/relics to decorate the captain’s quarters.

Laurie: I’m sad I had to give up, because I wanted to keep playing but couldn’t get past one of the games.

Joe. Not a high replayability factor for me, especially if it’s not possible to skip the long dialogue sequences. But that said, I think this is the best Star Trek video game I’ve been playing for a long time and I’m determined to finish it!

Laurie: Maybe I’ll try again. Can someone help me defeat Drednok?

Joe: Laurie, we will defeat Drednok together on Steam!

Available now

Supernova is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox X|S and Steam. It is priced at $49.99 and is available at Amazon and other gaming retailers.