Deal | Steam: Helldivers alternative free for a limited time
Many see Helldivers as a clear homage to the legendary sci-fi novel Starship Troopers – from the bug-like Terminids that closely resemble the Arachnids to the patriotic space soldiers who champion heroic self-sacrifice for the greater good. It’s no surprise the two games share the same core concept.
In Starship Troopers: Extermination, players step into the boots of a Mobile Infantry soldier, teaming up with up to 15 others to take on massive waves of bugs in PvE missions. Like Helldivers, the game uses a class-based system but shifts to a first-person perspective and adds base-building into the mix. Compared to Helldivers 2, Extermination leans more into tactics than fast-paced action. While the former features shorter, punchier missions, the latter offers longer operations that demand more resource management. Multiplayer is the main focus, though a single-player campaign is included – it just didn’t receive the best reception.
In Eurogamer’s German review, Starship Troopers: Extermination stood out with its multiplayer mode, which successfully captures the feel of the franchise with up to 16 players in action. The gunplay and sound design earned praise, and the visuals – powered by Unreal Engine 5 – left little to complain about. The single-player mode, however, was less impressive, coming across more like an extended tutorial. Maps were noted as visually repetitive, and the enemy variety felt limited, with key creatures like the Brain Bug or flying aliens missing entirely. Overall, Eurogamer gave the game a solid but unspectacular score of 3 out of 5.
On Metacritic, Starship Troopers: Extermination has received mixed reviews, with a Metascore of 61 and a User Score of 5.4. On Steam, the game fares better overall, holding an average rating of 81% from over 28,000 reviews – though many of these date back to the Early Access phase. More recent feedback has been less favorable, with reviews averaging just 59% and marked as “Mixed.” It’s also worth noting that the game isn’t compatible with the Steam Deck (currently listed on Amazon for around $475).
Try it out for free
Starship Troopers: Extermination, developed by Offroad and released in October 2024, usually retails for around $30 on Steam – a steep price considering its mixed reception. However, until 12 p.m. (ET) on August 3, players can try it for free. Feeling the itch to keep playing? You’ll then get a 50% discount on your purchase.
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
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