Stellar Commanders is a strategy game that has a lot in common with the game DEFCON. The main difference being that instead of playing like a standard RTS, Stellar Commanders plays more like a card game.
The game is played in real time, but it uses cards that require resources, which are acquired at a constant rate, effectively making the the game turn-based. As for quality, I think DEFCON pulls off the overall concept better. Stellar Commanders is still a competent game, it just feels a little too simplified when compared to DEFCON. Each faction has a clear playstyle they are intended to use, but this ends up hurting the game as you use essentially the same strategy every game. The conquering faction involves taking as much territory as possible to overwhelm your opponent, the rocket faction involves launching as many rockets as possible to overwhelm your opponent, and the defensive faction involves surviving a long time and whittling down your opponent. This quickly makes the game boring and repetitive.
The game’s main positives are the visuals and overall presentation. The graphics aren’t state of the art, but they are great considering it’s a card game. The real time aspect of gameplay is poorly used when it comes to game design, but looks great when coupled with the visuals. It’s unique to watch a card game unfold in real time, and I hope it gets used more often in the future.
There is a great game somewhere in Stellar Commanders, but in it’s current state it feels like a prototype for that great game. There isn’t enough content to give a strong recommendation, but it would probably be an okay purchase either on sale or in a bundle.
