Inviting a younger audience into such a large franchise with a game is always good, and Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is just that, so welcome to the Star Trek universe, little ones, but hey, that’s not to discourage older fans. You might just find something in this game for you too.

Developed by Tessera Studios, Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is a solo or cooperative game, and you play as Dal R’El and Gwyndala on a mission against time to save their friends after the Protostar’s transporter malfunctions, scattering their crew across three alien planets.

Dal and Gwyn must use their wits and skills to overcome puzzles, endure hostile environments, and battle deadly robot armies to rescue Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero, and Murf. Not long into their journey of searching for their friends and trying to repair their ship, they soon discover a sinister and deadly new enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy the Protostar and change the course of history.

After being transported to a seemingly random planet, you a greeted with a tutorial on your basic controls, such as how to move, attack, climb, and switch between Dal and Gwyn to get you started on your journey.

Not long after, you’ll approach some enemies that trigger your combat training using both your phaser and melee. Here, I was assuming it was going to be a twin-stick shooter, but to my disappointment, it isn’t. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it still plays alright with its auto-lock on, but it can occasionally change targets at inconvenient times.

Combat isn’t all this game is about. It’s full of puzzles that have you moving blocks to reroute power to unlock doors or remove electric walls blocking your path. These can also lead to hidden paths and collectibles, which can give you upgrades, and the currency you can put toward leveling up your gear and abilities. The puzzles and combat might seem a little easy at first, but they do get more challenging as you progress through the game, giving more variety by using each of your character’s strengths, like Dal lifting something heavy, or Gwyn blocking a laser with her shied.

Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova has the option to play co-op, but it’s only through local play. I gave it a short go to figure out how it all works. You are locked to a single screen, but this is completely fine as there isn’t any real need to go too far away from your partner. It’s not often we see couch co-op games these days, so it is a little refreshing, and this game is perfect for this type of game, offering a great opportunity for the younger audience to give it a go.

The companions and friends you rescue along the way will help you in combat and progress. For example, the first friend you find, Jankom Pog, helps you in combat by slamming the enemies when you fill up his special. This will go off the second it’s full, and it would have been nice to choose when I wanted to use it. Jankom also has the ability to hack unlock doors, aiding you in your progression or even finding those secret paths. Playing through, you’ll unlock more abilities as you rescue your friends.

With a few planets to explore, and each having 4 levels, there is a small but decent amount of variety in environments, all of which are very vibrant, and with it being an entry game aimed at kids to get into the Star Trek universe, it is very eye-catching and will definitely get the attention of a younger generation of gamers. With a good story and gripping dialogue that keeps the ball rolling and not being too in-depth, players can follow with ease, although it would have been nice if the dialogue automatically kept going rather than having to press continue after a character finished their sentence. Each time you switch between Dal and Gwyn they have a small line they say, which at first was fun, but it got repetitive real quick and became annoying.

Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is a neat little game, with very vibrant worlds, a decent variety in combat, and puzzles that get a little more challenging during your progression, and it comes with the option of cooperative play to have fun with a friend while chilling on your couch. The price, however, is a little steep for the amount of content this game has to offer, but I can recommend picking it up when on special if it’s something you’re interested in.

Written by: MrVibeAU