Preview: Rebelstar Tactical Command (GBA)

Few things work better on the GBA than a turn-based strategy title. Advance Wars showed what was possible within a tiny plastic cartridge, and few games since have built upon this strong initial foundation. Gamestyle was quietly observing Rebelstar: Tactical Command throughout its development at Codo Technologies Ltd., however why it's taken a year to reach Europe after debuting in America last September is unknown. The developer has already shown a talent for developing similar releases with X-Com and Laser Squad both already on their résumé.

Refreshingly, this strategy release deals with the possibility of alien invasion - more specifically after the invaders have successfully colonised the Earth. The year is 2117 and the Arelian Empire has controlled Earth for more than 70 years, and rebuilt the battered planet after a succession of wars, famine and environmental disasters. For a while matters were acceptable to the conquered inhabitants, but since the arrival of the Arelian's enforcers (the Zorn), all of a sudden the need to revolt has grown. Every time a human turns 30 the Zorn takes them, never to be seen again.

Some may reappear in the Rebelstar version of Running Man, where humans fight for their lives against the Urdogs. The Arelian idea of entertainment leaves a great deal to be desired, as the large part-dog, part-insect creations rip their way through hapless combatants. This thought of being cut down in the prime of life gives new impetus to a band of rebels, especially under the wisdom and guidance of their leader; Jorel.

Rebelstar: Tactical Command promises more than just addictive strategy and a refreshing V inspired scenario. A challenging combat system, stealth features and an RPG approach to characters, interaction and their progress as events unfold. A default multiplayer link mode is also included, bulking out a package which will appeal to DS owners yet to take advantage of the backwards compatibility.

Words by Jason Julier