Considering how much Paramount are expanding Star Trek, it seemed something of an inevitability it would get an animated show.

And off the back of that, an Outright Games video game, of course, to suit a family-friendly audience.

So here we are with Star Trek: Prodigy Supernova, a local co-operative platform that, on one hand is about as generic as they come. And on the other, an interesting narrative piece that really delves deeper into these characters and the relationship with the wider crew.

With a semi-top down view, you’re running around, hunting for collectibles, rescuing members of your ship, fighting lots of hostile creatures, and piecing your ship back together which has been totalled.

Let’s just say coming into this you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

The thing that works well about Supernova is how gradual the pacing is. By the time you dock on the second planet, you’re still learning things about the game and performing new actions. Which is a good thing and keeps action fresh.

On the other is the combat which does see you get new weapons and upgrades to your existing arsenal, but your enemy types are tedious to fight, both with their attack patterns and the amount you usually have to butt heads with.

New Watchers do rear their heads regularly enough though, with healers and detonators accompanying the usual drones and mobs, and sometimes you have to alternate between range and closeup to be most effective.

It’s all part of the process in Supernova, a game that at times plays a bit like a Metroidvania as well as you have to wait to unlock certain abilities in order to revisit planets and find all their secrets.

Characters can also perform different actions, with Dal able to lift huge barricades whereas Gwyn can create bridges and deflect beams of light in order for teammates to pass.

This of course does mean the game plays best in local co-op with the two of you working together to bypass the various puzzles. Me and my little one had a great time working together and did a bunch of the main game content together pretty easily.

As a game, it was enjoyable enough, but it doesn’t feel wholly Star Trek outside of the usual conversations you have and the brilliant voice acting work of Kate Mulgrew as Janeway.

The Tricorder is mostly just reduced to being your map guide, phases just feel like any other in-game blaster, activity on the ship is sadly minimal between missions, and beyond a few references, familiar races don’t make much of an appearance.

While playing, I quite often found myself daydreaming of the possibilities of a Star Trek game that looks and feels like Mass Effect, half wishing I was playing that. Maybe one day.

But for a few hours, Supernova was fun for me and my kid to play and really that’s all that matters. I did encounter some glitches and bugs, with one hard lockup, but none of it was a dealbreaker for me.

Supernova is a faithful enough adaption of a great show, the gameplay manages to feel fresh enough to sustain interest and the story was at least more interesting than most of these kind of games.

Verdict

Star Trek: Prodigy Supernova has an enjoyable gameplay loop that, undoubtedly, is best enjoyed in local co-op and played with a fan of the show. It doesn’t break new ground in the platforming space and certainly isn’t among the best Star Trek games, but the story really befits the characters and the game stayed fresh enough to remain interesting over the long term.

Pros

+ A solid enough local co-op platformer
+ Decent narrative core with some great voice acting
+ Stays fresh, relevant and interesting throughout with plenty of unlockables