Star Trek is one of the few iconic IPs that almost any could identify from the name alone. The futuristic tale of the Federation usually touches on social themes and positive outlooks on hope and diversity with the science fiction setting enriching its characters through political and personal relationships. While Star Trek: Resurgence carries certain levels of this, its overall performance and mechanics feel like a game developed several generations ago.

Star Trek: Resurgence is an interactive narrative adventure that will put the player in charge of two protagonists. The initial character is First Officer Jara Rydek and the second is Petty Officer Carter Diaz, who provides services as an engineer for the USS Resolute. Rydek is new to the crew and must prove herself to the more experienced members of the ship, while Diaz is an engineer trying to make his way in the galaxy.

In theory, this setup should allow the player to explore two intriguing perspectives on the Federation, while establishing bonds with a unique cast of characters. After all, the backbone of successful interactive narratives is the ability to create an immersive world by relying on writing, character performances, and morally-challenging decisions. But Resurgence often prioritizes its clunky gameplay instead of putting more faith into its story.

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Even when the game delivers tense galactic situations, its tedious and outdated moment-to-moment gameplay disrupts any momentum the narrative tries to create. For example, the player will oftentimes walk around the Resolute or new planets in between narrative beats. A majority of these moments will be set up as an investigation to explore potential solutions to whatever problem Starfleet currently faces. But this oftentimes boils down to the player simply walking in a certain direction until prompted to shine their tricorder on random objects for potential information.

When using the tricorder the camera switches to first person and the player must stay within this perspective to identify whatever item or chemical leak they are looking for. However, the camera zoom in the first person is quite limiting. Controlling character models is already bulky and oftentimes not precise, and combining this with the tricorder, and other frustrating events such as the poorly designed flying mechanics, results in a huge chunk of the experience being directed towards fighting the game’s own limited mechanics.

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This wouldn't be as large of an issue if the player did not have to use the tricorder so often or if the goals presented to the player were more than highlighting a single object to progress the story. Unfortunately, the tricorder gameplay and other irritating tasks often create a disconnect between the actions of the player and the story Resurgence is attempting to tell.

Stealth doesn't fair much better with its bare bones implementation, and a majority of times the player can simply run past the enemies to start the next cutscene. Clearly, Resurgence is not attempting to be a proficient stealth game, but similar to the tricorder, the game includes stealth situations far too frequently.

It does not help that oftentimes the proceeding cutscene will display the character model adjusting from crouching to standing in the same room as the enemies. They will then open the door as if the five to six armed goons were not behind them only moments ago. It's scenes like these that break the immersion and usually look goofy, and there is one particularly odd situation toward the end of the game that doesn't make any sense logistically.

While stellar graphics is by far not a necessity to make a great interactive adventure, they can be a large distraction if the surrounding elements are also struggling. In Star Trek: Resurgence character models look lifeless and expressions don’t always match up with the tone of the room.

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For instance, there were many cutscenes that would cut the character’s dialogue off early or repeat the same line of dialogue over and over until the screen would transition to the next portion of the game. This made certain critical decisions difficult to make. Not because of the decision itself, but because it was hard to grasp what the conflict really is. The game also had two hard crashes, but it should be noted that the review was conducted on the PS5 and these bugs could potentially not be as frequent on other platforms.

Despite its faults, Resurgence does have some positive qualities. There are several intriguing scenes and issues the player must come to terms with, specifically when playing as Jara Rydek. There is an instance where the Federation has been brought in as a peace broker to a foreign planet and the player must patiently watch as two divisive parties argue before ultimately deciding which side to trust.

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Rydek also is half-Kobliad, which means she must receive daily doses of Deurideum to survive. The Kobliad themselves are a dying species due to Deurideum’s low quantity in the universe, and the Federation has found itself bartering for the resource. While this subject is not utilized enough throughout the game, the player will find themselves in some unique situations where they must prioritize certain groups over others knowing the importance the resource has for their own survival.

There are also several iconic characters that make their way into the story, and will surely please some long-term fans. That said, Star Trek’s name alone can not save Resurgence from its own missteps.

While there are some nuggets of gold within Star Trek: Resurgence's narrative, the game prioritizes tedious puzzles and clunky mechanics that break the sense of immersion that is crucial for this genre. The IP and some interesting characters are not enough to distract from the poor visuals, controls, and bugs that plague the majority of the experience.

Star Trek Resurgence
Star Trek: Resurgence

Star Trek: Resurgence is an interactive narrative video game that tells an original story set in the era shortly after Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: Resurgence releases May 23, 2023 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Game Rant was provided with a PlayStation code for this review.