Bristol-based developers Auroch Digital exploded into the front rank of retro-style shooter makers with 2023’s Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. 2026 promises to be a big year for them, not only because of the upcoming Boltgun II, but also because of another licensed shooter with huge potential: Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War!
That exclamation mark is well earned, because on the strength of this preview build, this latest Starship Troopers game works hard to replicate the excess of Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 film – if not its satirical edge. There are full-motion cutscenes, including appearances from film veteran Casper Van Dien, and enough bug blood to float a battleship.
Auroch have clearly decided that a new license requires a very different approach to the one they employed for Boltgun. The one playable level here is bright and wide open, in comparison to the oppressive interiors of forgeworld Graia. The setting is Zegema Beach, a lush Federation holiday spot under concerted siege by the alien bugs. Plunged into the role of Mobile Infantry trooper Samantha “Sammy” Dietz, the player is tasked with completing several objectives in a largely non-linear order.
Auroch has done a good job summoning up the details and the spirit of Verhoeven’s gaudy masterpiece. Several familiar bug species reappear, including the warrior, hopper, tanker, and plasma types. The key weapon in Dietz’s arsenal is the Morita assault rifle, as seen on screen. There are several extremely powerful deployed weapons which are similar to kill streaks in Call of Duty, including multiple types of devastating airstrike.
Allied comrades are one of the outstanding issues with Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! as it stands. Their AI is desperately rudimentary, and they are frequently a liability, often wandering into the line of fire. While this is similar to some of Johnny Rico’s troops, it is also an annoyance, one not mitigated by the frequent use of lines taken from the film. It is easy to wish for a tighter squad focus, perhaps with soldiers that can be commanded, as in the Brothers in Arms series.
The allied Mobile Infantry soldiers are also an example of the rather strange approach that Auroch Digital have taken to the graphics here. While all the bugs are fully 3D models, Dietz’s fellow troopers – including those in Marauder powered armour – are 2D sprites. This makes for a jarring clash, especially at first, and the MI soldiers are the key weak point in the game’s graphics. Zegema Beach also has a rather flat look in general, due to its lack of any interiors and its almost uniform light level. Presumably, other missions will be more varied in this respect.
Based on this preview build, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is more adequate than exceptional – certainly it does not yet seem close to the Boltgun level of quality. The wide-open spaces and surprisingly modest numbers of bug foes limit the intensity of the Zegema Beach mission, and the ropey allied AI and curious visuals will give some players pause. We will want to know more, and only the full game can deliver.
