Stargate: Timekeepers Review (kvarga)
Finally, Stargate fans have a complete game in the franchise! Called “Season 1,” Stargate: Timekeepers may be a spark for reviving this beloved universe, hopefully paving the way for more games or even a new series.
Gameplay and Mechanics
First off, I don’t usually enjoy tactical games; they tend to feel slow and repetitive to me. That said, I decided to play on “Story” mode, the easiest difficulty, hoping it would make the game more enjoyable. Unfortunately, it still felt a bit tedious, largely because of the game style and an assortment of bugs that kept popping up.
One of the more annoying bugs came early in the game: tied-up enemies somehow escaped, forcing me to restart the level. After that, I chose to either hide or “zat-zat-zat” every enemy I encountered, which got monotonous quickly. Smaller bugs also affected character responsiveness—issuing commands too quickly caused characters to freeze until a quick reload.
Story and Setting
The first few levels, released almost a year before the rest of the game, felt disconnected from the Stargate world, aside from the characters. The environments seemed generic, which made it feel less like a Stargate experience. If I hadn’t been a big fan of the franchise, I might have quit after waiting nearly a year for more levels.
Thankfully, things improved! The story involves a time-based adventure, though it was sometimes hard to follow due to fragmented scenes and timeline jumps between levels. By level 7, the game started to feel more like the Stargate I know, with familiar plot twists, intense moments, and an atmosphere that echoed classic Stargate elements. The levels were filled with Jaffa warriors whose predictable behavior evoked memories of SG-1’s victories over them.
Level Design and AI
The level design involves some basic puzzles that are straightforward to solve. The AI often ignores any environmental changes, allowing you to sneak around and eliminate enemies one by one without them noticing a thing. While this makes the gameplay easier, it also reduces the challenge.
Final Thoughts
For Stargate fans, Stargate: Timekeepers offers a nostalgic journey with familiar objects, decorations, and locations from the series. The environment evolves from generic to iconic, rewarding fans who stick it out to the end.
For other players, if you can look past the glitches and rely on quick saves, there’s still quite a bit of Stargate charm to enjoy. It’s a small but memorable piece of the franchise, showing promise for what future Stargate games could achieve.