Ultimate Space Commando

Ultimate Space Commando (USC) is a turn-based sci-fi tactics game with strategy and role-playing elements. You train and equip a squad, explore maps, salvage resources and fight an alien horde. Its semi-randomized Campaign has multiple possible endings, while custom games offer seven difficulty levels and the Campaign has three, including Easy. The rules are easy to learn, but higher difficulties call for careful tactics, resource planning and coordination between the environment, weapons and items.

The stranded crew

In Campaign mode, you follow and control the fate of the crew of the U.S.C. Wraith, a recon vessel stranded on an isolated mining planet. After a hostile first contact with a threat to humanity, you fight through more than 30 semi-randomized missions, gather resources and item blueprints, and try to contact Earth. You can uncover hidden aspects of the story and try to save all your men, defeat the aliens, or both.

Explore and use the environment

Combat takes place on fully interactive, randomly generated maps across three distinct environments. You can search crates for ammo, Credits, blueprints and items, loot vending machines for refreshments, hack locked doors through a mini-game, and find switches that open special areas. You can also seal blast doors against further alien incursions, use flammable objects against enemies, move objects to build barricades, bring down walls to make escape routes or gain an advantage, and avoid hazards.

Manage your squad

Combat uses four stats: Health, Morale, Action Points and Armor. Units also have nine RPG-like attributes, including weapon-class proficiencies, reaction and electrotechnics, alongside attack properties such as accuracy, impact force and armor penetration. You choose from 18 weapons, more than 30 gadgets—including medikits, weapon and armor mods, a cloaking device and a deployable auto-turret—as well as prototype weapons and special items that can only be crafted.

Campaign units gain experience, and customized squads can make progress with their gear in other modes as well. You can create squads with custom unit portraits and logos, rename units and assign callsigns. Completing waves in Defend the Base! and collecting materials in other missions can earn permanent squad bonuses, helping you tackle higher difficulties and potentially providing a minor advantage in PvP.

Game modes

Alongside the Campaign, Defend the Base! lets you build a base, manage resources and fight successive waves of aliens. In Single Missions, you can customize objectives for each team, map size, difficulty, player handicaps and other settings.

Multiplayer

Play with up to four players through TCP/IP or hot-seat multiplayer. Modes include co-op PvE, PvP and mixed PvPvE games.

The alien horde

The alien opponent is a horde of creatures from a living ecosystem. Seven species have distinct abilities, with special Champion, Warbred and Alpha variants. The AI can flank you through walls, destroy your supplies, use weaker units to draw defensive fire, or devour those units to reach you.

Scores and rewards

Campaign playthroughs, PvE Single Missions and Defend the Base! sessions receive a score and merit evaluation. To score well, you need to survive while completing more sub-objectives quickly and planning your actions carefully. A good score unlocks additional special craftables.

Sound and equipment

The game features an original soundtrack with 16 music tracks, 16 additional tracks, ambient audio and hundreds of custom-rendered sound effects. You can also find RD-1 Rubber Duckies, supplied to troops as morale boosters and emergency insulating material.