Chris InglisStarship Troopers: Terran Command is a real time strategy game set in the universe of the ’90s cult movie Starship Troopers and released in June 2022. Developed by The Artistocrats and published by Slitherine, the game’s first DLC, Raising Hell, was released back in November 2023. This DLC throws you headfirst into a brutal new campaign set on the volcanic world of Gehenna. With news of a second DLC on the way soon, titled Urban Onslaught, we jumped into Raising Hell for some fiery alien action.
Until now, the protection of personnel on Gehenna has been in the hands of contracted mercenary groups, composed of gritty veterans and adventurers. With the expanding fronts of the Bug War however, Arachnid hostility has been sharply escalating. In light of this perilous situation, Vilon Station’s director has implored the Sky Marshal to dispatch the Mobile Infantry to Gehenna. Their mission: to take over from the mercenaries and safeguard humanity against the ravenous Bug hordes!
This first DLC offers 7 new story campaign missions that take place alongside the main Terran Command campaign. The story itself is fairly light, focusing on supporting mercenary forces already entrenched on Gehenna. Gehenna is a hostile environment, with molten lava flows, volcanic eruptions, and hordes of Arachnids adding a new layer of tactical challenge. To balance the tide of battle against the Arachnids, new mercenary and Vilion Station units have been added to your arsenal alongside two new Mobile Infantry units.
New mercenary and Vilion Station units include the engineering biped’s drilling arm that can screw up any bug that comes near. Frag mercs can fire both fragmentation shells for close range and contact grenades for medium range. Then there are the shredder mercs carry a portable minigun that can mow down swaths of bugs and rip through armour of the larger Arachnids.
In terms of new Mobile Infantry units, you are taking control of powered suit incinerators that are equipped with a heavy flamer thrower that provides excellent crowd control. There are also the power suit officers that wear the same exoskeleton armour as the elite powered suit troopers, enabling them excellent mobility and protection to direct fire missions and call in reinforcements.
The missions themselves are enjoyable but can feel a bit repetitive at times. You’ll need to carefully navigate your troops around these hazards while mowing down endless waves of Arachnids. The Arachnids have adapted to Gehenna’s harsh conditions so you face new enemy types like the spitter, a small but highly flammable bug, and the immolator, a walking inferno that can set your troops ablaze. There is also a duo combo of flying bugs with the pyrofly that can hover and spray burn an area, and a bomberbee that dive bombs your soldiers, exploding on impact and ripping through armour plating.
Overall, the Raising Hell DLC is a solid expansion for Starship Troopers: Terran Command that injects new challenges and strategic depth. The new environments, enemies, and units provide a fresh experience for veterans, and the increased difficulty will keep you on your toes. It is light on story beats so if you are looking for a substantial story expansion, you might be left wanting more. However, if you enjoyed the base game’s bug-stomping action, Raising Hell is a worthwhile addition that I am happy to recommend.
This review utilised a key provided by Slitherine and Starship Troopers: Terran Command – Raising Hell is available now on Steam.
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