Growing up, I was in love with Stargate SG-1, it was the coolest show I had ever seen up till that point. There was literally nothing like it on TV, so when I first found out about Stargate: Timekeepers, I was more than excited. Unfortunately, that excitement was for naught. Let’s take a look at the game and you’ll see why.
The Story of Stargate: Timekeepers
Stargate: Timekeepers loosely follows the events of the original series. How loosely you might ask? Well, the first mission puts you smack dab in the middle of the Battle of Antarctica, which happened in the 8th Season of the show. Hardly the start of the story.
The missions themselves are inspired by the events that transpired during Stargate SG-1 Season 8. The setting and mood are there, however, the cast and the scenery are completely different from the show. If you were expecting to see familiar faces, you’d be dead wrong.
The missions are set up in an episodic sequence, which feels warmly nostalgic. At the start of each mission you’re given a narration and sometimes a cinematic explanation of what’s going on, it’s very reminiscent of late 90s and early 2000s sci-fi shows and I love it.
However, there’s one thing I feel I have to address before continuing on, and that’s the fact that only half of the season is available right now, with the latter half being released later in 2024. This might not sound like a big deal at first, however, I’m afraid that it’s indicative of a much larger problem that I’ll be discussing later on.
The Gameplay of Stargate: Timekeepers
At its core, Stargate: Timekeepers is a stealth-focused strategy game, and that’s about it. There isn’t an RTS crust, there aren’t any puzzle-solving fillings, it’s just that bitter stealth-focused core that you have to digest.
I’d say that this is Stargate: Timekeepers’ biggest issue, i.e. its painful lack of variety. Each mission largely feels the same as the previous one. All you do is sneak in, assassinate, sabotage, and extract; that’s the whole gameplay loop of Stargate Timekeepers. It’s fun for the first few missions but quickly becomes repetitive after that.
The game desperately lacks variety. And in my opinion, that is a slap in the face of the original show which was filled with so much variety. The show had intense combat sequences, touching character development moments, social and ethical dilemmas, etc
Stargate: Timekeepers on the other hand feels extremely rigid, all you ever do is sneak around and poke the hornet’s nest. You’re never faced with a decision or a challenge that will stay with you forever, you’re just a dude doing his job.
What I Liked About Stargate: Timekeepers
For all the critiques I have of it, Stargate: Timekeepers has a few good things that I have to praise. One of those things is its map design. Most maps are designed in such a way that you can approach them in a variety of ways, leading to more engaging challenges, as well as increasing the game’s replayability.
Another thing that I like is the characters, at least from a mechanical standpoint. Each character feels unique from the rest. The only thing they’re sorely lacking is character development, which happens briefly and in passing exchanges, but other than that, they’re great!
What I Didn’t Like About Stargate: Timekeepers
Oh boy, where do I even begin with this one…
Let’s start with the most apparent one. The game lacks variety. You have so many unique and cool-looking maps that are underutilized because the game does one thing and one thing only – stealth. It dogmatically sticks to this core, much to its detriment.
Another thing that I found irritating is the sporadic bugs. It wouldn’t be a big deal if the bugs were something minor. However, most of the time they were game-breaking and required a reload of a previous save. I can forgive not being able to perform a certain action, what I can’t forgive is not being able to use a character, which happened more than once.
Final Verdict
My final verdict about the game is this. Wait for a few months before purchasing it, ideally, when the rest of the season is released later on in 2024. In its current state, the game is definitely rough around the edges.
Many areas lack polish and bugs are still present throughout. The game’s foundations are solid, however, everything else lacks polish and refinement. Voice acting is C-tier, animations are funny, and bugs are a common occurrence. Once those are resolved, I can see the game becoming an enjoyable experience, but until then, the game is just simply uninspiring.
What did you think of our review of Like a Stargate: Timekeepers? Share what you think about it in the comments below.
This review is based on the PC version of Stargate: Timekeepers. The key was provided by Slitherine Ltd.
