Star Trek Trexels II review - "A freemium builder that wants your credits"

Star Trek has always been as fond of a convenient time travel plot device as it has a cameo in its vast shared universe.

As such, I doubt many Trekkies will be raging at the prospect of the great and good of the entire Star Trek universe converging in Star Trek Trexels II. Even if that does mean taking command of the SS Botany Bay before sending Lt. Uhura and Jadzia Dax on an away mission.

They might take exception to the rest of the game, though.

It's been a little shy of five years since we reviewed the original Star Trek Trexels.

While the new game looks a whole lot sharper, moving on from the 8-bit style of the original to something closer to the 16-bit era, it continues to be a bit of a chore to play.

I say play. There's not much actual play going on here. You tap to build new departments in your starship, which involves waiting for a timer to expire or paying some currency.

You tap to train crew members in those rooms, which involves waiting for a timer to expire or paying some currency.

You tap to send probes ahead of you to scout planetary systems and open up new missions... until you run out of probes. Which requires you to wait for a timer to expire. Or pay some currency.

Just about the only real meat on these here bones comes about with those away missions themselves, which play out like a bite-sized team-based strategy game. Even then, it's hardly XCOM.

These away missions involve two of your crew creeping through tiny environments, forcing back the fog of war effect, collecting currency, flipping switches (under the laughable guise of 'engineering' or 'science') and engaging in battles.

Those battles are incredibly basic, and amount to taking it in turns with an accommodating Borg to shoot one another. There's practically no strategic nuance to them whatsoever.

Indeed, it's not long before you find yourself outgunned and losing a crew member. Before long you'll need to pay some of that dilithium currency to revive them.

It's all just one big ball of wait timers and none-too-subtle incentives to spend real money. There's precious little of actual substance here.

The sole reprieve here is the sharp presentation, and the glimpses of genuine affection for the source material that occasionally shine through. When you encounter a familiar face and add them to your crew, anyone with dash of affection for the Star Trek universe (whatever the era) is bound to crack a smile.

It's just a shame that underneath that charm, Star Trek Trexels II has the heart and depth of your average Ferengi.