Star Control 3
Third installment in the Star Control trilogy, released in 1996.
Star Control 3 is a 1996 action-adventure game, the third entry in the Star Control trilogy. It was created by Legend Entertainment and released by Accolade, first for MS-DOS in 1996 and later for Mac OS in 1997. The story picks up after the events of Star Control II, opening with a catastrophe that halts faster-than-light travel through hyperspace. This forces the player to explore a previously unknown region of space, accompanied by allied alien species from earlier games.
The single-player campaign follows a format similar to its predecessor, blending space exploration, conversations with aliens, and ship-to-ship combat. Players engage in top-down battles between starships, each with distinct abilities—a series staple. Unlike Star Control II, hyperspace travel is replaced by instantaneous fast travel. Planetary exploration is swapped for a colony management system, inspired by the original Star Control. Combat features more precise steering and aiming, along with additional player-versus-player multiplayer options.
Accolade brought in Legend Entertainment to make this sequel after the original creators, Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford, chose to work on other projects. Legend was chosen because of their enthusiasm for the earlier Star Control games and their background as veteran writers from the respected adventure game studio Infocom. Upon release, Star Control 3 was seen as a critical and commercial success, praised for its story and varied gameplay. Over time, however, it suffered in comparison to the award-winning Star Control II, leaving a mixed legacy among both fans and critics.
**Gameplay** Star Control 3 is a space action-adventure game with strategic elements. Its gameplay stands apart from the rest of the series, combining features from the first two games with new systems. It includes ship-to-ship combat, as seen before, along with a colonization system inspired by the first Star Control, while the story, exploration, and dialogue resemble those of Star Control II.
The game uses a 2D ship combat system, referred to as "melee" mode in earlier titles. Two starships face off in space, trying to outgun and outmaneuver each other. Each alien race has a unique ship with its own weapon and special ability.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Star Control 3
- Developer
- Legend Entertainment / Presage Software (Macintosh)
- Publisher
- NA · Accolade · EU · Warner Interactive Europe
- Director
- Michael Lindner
- Designer
- Mark Poesch
- Producer
- George MacDonald
- Programmer
- Michael Lindner · Mark Poesch
- Writer
- Daniel Greenberg · Michael Lindner
- Released
- MS-DOS · September 24, 1996 · Mac OS · April 1998
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- MS-DOS · Mac OS
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Star Control 3 was created after series creators Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford declined to produce a third game, instead licensing their content to Accolade. Accolade hired Legend Entertainment, selected for the team's passion for the previous games and their experience as veteran game writers from Infocom. The story takes place after Star Control II, with the player as 'the Captain' investigating a hyperspace collapse traced to the Kessari Quadrant, where they clash with the Hegemony of Crux and confront the interdimensional Eternal Ones.
Reader's Guide
Star Control 3 was considered a critical and commercial success upon release, praised for its story and varied gameplay. However, it later suffered from comparisons to the award-winning Star Control II, resulting in a mixed legacy among both fans and critics. The game introduced several changes from its predecessor: hyperspace flight was replaced with instantaneous fast travel, planetary exploration was replaced with a colony management system inspired by the original Star Control, and combat offered more detailed steering and aiming. The game also featured digitized full-motion video of mechanical puppets for dialogue screens, replacing the 2D animated pixel art of previous games. Its multiplayer modes included network, modem, and serial connections, expanding on the two-player same-keyboard setup of earlier titles.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed by Legend Entertainment after series creators Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford decided to pursue other projects.
- Hyperspace flight from Star Control II was replaced with instantaneous fast travel, explained in-game as a mysterious hyperspace collapse.
- Dialogue screens featured digitized full-motion video of mechanical puppets instead of 2D animated pixel art.
- Several ships from previous games were removed, as the game only includes ships featured in its story.
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