A fun game for those who loved Jagged Alliance and UFO.
Gone is the need to research new weapons, heal injured soldiers between missions, pore through lists of new recruits and wait for your opponent to actually show up on a world map. There are no filler missions of the "shoot some aliens that invaded town" ilk. No sir!
Essentially, you have a rather silly story (aliens invaded! They enslaved man! We're rebels! Let's fight!) with some cute characters, and a linear chain of battles.
The battles themselves play very well. You move all your men around in your turn and when you're done the computer AI has a go. During your turn you can shoot at the enemy with an array of weaponry, throw grenades, or even place your men in an "overwatch" mode where they can shoot at any enemies moving around during the computer's turn!
The graphics are clean and functional (perfect for the micro). Units have distinct look although human units are not easy to distinguish without selecting them. The main criticism is that it is not immediately obvious if a shot has hit an enemy or *just* missed him unless you have the sound on.
The sound is fairly functional, though the music really is better turned off in battle.
The control system is well designed, considering how many options there are to choose from. You never lack the necessary information to move and shoot, although picking up and manipulating items is rather difficult. Thank goodness it is seldom required!
Gameplay is where the game really works. Turns go fast quickly, and the battles are short enough that if you want to replay them for a better result, it's not too intimidating a prospect. It's very liberating that you can only have a single save in battle; having been a slave to the "multiple save and reload" syndrome in UFO , Jagged Alliance and Silent Storm it is actually great to just play through the battle and see how the game plays out. Still, do expect to replay the battles a bit as you discover the ins-and-outs of a level.
Rebelstar is the perfect game if you're just taking a few turns while waiting for a bus, or have a few quiet hours to fill.