Mar 29, 2026

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War Review – All Swarm, No Sting

Saad Bin Asif

Boomer shooters can get bumpy and weird with their playstyle. Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War perfectly captures the core formula of this genre. However, it comes with a fair share of issues.

For me, boomer shooters are to live and die for. As someone with over 800+ hours on Ultrakill, who loves to gush about its greatness, I adore this genre. Yes, Ultrakill deviates from the average boomer-shooter mechanics with its high-octane, fast-paced action, but showering in all the guts and glory is a feeling that no other game could replicate.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War is developed by Auroch Digital, the same masterminds behind Warhammer 40K: Boltgun. While their catalogue is undoubtedly stacked with gems, Ultimate Bug War lacks the same sauce in several areas.

What’s a Bug Against the Indomitable Human Spirit?

Ultimate Bug War comprises two campaigns: Human and Bug. Both have their highs and lows, but let’s talk about the Human missions first. Samantha, the protagonist, joins the Federation for all the thrills that soldiers go through: Kill bugs and make the planets better. (She’s doing her part!)

With a total of eight human missions, the playtime is around 4 to 5 hours at max, which feels extremely underwhelming, knowing how much history this franchise has. Every mission follows the same structure: complete three base objectives to unlock a final task that concludes the mission.

The world and environmental design are absolutely immaculate, and I stopped at points to praise how serene the scenery looked.

While Ultimate Bug War’s gameplay brings no development to the genre’s staple gameplay, the surreal feeling of shooting down disgraceful hordes of Bugs never gets old; it feels as satisfying as the classic Call of Duty hit markers.

It tries its best to shine in the gameplay department, and sometimes it does. However, despite the immersive feedback and punchy weapons, it fails to create a unique identity compared to the genre standouts.

I loathe video games with cluttered UI, and unfortunately, Ultimate Bug War takes a big negative hit from it. Boomer shooters are known for their minimal UI, where players have to figure out the location of objectives.

Granted Ultimate Bug War has a semi-open world in every mission, so the matter is debatable. Turning off the HUD elements will make you feel lost; it is forced. Still, this feels like an absolute affront to the genre, and the game becomes more of a Gen-Z Shooter.

Staying faithful to the source material is a miracle in our generation, but surprisingly, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War hits it out of the park.

It cleverly references the movies and the original Heinlein novel from the 50s; so if you’re a fan of the franchise, Ultimate Bug War will surprise you.

What’s a Human to the Bugs’ Swarm?

**The Assassin Bug’s Simulation** in **Bug Missions**.

While human missions are the central focus of Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, the bug missions provide a broader view of the situation. Bugs are considered filthy and a disgrace to evolution, and while their campaign is a mere simulation of their powers; it shows how they work as a swarm.

A short run of five chapters, you play as the Assassin Bug in this simulation, ordering smaller bugs to attack humans and destroy their bases. Every asset from the human campaign is recycled, and the objectives are awfully repetitive. Still, it offers a temporary breath of fresh air with the perspective shift, but its novelty wears out quickly.

The bug campaign could’ve been an endeavor to explore the mentality of bugs, which would have added more depth to the storyline, but their side is never fully explored. They are, unfortunately, reduced to tools of destruction with no ulterior motive behind their actions; just brawn, no brains.

There is a clear foundation of a morally grey perspective to question the Federation’s activities, because big corporations are notorious for exploiting weaker beings. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t commit to it and immediately causes this campaign to fall off, even with the initial intrigue; a forgettable mess.

Verdict

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War is an experience caught between ambition and execution. While it perfectly captures the essence of boomer shooters, the game fails to generate its own identity and does not refine the classic formula in any way.

Ultimate Bug War’s strongest feat is its faithfulness to the source material and world design, allowing fans of this franchise to appreciate the unsettling, gruesome nature of bugs, as well as nods to the movies. However, the undercooked gameplay loop and flat bug campaign hold it back from its true potential.

There is still fun to be had with the endless swarm of bugs and fast combat. It isn’t a bad game by any means, but rather an unremarkable one. A bang for its buck? Not really. Wait for a sale before purchasing it.

Developer: Auroch Digital
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Publisher: Dotemu
Release Date: March 16, 2026 (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2)