Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins

About

"Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins" is a sci-fi RTS game set in a post-apocalyptic world, where humans are divided into two factions, Remnants and Ascension, fighting against each other and a savage alien race, the Hai-Genti. Players can command different viewpoints, utilizing faction-specific tactics and weapons, while also having the ability to terraform landscapes and transform units for more destructive gameplay. The game promises a frantic and action-packed experience.

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Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins screenshot

52%

Audience ScoreBased on 67 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game features unique mechanics like terraforming and weather control, allowing for dynamic gameplay.
Each of the three factions offers distinct playstyles, adding variety to the gameplay experience.
The nostalgic value and original story can appeal to fans of classic RTS games.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including frequent crashes and poor pathfinding, making it frustrating to play.
Unit controls are clunky and unresponsive, leading to a lack of strategic engagement during battles.
The campaign lacks balance and clarity, with unclear objectives and no autosave feature, resulting in a frustrating experience.

story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
58%
17%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it unoriginal and forgettable, often criticizing the linear missions and lack of variety. While some appreciate the unique elements and memorable characters, the overall execution is marred by bugs and frustrating gameplay mechanics, leading to a consensus that the narrative fails to engage effectively. Despite a few positive notes on the story's potential, the overwhelming sentiment is that it is poorly integrated into the gameplay experience.
- “Unique elements never before seen in an RTS, plus amazing voice lines and capturing single-player story.”
- “It has an original story and all of the characters are quite memorable.”
- “The story is good, the mechanics are great, but it lacks replay value... it's worth at least playing once though.”
- “And then I got to the sixth mission, which has the player defend against waves of enemies only for it to get wiped out and the player has to escort two hero units using some of the worst stealth mechanics possible. If they are a pixel out of line, they die.”
- “A 6/10 as the story is lacking, poor pathfinding, and unoriginal unit types.”
- “Tons of bugs, very basic features, super slow gameplay, and a weak theme/story make this one a boring waste of time.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the unique mechanics like terraforming and weather control, while others criticize the poor AI, frustrating controls, and numerous bugs that hinder the experience. Players noted that the campaign can be tedious and slow-paced, with issues such as softlocks and ineffective unit management. Overall, while there are elements of creativity and solid design, the execution leaves much to be desired, making it feel unpolished and lacking in replay value.
- “Some great game design and mechanics and a lot of extra love and attention was put into designing them - backstory and all.”
- “The game features two unique mechanics known as terraforming and weather control, which allow players to transform entire maps at will, provided they have enough resources.”
- “Very unique, fun gameplay that I haven't seen in an RTS before.”
- “It is a frustrating mess of jank and aged mechanics that exemplify the worst elements of real-time strategy games, but with gimmicks that bog the game down even further.”
- “Using the squad mechanics makes the ability for the ascension's vehicles to transform pointless, since you can't access the needed abilities and they're not bound to hotkeys, making it more or less micromanagement, and the aliens play in a way that makes molasses seem fast, as unit production requires calling down batches of eggs and selecting the exact units you want instead of queueing them up.”
- “I don't understand how the devs managed to make such an uninteresting game; it feels half-baked, the gameplay is very poor, and there are other better games as mentioned in internet game reviews.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews. While some players appreciate the decent visuals and unique designs for different races, others criticize the outdated graphics and frequent bugs that detract from the experience. Despite its age, some users note that the graphics are relatively good for a game released in 2007, though performance issues like lag and freezing are common complaints.
- “The only positives were the decent graphics, the differences in races and how they play, and the terraforming, which allows you to modify the terrain.”
- “Fast game with modern-day graphics and easy controls that move from location A to B to C and so on.”
- “The graphics are actually pretty good for a game from 2007.”
- “The gameplay is slow and shoddy, there are a ton of bugs and the visuals sometimes get messy (I blame the water mechanic).”
- “This game is a buggy mess; it took me nearly an hour to figure out how to stop it from freezing on the title screen. It constantly lags even on my gaming PC with graphics on low, and one of my soldiers clipped through the map on the first mission.”
- “As one might expect from a game made in 2007, its graphics are significantly outdated and the CD version is incompatible with any operating systems made after Windows 95/XP/Vista.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs causing unresponsive units, freezing during cutscenes, and persistent lag even on high-performance systems. Players report frustrating experiences, including sound looping and characters clipping through the map, leading to an overall impression of a "buggy mess."
- “This game is a buggy mess. It took me nearly an hour to figure out how to stop it from freezing on the title screen. It constantly lags even on my gaming PC with graphics on low, and one of my soldiers clipped through the map on the first mission.”
- “Freezes and starts looping sound and music for upwards of 45 seconds at a time.”
- “The game is buggy; for me, it got stuck each time there was some kind of cutscene or longer speech from an NPC or 'narrator'. Then I had to alt-tab out and back for the sound to continue.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is noted for its nostalgic quality, but it suffers from significant technical issues, including freezing and looping that can last up to 45 seconds, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Freezes and starts looping sound and music for upwards of 45 seconds at a time.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
While the game features a great concept and engaging mechanics, reviewers note that its replayability is limited, making it more suitable for a single playthrough rather than multiple runs. Despite this, the story and overall experience are still deemed worthwhile for at least one play.
- “The story is good, the mechanics are great, but it lacks replay value... it's worth at least playing once though.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The game is well-optimized for performance, allowing it to run smoothly on most computers from 2010 and later.
- “The game runs smoothly on a variety of hardware, making it accessible to a wide audience.”
- “Optimized for performance, it delivers a seamless experience even on lower-end systems.”
- “Performance-wise, it's an older game, and most computers from 2010 and up can easily run it.”
- “The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Despite its age, the game still struggles with optimization, making it hard to enjoy on lower-end systems.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is viewed positively, with nostalgic feelings towards its marketing and appeal during childhood, suggesting that the promotional strategies effectively captured the interest of young audiences.