Deuteros: The Next Millennium
| Developer: Ian Bird | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Activision | Sound: |
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| Year: 1991 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
A few centuries after the events described in Millennium 2.2, the inhabitants of the (independent) colonies have adapted to their new environment and mutated, while the human species, holed up on a ravaged Earth, has completely lost interest in the stars, even forgetting about the old lunar base to which it owes its very survival. Ungrateful bastards!
But that’s about to change, as the commander of Earth-city (you) is about to start a new space conquest project…
The main difference from Millennium is the stylised interface, quite aesthetically pleasing in its own way, but somewhat disconcerting. The best approach is to fumble around and mess things up. I was surprised not to be attacked, nor interrupted by anything during my long hours of learning. I wonder if that was intentional or if my bungling caused a bug.
Anyway, with no pressure whatsoever, and after plenty of detours, I managed to organise a small scientific research team, start mining operations on Earth, and then build a shuttle to help me assemble my first orbital factory. Why? Oh, I just felt like clicking that button.
Spacecraft functionality has changed since Millennium. Now, we distinguish between two types: small shuttles that ferry between terra firma and the orbiting station, and large interplanetary transporters that connect stations to each other. The aim is to organise a network for collecting and sharing resources between different colonies. Since these colonies do not produce the same resources, there will be eternal adjustments to meet factory needs. The impression of repeating tedious tasks is more present than ever, especially at the beginning of the game. Fortunately, you quickly receive a useful module allowing you to programme your ships, which relieves you of the most tedious tasks (endless back and forth).
As the game progresses, other gadgets become available, including another automation module dedicated to asteroid mining. After that, you can let the game run on its own as long as you like to rake in the riches. Still no attacks on the horizon?
Oh yes… In fact, it only takes one trigger to end this first phase, which is free of time limits or danger: either build a sixth orbital station, or trade one too many times with the Methanoids (a colony of rather unattractive mutants). From that point, I recommend saving on a separate slot. Things will get much more hectic!
Good news: during battles, no more arcade mini-game. Instead, we witness large battles on a radar screen, where hundreds of drones are represented by clouds of pixels. I quite like that. However, our management game player’s torpor is sometimes disrupted by unexpected real time sequences, forcing us to react instantly. Given the “artistic” arrangement of controls, it’s mission impossible the first time.
I’ll end with some criticism. Even though it’s significantly more in-depth than its predecessor, Deuteros remains repetitive and especially linear, offering only an illusory freedom. Once the game is finished (which will still take quite some time), you’ll certainly have no desire to return to it. As for the French translation: approximate and incomplete. As usual.
The best for last: it seems that a version of the game permanently freezes when requesting a disk change, just after eliminating the last Methanoïds. Bad luck, it was mine. You might avoid this by using the pre-installed WHDLoad pack, but I didn’t have the courage to start over and verify…
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