1971 Project Helios
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for 1971 Project Helios
A fun experience, very technical and mathematical strategy by turns in combats that could tell us that we are facing the Spanish X-COM. But it's still a few steps away from becoming one.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
1971 Project Helios has an enjoyable plot to unravel, decent character development and challenging AI to defeat, but it's mired in murky and unclear visuals and repetitive gameplay. You're probably best off giving this one a miss.
Unfortunately, I found it completely unappealing in every way, which isn’t great when it was surrounded by better games every time I turned on my system.
While the gameplay is solid, we came away more impressed with the art direction and sound design than expected. The lightly stylised, cel-shaded look works for 1971, with the organic environments looking especially nice. The sheer variety of locations is impressive, too, including an oil rig, airbase, canyon, and nomadic village. Meanwhile, the exploration music is absolutely beautiful, though the combat soundtrack gets a bit repetitive.
No aspect of 1971 Project Helios can make it a worthwhile gaming experience. It's not too ugly and it doesn't crash too often, but if those are the only compliments a title can get, you're in deep trouble.
All in all, I found playing 1971 Project Helios an entertaining experience of inconsistent quality; it had moments of potential, but mostly this game strikes me as a rough diamond.
1971: Project Helios has a vision. Sadly, it is plagued with poor mechanics, lack of foresight, frustrating gameplay, and it ultimately falls short on executing its vision properly.
1971 Project Helios takes tactics to a different level by forcing the player to act. Released on every major console, it is evident by the game’s end that it desires to be a continuing series. And while its a decent tactical strategy game, it’s also a bit boring because it fails to integrate its surprisingly in-depth characters and stories organically into the videogame itself. Still, the campaign was fun for what it was, and I do hope if a sequel happens, it’ll integrate more of its own story.
