For many years it's been slim pickings for Star Trek games on Nintendo systems, and while we've got our fingers crossed that Star Trek: Resurgence will get ported sooner rather than later, Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova — a solid co-op adventure from Tessera Studios — has been the only game to go boldly on Switch. Oh, and the TNG table in Pinball FX.
However, according to an eShop listing, Santa is bringing Trek fans a present on 25th December in the form of Star Trek: Legends. Santa, or publisher Qubic Games - one of the two. Keen fans may recognise the title as Emerald City Games' "strategy-based RPG" launched on Apple Arcade back in 2021, which recently got a Steam release.
Using the Nexus (the spacefaring energy ribbon MacGuffin from Generations used to facilitate the meeting between Captains Kirk and Picard) as a means to bring together the famous franchise faces, Legends involves recruiting heroes and villains and going out on missions, engaging (eyy!) in turn-based battling with all the characters rendered in a pleasant, cartoon-y style.
We haven't played the game elsewhere, but it's looking decidedly non-canon, with Starfleet royalty duking it out on different teams. Ultimately, despite the story, making numbers go up seems to be the name of the game - it looks like microtransactions should be involved, but apparently not.
Let's read some excerpts from the blurb on the eShop and see some screens. Check out the Steam release trailer at the top of the page.
PREPARE FOR ADVENTURE
Dive into the action with characters spanning the entire Star Trek universe! Take command of the U.S.S. Artemis and recruit a team of legendary Star Trek characters as you embark on daring missions, experience epic turn-based combat, and make choices that influence the game’s entire story.
ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM
Ever wanted to master Spock’s Vulcan nerve pinch or battle with Worf’s deadly bat’leth? Now is your chance! Recruit and command over 70 iconic characters from the Star Trek universe including Kirk, Spock, Picard, Janeway, Data, Burnham, Pike, and many more! Send your Star Trek team on critical missions that will test your crew’s skills and ingenuity. Earn special rewards by completing collections of characters based on the Star Trek shows they appeared in or the traits they possess. Plus, you can earn combat bonuses by using multiple Star Trek characters from the same collection in battle.
TAKE COMMAND OF THE U.S.S. ARTEMIS
Captain the U.S.S. Artemis and shape the fate of the cosmos! Choose your crew strategically. Each Star Trek character has their own specific skills and abilities to help you outwit, overpower and overcome your enemies. Every decision you make could be the difference between triumph and defeat. Take command, Captain – the galaxy awaits your leadership!
NAVIGATE AN IMMERSIVE UNIVERSE
Dive into the exquisitely crafted 3D world of Star Trek Legends! Explore beautifully rendered 3D worlds and interact with fully realized animated characters in this epic Star Trek RPG.
Hmm. It talks a good talk, we'll give it that! And it's nice to see the characters rendered so lovingly. It just remains to be seen if the turn-based gameplay is as epic as the marketing suggests; at the time of writing it's got a 'Mixed' response from 159 Steam reviews. Vigilance, Mr Worf.
It's only listed on the European Switch eShops at the moment, priced at £10.79 / €11.99, so at that price and with expectations set lower than 'to stun', there may be some dilithium to mine from this one come Christmas.
Let us know below if you've played Star Trek: Legends elsewhere and, if so, what warp factor you got out of it. Also, does it let you assemble a CMO Starfleet super team of Bones, Crusher, Bashir, EMH, Phlox, Stamets, M'Benga, and T'Ana? Is Pulaski in it? These are the important questions!