Starship Troopers: Continuum (PSVR2) Review — Rico’s Roughnecks Return

After decades of cult appeal, Starship Troopers gets a fresh psychic-fueled twist in Starship Troopers: Continuum, an ambitious squad-based tactical shooter for VR that embraces its campy military sci-fi roots while injecting layered gameplay systems and co-op madness. With Casper Van Dien reprising his iconic role as Johnny Rico, this title is both a love letter and an experiment, and for fans of the franchise, it mostly sticks the landing.

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Story & Setting

Set 25 years after the Battle of Klendathu, the war with the Arachnids has reached a deadlock. The key to victory lies on Janus-4, a planet brimming with secrets, psychic energy, and an experimental super-soldier project: The Continuum.

In true Starship Troopers fashion, the game blends satire, grit, and alien carnage. You are a PsyCommander, an experimental supersoldier developed by the Federation. Through the PSVR2’s immersive visuals and 3D audio, you’re plunged directly into the frontlines of Janus-4, a world teeming with psychic anomalies and endless bug hordes.

While the narrative leans into pulpy, over-the-top military sci-fi, it smartly taps into the franchise’s satirical tone. Johnny Rico’s grizzled presence anchors the story with familiar charisma, while the mystery of the Continuum adds intrigue without derailing the bug-splatting focus.

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Gameplay

Core Loop

Continuum mixes tactical squad command with real-time shooting action. As a PsyCommander, you issue orders to AI troopers, use psychic abilities, and jump into the fray yourself. The blend of personal combat and battlefield oversight creates an engaging dual-layer experience.

Progression is driven by trooper development:

• Survive missions → Rank them up
• Promote them to “citizens” → Unlock bonuses
• Customize perks → Build synergistic psychic-soldier combos

Troopers evolve over time, making their survival feel meaningful. But as any fan knows, they will die. Often.

VR Gameplay & Controls

Combat and Command in VR

The PSVR2 version leverages the Sense controllers effectively:

• Left hand: squad command wheel, movement
• Right hand: weapon handling, psychic powers
• Headset: targeting assists, context-sensitive interactions

Combat in VR feels intense and tactile. Manual reloading, blind-firing over cover, and scanning the sky for Plasma Bug artillery creates an adrenaline-fueled experience. Issuing orders while under siege — physically turning to point and command your squad — brings a layer of immersion flat screens can’t match.

Squadmates follow basic commands like hold, suppress, or move — but clunky AI behavior (especially in tight terrain) can break the illusion and lead to unnecessary losses.

Psychic Abilities in VR

Your psychic powers are mapped to gesture-based or button-triggered mechanics. These include:

• Bug confusion (turning enemies on each other)
• Kinetic shockwaves
• Energy shields

While visually striking, the execution can feel inconsistent. Gesture recognition occasionally misfires, and casting while dodging swarms requires practice. Fortunately, haptic feedback from both the headset and controllers enhances the sensory payoff when powers do land cleanly.

Squad Command & Abilities

You can control up to 3 squads (co-op players each lead their own), giving orders like hold position, suppress fire, or push forward. Psychic powers include AoE damage, bug control, shields, and battlefield buffs. These powers grow as you gain experience, and your troopers’ survival directly accelerates your own development.

Squad-level customization is robust, letting you equip different classes, perks, and weapons for specialized bug-stomping strategies.

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Multiplayer & Co-Op

Continuum shines brightest in its 3-player online squad-based co-op, where teamwork, communication, and squad synergy are essential. Each player acts as a PsyCommander, and when coordinated, the feeling of fighting overwhelming odds is genuinely thrilling.

Public matchmaking is hit or miss, but private groups deliver a tight, satisfying tactical experience. Difficulty scales dynamically, and voice lines keep the action feeling alive with plenty of nods to the films.

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Combat & Enemies

With over 20 weapons to choose from — pulse rifles, flamethrowers, grenade launchers — the gunplay feels crunchy and dangerous. The bugs are fast, aggressive, and ever-evolving. Classic enemies like Warriors, Tankers, and Plasmas return, alongside new variants with devastating abilities and armor.

Boss battles include:

• Tankers: Charging, flame-spewing brutes.
• Plasma Bugs: Long-range artillery nightmares.
• ??? (Spoiler): A new species tied to the Continuum, smarter and deadlier than anything yet seen.

Bug AI is relentless, and encounters often feel like desperate last stands. Ammo scarcity and reload speed become game-defining mechanics, creating tension and triumph in equal measure.

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Visuals & Design

The environments are strikingly varied, with mission zones spanning urban ruins, underground hives, icy plateaus, and of course, bug-infested deserts. Terrain has a tactical impact, influencing line of sight and defensive positions.

Character and enemy models are solid, though not industry-leading. Effects, particularly psychic powers and bug dismemberment, are visceral and satisfying.

The UI leans toward utilitarian, though slightly cluttered during large-scale battles. Menus for loadouts and upgrades are intuitive, though lacking polish.

Continuum looks surprisingly good on PSVR2, though it’s clear this is a cross-platform title. Foveated rendering and dynamic resolution help maintain clarity, but distant visuals sometimes soften under pressure. Still, seeing a wave of Arachnids crest over a hill in full depth is thrilling — and terrifying.

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Audio & Voice Acting

Casper Van Dien’s return as Johnny Rico adds an authentic boost. His voice lines — a mix of motivational barking and nostalgic one-liners — hit the sweet spot of camp and charm.

3D spatial audio on PSVR2 is a highlight. You’ll hear:

• Distant chittering before enemies crest a ridge
• Squadmates shouting in the surroundings
• Rico barking orders from a headset comm

The score features militaristic horns and pounding percussion, but the real star is the soundscape — bullets whizzing by, bugs screeching, and explosions that shake your senses. Voice acting, especially from Van Dien, sells the world with charming camp and confidence

Weapons crack, bugs screech, and the pulse of battle rarely lets up. The soundtrack fuses heroic orchestration with militaristic drums, matching the franchise’s identity. Sound design adds immersion without being overwhelming.

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Performance

On PSVR2, the game ran well and was very enjoyable to play on our PlayStation 5.

• High settings: Consistent performance with rare drops in dense battles
• No crashes or major bugs observed during review
• Stable network performance in online co-op
• Load times are acceptable; hitches are minimal

Controller support is partially implemented and playable with customization.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Great squad-based action with deep RPG layering
• Psychic powers add originality to tactical gameplay
• Fun, varied weapon selection
• Trooper progression and customization feel meaningful
• Strong co-op gameplay loop
• Van Dien’s return nails the fan service

Weaknesses

• Visuals occasionally feel mid-budget
• Squad AI sometimes struggles with pathfinding
• Needs more controller support and polish
• Narrative leans heavily on exposition over subtlety
• Some bugs are serious damage sponges (late game balance)

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Conclusion

Starship Troopers: Continuum on PSVR2 delivers what it promises: visceral bug-slaying chaos wrapped in a nostalgic shell, with a tactical brain underneath the carnage. While the adaptation to VR isn’t flawless — clunky menus, minor bugs (pun intended), and twitchy gesture inputs — it successfully immerses players in the world of the Mobile Infantry like never before.

If you’ve ever wanted to yell “Come on, you apes!” while leading a squad into hell — in full 3D, with sweat trickling under your headset — this is the game for you.

Starship Troopers: Continuum is available for $19.99 now on the Meta Quest Store and the PlayStation Store.