There is no room left in the galaxy. Habitable planets are scarce. Resources are dwindling. Political factions and splinter groups are locked in violent conflict, and tensions are rising toward full scale galactic war over a mysterious alien artifact of unimaginable power.
You play as Marlowe, a small time mercenary tired of small paydays. Then Helena enters the picture. She offers regular work, a base of operations, and more credits than you can spend. The catch is that she represents Radivic Karadescu, ruthless overlord of IPEC.
Your alliances shape the direction of the story. Each faction wants control of the alien device, and your decisions influence how events unfold. Choose wisely and achieve glory. Choose poorly and risk the fate of humanity.
Installation and First Impressions
When I first received my copy Monday morning, I installed it immediately. The CD ROM installation was smooth and painless. Within minutes I was configuring the game on my Pentium II 366 MHz system with a Monster 3D II 12 MB card.
The intro cinematic does a strong job setting up the conflict. From there you arrive at your space base, which acts as your hub. From the office you can:
- Check Galactic News
- Read mission emails
- Purchase ships
- Upgrade components
- Select contracts
It gives the game structure and immersion beyond simple mission selection menus.
Missions and Flight Model
The training mission eases you in. You fly through rings, destroy satellites, and eliminate turrets in an asteroid field.
Flying through rings sounds easy. It is not. Stray from the center and you can clip a wing. The inertial flight model demands awareness. Momentum matters.
Destroying satellites is straightforward. Turrets are not. You must use asteroids as cover, hiding behind them and peeking out to take shots. Charging straight in is a quick way to die.
This is where Ares Rising stands out. It encourages tactical flying rather than reckless dogfighting. You are not just aiming and firing. You are thinking about positioning, approach vectors, and exposure.
Artificial Intelligence
The AI is some of the best I have seen in this style of game.
Enemy ships:
- Hide behind asteroids
- Divert power from weapons to shields when retreating
- Use evasive flight patterns
- Break target lock intelligently
Power management is not just for show. You can feel enemies dynamically reacting to danger. It elevates combat beyond arcade shooting.
Visuals and Hardware Performance
Designed for Windows 95 systems, Ares Rising scales well on period hardware. On a Pentium II with a Voodoo based accelerator, performance was smooth and responsive.
Asteroid fields are dense and atmospheric. Ship models are detailed for the era. Explosions and weapon effects have weight without overwhelming performance.
For late 90s PC gamers, this was a strong technical showing.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is as enjoyable as single player, but availability was its biggest limitation.
Unless you knew someone who owned the game, finding matches was difficult. Services like Heat or WON were not widely supporting it at the time.
That said, when I played with friends, it ran smoothly even over 33.6 modem connections. That is impressive optimization.
Still, do not buy Ares Rising solely for multiplayer. The core experience is in its thoughtful campaign and tactical combat.
