‘Tons of effort’ went into each of Wings of Liberty’s 29 story missions, says StarCraft II Lead Designer Dustin Browder: ‘We are most proud of the solo campaign and how different those missions play from each other. They are carefully handcrafted; each of them has a unique feel and mission mechanics’. Assignment selection takes place on the bridge, where one can also replay older missions in order to complete bonus objectives and earn research points.

Browder goes into more detail by explaining the characteristics of four story missions. Welcome to the Jungle takes place on the planet Bel’Shir where the player is supposed to obtain seven Terrazine canisters. The catch: they have to be stolen from sacred Protoss temples. The locals are not amused and after a little while they begin sealing off temples. If more than five of the twelve Terrazine locations are shut down this way, the mission is lost. ‘It becomes a game of territories’, summarizes Browder. We have to defend our canister - stealing workers while disrupting temple shutdowns at the same time. The mini map shows the locations of all sites. We are also alerted if one location is about to being sealed off.

They only come out at night
The mission Deadman’s Port requires a different tactical approach. Two other factions are on the map; one hostile, one neutral. The latter can be bribed into fighting on your side with a certain amount of minerals. Dustin Browder: ‘Collect as much scrap as you can while fighting enemy forces. But they are also harvesting and if they get the money first, they hire the mercenary.’ For an even scarier outlook, try Safe Haven. Infested Terrans burrow in the ground to hide from the sun’s deadly UV radiation, but rise at night and go after the player’s forces. ‘You have to find them at day... and at night you better run for your lives’, promises Browder.

The Dig on the planet Xil is another mission we were able to get our hands on. It starts with a little lesson about the proper use of s. This knowledge comes in handy because we have to defend a perimeter around a giant laser drill. Setting up our defenses with bunkers and siege tanks, we have to fight off wave after wave of Protoss until the laser has drilled through a temple door. Just as the attacks send in heavy troops and transport ships, we gain full control over the laser drill to use is it as a ‘finger of god’. As Browder puts it: ‘Even s go down in seconds. Believe me, you need that firepower to survive the attacks.’

Fond memories
We also get to play the first mission in the Zeratul’s Memories series which seems to be rich with crucial plot development (and controlling Protoss units in between is a nice change). The Dark Templar is seeking for the fragments of a rather gloomy ancient prophecy (end of the universe, etc.). Even a date with the Queen of Blades can’t dampen his optimism: ‘The prophecy is uncertain, there is always hope’.

We are certainly full of hope regarding Wings of Liberty’s single player campaign. Navigating the Hyperion, chatting with crew members and making interesting strategical decisions between assignments is a nice break from the RTS gameplay. The missions so far seem to be engaging, thoroughly entertaining and enriched with interesting events and dialogue.

Zeratul fears that ‘this entire universe will burn’. We are hoping that the gold master disc for StarCraft II will be burned soon so that we can do our part to ensure a happier ending.