Close Order, developed and published by Raconteur Games, is a small but ambitious indie title that reimagines the classic space shooter by adding an unexpected layer of strategy and squad management. Instead of controlling a single ship through endless waves of enemies, the player commands a growing armada, evolving from a lone fighter into a coordinated fleet capable of unleashing synchronized attacks. It’s a bold attempt to merge the twitch reflexes of an arcade shooter with the tactical depth of a strategy game, and while it doesn’t always deliver on its potential, it offers an interesting and creative twist on a familiar genre.
The story places the player in the remnants of a shattered humanity, piloting a ship in the aftermath of Earth’s destruction. You control a small team of survivors—Mary, Abe, and Chakor—who set out on a mission to find what remains of civilization and resist the threats that roam the stars. The narrative unfolds between missions through simple dialogue and static cutscenes, offering context but never overstaying its welcome. The game doesn’t rely heavily on storytelling; instead, it focuses on atmosphere and mechanics. The sparse narrative design suits its arcade roots, giving players just enough motivation to push forward without bogging down the pacing.
At the heart of Close Order lies its core mechanic: transforming your solitary craft into a powerful fleet. Each defeated enemy drops components that can be used to construct and upgrade smaller “minion” ships. These units form formations around your primary vessel, creating a living shield and extending your offensive reach. You can customize how your armada behaves, switching between attack and defense formations on the fly. The idea is exciting, turning every battle into an opportunity to grow stronger and adapt to enemy tactics. There’s a distinct satisfaction in watching your fleet expand from a fragile ship into a swarm of synchronized firepower, filling the screen with beams and explosions. It captures the same cathartic feeling of older space shooters but reframes it through the lens of squad control and resource management.
Unfortunately, the game’s biggest strength is also its most underdeveloped feature. While the concept of managing formations and minions is clever, the strategy rarely feels necessary. Once players find an effective setup, there’s little incentive to experiment further, as most encounters can be handled through repetition. Enemy patterns are predictable, and the limited variety of enemy types leads to a sense of sameness across missions. The early game feels thrilling as your armada grows, but as you near the end, the lack of new mechanics or escalating complexity becomes apparent. The challenge plateaus quickly, and while the survival mode offers replay value, it suffers from the same balance issues—your fleet becomes so powerful that tension fades long before the end of a run.
Visually, Close Order does a respectable job for a game of its scale. The art style leans on clean, glowing designs that emphasize clarity during hectic battles. Backgrounds are filled with muted nebulae and drifting debris, providing just enough visual flair without distracting from the action. The particle effects are vibrant, and the screen fills with satisfying bursts of color when enemies explode or new ships form around your core. The soundtrack matches the aesthetic with a mix of atmospheric and energetic electronic tracks that reinforce the sense of momentum. The presentation may not rival larger productions, but it carries a certain charm and polish that speaks to the developer’s passion for the project.
The controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing precise movement even amid chaos. Building and repositioning minions is straightforward, though some players might find the interface slightly cumbersome during intense fights. The Unity engine handles the visuals smoothly, and performance remains stable throughout, even when dozens of ships fill the screen. For an indie project, the technical stability is commendable, and the simplicity of the design makes it easy to pick up and play without a lengthy tutorial. However, this same accessibility means the mechanics never reach the strategic depth they promise; the potential for more complex fleet behaviors or specialized units feels unexplored.
Content-wise, the game is modest. There are only eight main story missions and two survival stages, making it a short experience overall. The campaign can be completed in just a few hours, and aside from trying different formations or replaying for better scores, there isn’t much reason to return. The small scope makes sense given the game’s budget, but it also limits how far its innovative ideas can develop. A more extensive campaign or a progression system that unlocked new ship types over time could have added the depth needed to make the experience more memorable. As it stands, Close Order feels like a promising prototype—a strong concept in need of expansion.
Despite its shortcomings, Close Order deserves recognition for attempting something different within a genre that often relies on nostalgia. It doesn’t settle for being just another bullet hell clone; instead, it tries to rethink what space combat can look like when teamwork and formation play a role. The execution might lack balance and long-term engagement, but the foundation is solid. For players who appreciate experimental indie titles and are willing to overlook rough edges, there’s genuine enjoyment to be found in its short bursts of creativity. The satisfaction of building your fleet and watching it grow into a storm of firepower carries the experience even when repetition sets in.
In the end, Close Order is a fascinating but flawed experiment—a game built on a great idea that never fully matures into greatness. It combines the immediacy of an arcade shooter with a light layer of tactical thinking, resulting in a hybrid that is fun in the moment but ultimately fleeting. It feels like a glimpse of a larger game that could have been, one that hints at something more ambitious beneath its surface. While its brief length and limited depth keep it from standing out among the best indie shooters, its creativity and charm ensure it isn’t easily forgotten. For those who enjoy seeing new ideas tested in familiar genres, Close Order remains a small but worthy addition to the indie space shooter landscape.
Rating: 5/10
