Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, the standalone expansion to the 2007 original, sees mankind returning to war. This time, man takes to the battlefield to repeal the invading alien force known as the Seraphim. With 110 new units and 12 new multiplayer maps, this expansion is packed with enough new content to keep fans of the series busy for a long, long time. Newcomers, however, might want to check out the original before taking a plunge into this epic mound of epicness.

It’s true that Forged Alliance is a standalone expansion, but I have to wonder why it’s standalone. For those who don’t own or have played through the original, Forged Alliance is like a kick to the face. The difficulty curve isn’t so much a hill as it is a 90-degree angle. The tutorial is pathetic and the printed manual is actually just a tech tree with the more in-depth manual relegated to PDF format on the disc itself. Going into the first battle, after being prompted that the tutorial is recommended for newcomers and playing through it, it’s easy to think that you have a grasp on things. Five hours later, you will be thinking otherwise.

Despite consisting of only six missions, Forged Alliance will take quite a while to play through. Veterans might go through the levels faster than people like myself, but even they will need to devote around two hours for each. I clocked in around five hours on a few of the missions. I think that bears repeating: Five hours on one mission. But the surprising part is that, despite all the difficulty and confusion, I was having a great time. After beating back a hearty Seraphim force, my weary army was asked time and time again - several times for each mission, in fact - to take on fresh enemy combatants. Just as I was beginning to relax it was time to plant my mech’s feet back into the ground and start grinding down the next portion of troops.

What is so great about the Supreme Commander formula is how epic it is. By zooming out a few times, the battlefield shrinks to a global map with units becoming geometric shapes; fire is indicated with yellow dots, with only the biggest of projectiles being displayed when zoomed out at maximum range. Getting back into the action is as simple as scrolling the mouse wheel and watching the cursor point come into full detail. With so many units, and each force – land, sea, and air – being utilized to their fullest, the battle and its included engagements manage to convey a sense of the player being both ground-pounding captain and commanding general. The units, sterile in appearance, are well animated and are accompanied by some fantastic sound effects. As talking heads pop up on display monitors, mission briefings have a suitably futuristic look.

The levels can be more than tough, though. The continually expanding objectives and map size can be really daunting. It’s one thing to tough out a hairy situation, but it’s another to drop trial-and-error portions on weary commanders. I saved often, and I’m glad I did because of several instances where a timed objective, whose time is never actually displayed, ran out before I could accomplish my mission. While the game is far from user friendly, I always felt as though I had a chance as long as I practiced and took notes as to what my enemies did and how they reacted; but with the puzzle-like portions, I felt the game was actively unfair. There were some times when the timing felt off as well, with some attempts having more time allotted to them than others. These moments are unfortunate because the levels are long, which means long replays if there isn’t a close save, and they are actually enjoyable when properly executed.

Even after spending several hours tackling the basics, Forged Alliance won’t be for everyone. Unlike the universal appeal of a Warcraft or a Command & Conquer, the Supreme Commander design is one that is both time-consuming and intense. Things don’t just happen: buildings and units can take a long time to build; getting the proper combination of mass and energy, balancing the give-and-take of units and buildings, takes a while; and sprawling maps can take over ten minutes to traverse. The pace alone will drive many people away. And the lack of information makes the destructive experimental units and the necessity of lower-grade units a mystery for far too long. Those left still interested will be thinned out even more by the generic presentation and style of the various factions.

The United Earth Federation, the Cybran Nation, Aeon Illuminate – standard, robotic, and alienish varieties of humans, respectively – are all fun to see when the fur is flying, but they are bland otherwise: it’s how they interact that makes them interesting, which makes it hard to immediately draw potential players in. The Seraphim can only be played in multiplayer – online or skirmish – but they aren’t overly exciting either. The story, while not widely original, could have provided for some really great moments and set pieces, but it largely falls flat. A generic story can be buoyed by interesting characters and units, but when the entire package is bland, then it’s not surprising that many eschew its rich goodness for something more familiar and exciting.

I hope I can convince more people to give the series a try, because it is really great. Aside from the fantastic balance and sense of scale, there are also great units to use, like the artillery pieces that fire across a map or the nuclear missile upgrade to the player’s mech – each causing all kinds of destruction to an unprepared enemy. The missions, as overly puzzle-like and unyielding as they are, really are worth playing through, and the system one well worth learning. It’s just a shame that Gas Powered Games made the game so immediately uninteresting when it has so much to offer.

Overall: 8.5/10

This may be a standalone expansion, but this is definitely one for the veteran. Newcomers will do themselves a favor by tackling the original first and then picking up Forged Alliance, because the learning curve is steep and the missions tough. The game’s slower pace is actually a great compliment to the game’s epic scale, and the sense of command on all levels is absolutely fantastic. The gloss may be a sleek shine over a humdrum sense of style, but the underlying engine is one worth getting in to. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance certainly isn’t for everyone, but for those that want their combat strategic, whole, and epic, there is little else like it.