One of the three is always awarded for simply beating the level.
Each level has three achievements that are shown on the victory screen (or in the achievements menu). StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm also has a multitude of achievements to strive for, and there are dozens of tricky ones to attempt in the campaign.
This feature allows the player to replay any stage in the game and to change any of the previously made decisions, including the choice of unit evolution. Upon completing the game the Master Archives become available.
There are plenty of reasons to play the campaign more than once however. But all in all, the campaign is a noticeably brief experience. Adding to that the time it takes to watch the numerous story sequences and to listen to all the dialogue, the game becomes a few hours longer. If the evolution missions are not counted, there are only 20 campaign missions in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and I completed those missions and all of their optional objectives on Hard mode in about 9 hours (it would have been even shorter on Normal or Casual). The original StarCraft had 30 missions (plus tutorials), StarCraft: Brood War had 27 (including the secret mission), and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty had 29 (including the bonus mission and branching missions). It’s great that the player is able to make an educated decision about which evolution to choose, but these missions are otherwise simplistic and add little to the game.Īctually, the fact that the evolution missions are counted among the total number of missions in the game seems like nothing more than a sneaky attempt by Blizzard to hide how short the campaign is. Evolving a unit is just a matter of completing a brief tutorial mission that introduces the two variations. The Zergling can be evolved into either Raptors (allowing them to jump up cliffs and obstacles) or Swarmlings (which spawn almost instantly in groups of three instead of two). This evolution is (oddly) the only case of permanence that exists in the campaign of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, as this decision cannot be changed without starting a new game. In addition, units can also be evolved in one of two ways. For example, the Zergling (a small but fast melee unit) can be given a 30% increase to its maximum life, a 50% increase to its attack speed or a 60% increase to its movement speed. These too can be changed in between missions and can have drastic impact on play style and strategy. Seven of the Zerg units can be given one of three upgrades. The player is also given control over how their army develops. Also, the player can replay levels in which he or she missed the optional objectives, so it is never impossible to reach the maximum level. Getting Kerrigan to her maximum level unlocks some absolutely devastating abilities, and developing her power adds a lot of fun to the game.
Many of Kerrigan’s abilities are mutually exclusive, but the player is free to switch between them during the downtime between missions. By completing missions and optional secondary objectives Kerrigan gains levels to increase her strength and to learn new abilities.
The campaign in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is different from previous games in the series in that the player is able to build up Kerrigan as a hero unit throughout the entire campaign. Still retaining her influence over the Zerg, Kerrigan vows revenge against Emperor Mengsk, the man who sacrificed her to the Zerg in the first place and who is responsible for the deaths of millions of Terrans (the human race). ( StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty spoilers ahead.)Īfter the events of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades and leader of a race of power hungry aliens called the Zerg, has had her humanity restored by an ancient artifact and has been reunited with her old flame and companion, Jim Raynor.
The Game Editor has also been enhanced so that aspiring game designers and creative types can use their talents to design better maps and mods for StarCraft II. Matchmaking for multiplayer has been improved, and a variety of social features have been added to make it easier than ever for fans to play with their friends or to find appropriately skilled opponents. As expected of an expansion pack, the game features new units, new multiplayer maps and a new campaign. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the second game in the StarCraft II trilogy.