HOMEWORLD DESERTS OF KHARAK MODS SERIES

Despite the short single-player campaign, players also have multiplayer and skirmish modes that both contain a variety of modes and maps.Д¬ampaign length aside, oneВ thing I can't fault the game for is production quality. That complaint might have been easier to ignore, but atВ a $50В retail price at launch, it ties directly into the overall value. This is a difficult gripe to describe because it's also a testament to the production values and how well the developers did at creating a compelling premise-that simply ended too soon for my liking. The beautiful and unfortunately brief cinematics felt like teasers to something much more grand.В I hadВ to fill inВ my own story gaps. With theВ short game length, however, theВ expedition often felt rushed and many of those discovery and survival elements seem like lost opportunities. My comparison toВ BattlestarВ Galactica is most fitting here, as I felt the game shared many similaritiesВ with itsВ story of survival and expedition. My other gripe is that the campaign only took me seven hours on my first playthrough. They seem more like just-slightly-larger vehiclesВ compared to theВ others. Even the battlecruisers pale in comparison to the scaleВ of previousВ Homeworlds. While their visual style is, without a doubt, in keeping with Homeworld,В units look too similar to one another.В In large groups it's difficult to differentiateВ them. Speaking of those vehicles brings up one of my gripes: There's not enough unit varietyВ compared toВ previous Homeworld games. The larger vehicles' slower speedsВ make them vulnerable toВ missile barrages, while smaller vehiclesВ are vulnerable toВ environmental hazards such as sand tornadoes. Vehicle positioning is especially importantВ as line of sightВ between dunes can beВ a deciding factor when avoiding or engaging enemies. ThisВ creates new strategy scenarios not seen in past Homeworlds.

While many of the smaller strike vehicles jump over or quickly drive around dunes, large cruiser vehicles move slower through the sand. AfterВ playing through the campaign, however,В I'll sayВ that the shift paid off.В It's a refreshing change from space combat,В but feels familiar enough toВ justify the Homeworld name. The shift to land-based combat worried me, considering the series' foundation. The desert planet ofВ Kharak is on a 2D plane. The most significant change, of course, is that players no longer have a 3D space in which to operate.

HOMEWORLD DESERTS OF KHARAK MODS SERIES

As fans of the series know, scaleВ is aВ defining element of Homeworld.В Likewise, vehicle sizes and how they relate to one another on the battlefield is crucial in Deserts of Kharak. When units fall in battle,В you loseВ both veteran combat experience and resources.В Vehicle typesВ fall in lineВ withВ the spaceship classesВ in past games, from small strike craft to largeВ battlecruisers. Also, units persist between campaign missions.В Nothing feels like throwawayВ unit. Other small elements, from the minimalist menu icons to the overhead command screen, will make Homeworld veterans feel right at home.

That shipВ is a resource collection point and a vehicle manufacturer. It mostly follows theВ Homeworld formula with players operating a primary control ship. TheВ RTS gameplayВ hits a lot ofВ familiarВ notes, especiallyВ for fans of previous Homeworld games. Combined withВ believableВ voice acting performances and a compelling narrative about the will to survive against all odds create for a memorable science fiction experience. Much of that can be contributed to its cinematics that are best described as concept art brought to life through subtle 2D and 3D animation. The protagonistВ that narrates much of the story isВ chief science officer Rachel S'jet who players also control in-game via her land vehicle that functions as a mobile science station.В Deserts ofВ Kharak has one of the more interesting narratives that I've seen in a real-time strategy game. Players take part on a CoalitionВ expedition with the massive land carrierВ Kapisi in hopes of reaching a primary anomaly that could provide an opportunity to live beyond their dying planet.

DeveloperВ Blackbird Interactive has crafted a game that could be described as essentiallyВ Battlestar Galactica on a desert planet. Set as a prequel to the other Homeworld games,В Deserts of Kharak takes players on a journey of both discovery and survival across endless desert dunes.

Homeworld deserts of kharak mods