Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Review

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, a prequel to original Real Time Strategy series Homeworld which has now been remastered and re-released, is set 109 years prior to the original story in Deserts of Kharak. The game tells a fantastic tale of a race faced with a dying homeworld, you are tasked with finding them a new home against warring clans who are hellbent on your destruction.

Homeworld is visually stunning from cutscenes to battle maps, they integrate seamlessly without feeling over elaborate or tedious. The battle maps are detailed with sand dunes dauntingly en masse, sand storms and canyons give the feel of vast in size, at times breathtaking, I found myself staring at the screen in sheer awe of it’s beauty.

In addition to the visuals, the audio really adds to the Homeworld experience with superb music, sound effects and great voice acting. Whilst traversing through the desert the music really gives an authentic desert feel, soft and peaceful. You’re rudely awoken by the sounds of gunfire and explosions which add contrast to the audio quality. Sandstorms are atmospheric which keep you on edge during encounters, time has been spent on effort to make the sound great.

Battles are fun and engaging whilst the controls feel smooth, I wasn’t clambering over my keyboard frantically trying to press keys in the midst of battle. The camera swing is true, not overbearing which compensates for the fact that the game offers no tactical pause menu, something commonly found with RTS genres.

“You’re rudely awoken by the sounds of gunfire and explosions which add contrast to the audio quality”

Units are based on a rock, paper and scissors with a decent array at your disposal, as you progress newer units are unlocked to combat the evolving enemy. Each level adds a unique scenario and segments the level with objectives you are required to complete to progress. Earlier missions are pretty straight forward and act more of a tutorial. Survival is key and this gives a feeling every unit has value, with resources limited it can be the difference between success and failure.

Battle tactics require you to take advantage of terrain through elevation, positioning and veterancy if you are to succeed in your quest to find a new homeworld. Line of sight is a new element in the game, sand dunes will block line of sight which makes positioning even more crucial compared to the original Homeworld 1 & 2. AI is not groundbreaking in Homeworld but tactical errors are punished with the game having reverse difficulty.

Gearbox have stuck to the principles which made this title successful in the late 90’s. If you fancy a greater challenge, you can always switch to multiplayer, skirmishes can be fast and furious but mostly feels like a spam fest, but definitely offers a tougher challenge.