Approaching a title the likes of Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a difficult one. On the one hand, the game has a fantastic pedigree: Blackbird Interactive (BBI) have a number of ex-Relic employees who were associated with the original Homeworld, not to mention the fact that they managed to recovered the Homeworld IP itself to make a true game in the series rather an homage with nods and winks. On the other, sequels and prequels have a dangerous habit of being held up against their predecessors and, even when they’re good, the contrast undermines their better qualities.
To understand where the game sits in the franchise, Deserts of Kharak expands upon what could have been a throwaway pair of lines in the opening cutscene of Homeworld: “100 years ago, a satellite detected an object under the sands of the Great Desert. An expedition was sent.” Naturally, the game takes us to the surface of Kharak, a jolt to those expecting a full 3D strategy game, and on a series of 13 missions that depict that expedition. Each mission is punctuated with voice logs, in-game and pre-rendered cutscenes. The center stage is taken by five primary characters, most of them captains of land-carriers, the command and control vehicles that centre the fleets of vehicles venturing into Kharak’s deserts.
The campaign is a journey, an experience, a work of art. As with much art, there are bits and pieces that are implied, fuzzy, and left to the imagination, but without distracting from the main focus. The environments are sublime. From rocky plateaus, and dusty valleys, to rolling dunes, the Unity engine really has been pushed to its fullest potential in presenting so many variations on the theme. The attention to detail with the units and the whole presentation is breathtaking. Veterans of the series will even notice the odd easter-egg or homage, especially the presentation of the sensor manager.
Of particular note, as I’m sure half of the people who’ve reviewed the game will feel compelled to mention is the background chatter: units discuss sand getting in places where it doesn’t belong, or technical issues with the lead engineer. The volume is perfectly tuned to sit in the background and not interrupt the flow of the game, instead breathing life into your army in a way that is reminiscent of the excellent idle conversations from the classic No One Lives Forever.
The mechanisms of play are not all too surprising from your usual RTS fare – harvesting of resources, research of new technologies, construction of new units and the inevitable conflict that results. Base-building is eschewed almost entirely, with only a few static emplacements in the form of sensor posts, mines, and turrets left in. Instead, everything is consolidated in your land-carrier: a giant mobile factory, airstrip, weapons platform, and everything inbetween. Early on, it might act as a defensive bastion keeping your resources safe while your army operates elsewhere, or you may end up using it to spearhead or support your major military actions. The carrier has it all: armor, cruise missiles, guns, anti-air, repair beams; just not the power to run it all at once, and an overheating mechanic that prevents overuse. It acts as the ultimate rush deterrent, making killing a carrier a deliberate and sustained act. It also keeps things dynamic and mobile; there’s always somewhere to be, somewhere to project that awesome power.
The terrain really plays a role too. High terrain offers both an explicit bonus in terms of attack, along with visibility and good lines of sight – enfilade and defilade are real, tactical elements of concern. In many ways this exceeds the three-dimensionality of the space-faring games as, while the extra degrees of freedom always offered choice, none of those choices every felt particularly meaningful, and often could lead to frustrating games of ‘hunt the carrier’ due to the incredibly large search space. On Kharak, terrain is ever-present and always offering ways to take the advantage.
Some of the simplicity of the game can be forgiven as those impressionistic brush strokes and keeping things simple. Of the two sides, there are only around 15 unit types in the game, each with fairly well-defined roles, advantages and disadvantages. However, the resulting difficulty of the campaign may disappoint some, with excess resources and an adaptive difficulty system that prevents things from ever becoming unwinnable. Should you manage to decimate your fleet in one battle, there is an option to take a ‘default’ fleet into the next mission to wash away your mistakes. Most will probably engage and attach to their units though, coming to treasure those that have gained experience and the bonuses that go with it. It may be smokes and mirrors, but BBI might snag you like that darn dog from Fable 2, and you’ll find yourself save-scumming to save that elite unit that’s been with you since day one.
Where Deserts of Kharak falls down, if but a little, is its brevity. The campaign can be breezed through if you don’t stop to smell the roses or harvest every single resource on the map. The real challenge should be the multiplayer, but it suffers a little from first month balance issues and only having 5 maps on offer. On top of this, the multiplayer does not have the speed and precision of a game like Starcraft, which reduces the excitement and e-sportability of the title in exchange for something that feels a little more cerebral. But high APM is not how a game like this should be enjoyed.
Deserts of Kharak is just like the original Homeworld, the type of game more fun played at a LAN party with a bunch of mates, whether or not you have a serious match or someone builds the population cap worth of light attack vehicles and does massive donuts around your carrier. The campaign experience is satisfying, short-novel experience that fills just the right gap in the franchise. BBI really feel like an older, more grizzled set of developers who existed before the blight of DLC and microtransactions seeded practically every big-budget title on the market. They’ve made a game that feels like a complete product: polished, exacting, detailed, fun, and ultimately fulfilling, whether to the newcomer or the steadfast acolyte.
The Takeaway
Fans and newbies to the series will both enjoy Deserts of Kharak as long as they’re not looking for a hardcore competitive RTS; they may even find themselves curious about the Remastered editions of Homeworld 1 and 2, which also come highly recommended and likely play very well after finishing. The campaign is brief, but memorable, while the multiplayer is serviceable and satisfying.
Deserts of Kharak is currently available on Steam at the classic price of $49.99 / £29.99 / 45,99€.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by danikov.
