

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a prequel to the original Homeworld, taking place over 100 years before the first game.

Each followed the same basic 3D gameplay structure as the original. The original Homeworld also spawned two sequels: Homeworld: Cataclysm, and Homeworld 2.

Homeworld’s weird 3D design didn’t fit either category. Or war-focused games like Company of Heroes and Men of War. Generally, RTS games were either base-builders like Starcraft and Age of Empires. In the RTS space, Homeworld was an anomaly. To this day most Space RTS games take place on a flat plane instead of a 3D grid. It’s also important to recognize another reason why Homeworld is so beloved: there was nothing else like it. How could they translate that feeling of vast emptiness onto a planet? Your ships were tiny specs in the vast ocean that was the universe. Homeworld made space feel vast and mostly empty. You had no idea how to prepare for the next mission so you couldn’t prepare.Īlternatively, Homeworld could become easily exploitable if you knew what you were doing. It also meant that if you didn’t know what you were doing the game was incredibly hard. Meaning that preserving your fleet was paramount to success in the campaign. Unlike most RTS games, in Homeworld, you’d carry your entire fleet from mission to mission. Rumored to be a lush paradise compared to the deserts of Kharak, the planet your people were banished to. You then proceed in an odyssey across the stars to reclaim your ancient homeworld. It was also all your fault but to be fair you didn’t know you weren’t allowed to go into space. Why? Well for violating an intergalactic treaty banning your people from space travel. The story of Homeworld was that you were the last survivors of a race whose planet was just destroyed. The voice acting for your ships, the visuals, and the story were all well-executed and showed a degree of restraint, not found in other RTS games at the time. Pervading throughout the whole experience was a level of extreme polish. Released in 1999, the original Homeworld was innovative from the start, with the biggest feature being its 3D plane of movement. What Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak lacks in the 3D movement of the original Homeworld it makes up for with tight combat and unit design, and stunning desert vistas. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, however, is a worthy successor to the franchise. Homeworld was one of the few good Space real-time strategy games out there and is a beloved classic. I have to admit I was extremely skeptical when they said the next Homeworld game wouldn’t be set in space.
