Homeworld 3 marks a new milestone in the cult real-time strategy game series, famous for its space combat. This third opus, developed by Blackbird Interactive, follows episodes which had positioned the genre in a completely crazy dimension and quite innovative for the time. Because yes, the first game, which dates from 1999, was a real slap in the face both visually and in terms of pure gameplay. Is the legacy safe and sound with this new episode? This is precisely what we are going to discover together.
The heart of Homeworld 3 still lies in its space battles, orchestrated from the Mothership, which serves as both a headquarters to defend and a production base for a diverse fleet, ranging from small fighters to large cruisers. The meticulously crafted missions often start slowly and gain intensity as they progress, although the plot tends to lose steam over time.
A familiar story that works well
This opus picks up the story of the Hiigara people more than twenty years after Homeworld 2. With the absence of their prophet, a malevolent nebula begins to spread, extinguishing thriving planets and space stations. The mission entrusted to the player is to lead the Hiigaran fleet, under the command of Imogen S’Jet, into this anomaly to discover its source and neutralize it. Homeworld 3’s opening cutscenes instantly immerse us in the series’ familiar world, with ships executing tight maneuvers, leaving beautiful, colorful exhaust trails behind them. Battles come to life when two fleets clash, the sky lighting up with lasers and debris from cannon fire. In short, you’re not really lost if you know the series, even years later. No apparent difficulty either if you are a blue.
Homeworld 3 places a premium on scale and detail. Each mission takes place on massive maps, surrounded by cyclopean structures, where the player must navigate and generally eliminate the enemy. The scale is so vast that movements are slow, giving the game a very particular rhythm. If you’re a mad mouse user and you only enjoy MOBAs where everything has to be instantaneous, this game is clearly not for you. At the same time, the title offers the possibility of zooming in very closely to observe the real action. You can track your corvettes passing an enemy destroyer in detail, launching torpedoes from a ship, etc. This back and forth between scales is sure to excite science fiction fans, reminiscent of Star Wars space battle scenes, but with the ability to control everything. This is also where we say to ourselves that a Star Wars-style Homeworld would look great. But that’s not the point.
A slow, very slow pace for Homeworld 3
Homeworld 3 is above all a strategy game where you manage an army from the ground up. You choose the ships, build your army, plan their routes towards the enemy and carefully manage their actions. Space combat is serious business: damage depends on the opponent and the exact position of the ships. The game assumes that you find it interesting and engaging to coordinate your formations, execute detailed attacks, and clear every last trace of the opponent, all at a fairly slow speed and with a high level of detail. It is this slowness that allows the game to be very newbie-friendly and to be appreciated even by the first comer.
In fact, the detailed management required by the game tests your patience, especially when the solutions to problems are clear, but their execution is hampered by unforeseen obstacles. It’s not uncommon to find yourself with a fleet strong enough to complete a mission, but located on the other side of the map, requiring long travel times. In this, Homeworld 3’s artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in navigating the details of each battle. Small ships must maneuver nimbly, while larger ships sometimes have to hide behind obstacles to survive. The AI’s ability to handle these actions autonomously is variable, oscillating between effectiveness and moments where ships appear to freeze, becoming easy targets for the enemy. These uncertainties clearly make the role of space commander both captivating and challenging.
Interesting additions but not completely complete
A welcome addition to Homeworld 3 is the tactical pause feature, which, without completely stopping the game, slows the action down to a very, very slow pace, allowing you to savor the spectacle of missiles and lasers tearing through space. It goes hand in hand with the tactical complexity that the game aims to achieve, with each unit acting as a counter to another in a complex game of rock-paper-scissors. Basic but effective on paper, like what games like Dawn of War offer, to name just one. If you are faced with a squadron of bombers, you will have to counter them with fast fighters, while a frigate will easily eliminate any attack aircraft, but will struggle against assault frigates and torpedo boats. And so on. Unfortunately, this strategy ends quite quickly when you start facing large fleets.
Because in theory, the player is supposed to deploy the “right” counter for each enemy… However, in practice, adapting their actions to this level of detail often proves ineffective. The diversity and complexity of ship types with their specific strengths and weaknesses make it difficult to manage diverse opposing fleets. As a result, in most battles a more comprehensive strategy of selecting and attacking all threatening objectives often proves more practical, although it results in higher casualties. Damage.
A major innovation of this installment is the introduction of “terrains” in space, transforming the usually empty battlefields into arenas littered with massive structures and cosmic landscapes, such as colossal space wrecks or hyperspace portals. These environments are not just decorative; they fundamentally change the way of maneuvering and commanding. The movement system, which previously required precise entry of 3D coordinates, is simplified by the ability to simply click on the terrain to move.
Take out the cutlery
The terrain also offers specific tactical opportunities, such as using floating debris as cover for small ships, protecting them from enemy fire. Many terrains are also dug with tunnels and ravines, providing opportunities for ambush and evasion of enemy defenses. However, the use of these elements is more anecdotal than essential in practice. Opportunities to use covers and tunnels are relatively rare and become less practical as the fleet grows. Compared to other RTSs that incorporate cover mechanics, such as Company of Heroes, their advantages in Homeworld 3 are not always obvious. The ideas are therefore numerous (rock-paper-scissors, cover system), but in the chaos of combat, they are difficult, if not impossible, to implement and that is frankly unfortunate.
For example, one mission allows you to ambush a long-range torpedo ship with short-range fighters using the tunnels of a destroyed capital ship as cover. However, the artificial intelligence of the units does not always live up to strategic intentions, with ships getting stuck or taking wrong paths, compromising the formation and effectiveness of the fleet. This sometimes leads to disaster, and that’s totally infuriating.
Homeworld 3 remains impressive
Despite these issues, Homeworld 3 continues to impress with its rich detail and artistic style, inviting players to slow down the action and turn off the interface to better appreciate the battle scenes. The game’s other strengths lie in its consistency and focus on spatial storytelling. It clearly shines with its spectacularly animated cutscenes accompanied by in-depth narrations that immerse the player in grandiose science fiction concepts. Really, sometimes we feel like we’re in a (good) Star Wars movie. The story, while familiar to fans of space opera, is enriched by the depiction of hyperspace travel and protagonist Imogen S’jet’s neurological connection with her ship. This dynamic creates interesting narrative opportunities, both in cutscenes and during missions.
However, despite its ambitions, the game does not quite manage to meet the expectations raised by its predecessors, with a terrain system that does not keep all of its promises and a counter dynamic that is lost in the scale of the battles. We therefore find ourselves faced with a game that is quite grandiose in appearance and with very intelligent mechanics, but which are not completely accomplished to fully enjoy it. It leaves a little bitter taste in the mouth, but Homeworld 3 is nonetheless extremely pleasant to play and admire.
