Homeworld 3

Where do I start... There was a lot of criticism on Homeworld Remastered and Deserts of Kharak, but both games easily outshine this game. I purposefully took a step back from the game and came back now to take another look. There have been attempts and approaches to fix the most glaring issues, but a lot still does not fit. The campaign is neither well told nor in any way or form entertaining to play. The Story is forgettable. Instead of the iconic minimalist cutscenes from the previous titles, a 3D cgi effect fest was put in place that pretty much burned time and money that could have been used elsewhere. I am also left baffled as to why the universe apparently only consists of Higaaran fleets and these (completely new to the HW universe) Incarnates. The previous games came to life because other races than the main villians played big roles, and I was kind of waiting for at least one of the old races to make an appearence. The controls are... fumbly. Especially viewpoints, orientation and unit selection (Set controls to HW classics in the options for a little less fumbly controls). Many of the defining features of the originals in terms of unit control have been dumbed down or dropped entirely. Combat just feels... off. Even if strikecraft groups or frigates engaged each other and fell one by one in the previous games it actually felt serene to watch them get destroyed. This lingering feeling of carnage done on the battlefield does not exist. Units just kind of pop out of existence. This is not just a matter of balancing the hitpoints or damage stats. Everything just feels a little bit too fast. Also, partially to the sensors manager enlarging unit silouettes when zooming out, units often feel comically big and comically close together, which massively breaks immersion. The map design gives the killing blow. One of the main ideas in Homeworld 3 was that fleets could use the "terrain", like large asteroids or superstructures of ancient space faring races as cover, latch turrets onto them or circle around for new attack angles. Unfortuately this really backfired. For one it made many maps feel claustrophobically small. The other problem, it made playing many maps a chore in combination with the fumbly controls. Not to mention the overuse of ancient superstructures in maps made them feel massively underwhelming and forgettable. The fact that most maps barely field any variety in that concept does not help. There is a ray of sunshine: War Games. You play a short, procedurally generated campaign, potentially cooperatively with an ally, in which you have to juggle more or less limited resources (depending on your preferred difficulty setting), glouriously expand your fleet by stealing enemy frigates (we all know that is why you play Homeworld) and finally cut the enemy reinforcement line assaulting your homeworld. It is the most fun you can have with this game, it includes different starting fleets from fan favorite Homeworld factions (as dlc, but that is more than skirmish players got), artifacts which give random boni (or mali if used incorrectly) to your fleet and semi random maps with semi random objectives, which increases replay value among other things. Just like the rest of the game this mode is unpolished, but here you can feel an ounce of what could have been, if the developers had put their focus in the right places. Unfortunately, the Wargames mode does not justify buying this game unless it is on a big discount. In short: The Developers had too many new ideas they wanted to include, did many of them half-baked, and left the game in a playable, but unpresentable state. I would support any attempt to go at a new Homeworld themed game again, but not if this game is used as basis. And if you are new at this franchise and want to have a spin at space strategy, go for HW remastered on steam. It even includes the original games as bonus.

This franchise is shadow of its former self the story used to be compelling, now it's dry and predictable. On the other hand, the gameplay feels pretty good while the UI is not as thematic as the original it does feel better functionally but at the same time generic. Overall this is not the game homeworld fans were waiting for ages for it feels more like a generic RTS with a homeworld skin, the multiplayer is lacking and the decision to add only more content for the wargame mode which is just a boring roguelike is a choice and a bad one. 3.5/10

Was excited to watch this game grow but its literally just abandonware at this point in time. Last update was 2 years ago without anything as small as a single patch. Don't buy this game unless you like throwing money away.

Definitively my biggest disappointment of 2024 from my gaming activities... Just play to the previous games, this one should not be part of Homeworld franchise.

Anyone who reviews this game positively needs to give their head a shake. This game is an insult to the spirit of the franchise and is a slap in the face to fans. Terrible story, terrible writing, and terrible developer response / delivery of promises. They've dropped this game like a bad habit after promising support. The only decent thing about this game are the visuals for the most part. Don't buy unless steeply discounted.

Boy, what a disappointment. Another good series that bites the dust.

It's simply not fun. I'm convinced someone on the dev team must absolutely hate their fanbase because this game is beyond punishing, even on these easiest difficulty. Every single game mode is plagued by insane difficulty spikes and endless waves of enemy attacks. You never get a moments peace at any time in this game. The story is short and nonsensical and there is literally no one playing online to match up with (60 players PEAK at time of this review). Not worth more than $10-20. WAIT FOR DEEP SALE!!

Is the game broken or just bad? Nothing works properly, units don't respond to movement commands, formations don't work properly, selecting units as a group often doesn't work if they are different types. There are almost no customization options for units, if any, and only one or two updates per unit. You can't even do anything with the mothership. The developers didn't put any effort into this game at all.