I was pretty hesitant to get into Homeworld 3, mainly because I hadn’t played the first two in the series. I’ve alluded to it before, but due to a combination of a lack of hardware and a general lack of skill, I never got super into Real Time Strategy games outside of the original Starcraft. But it’s a genre I’ve always liked in theory and wanted to get into.
Homeworld 3 may have been a bad place to start. Not because it’s a bad game, far from it. It’s a densely packed, incredibly deep game that is fairly streamlined in its design but immensely layered in its execution. I probably should’ve started with something a bit more simplistic…
I’ll admit to a little bit of egg on my face here. I genuinely thought that the Homeworld series was a relatively new franchise, but imagine my surprise when I learned the first one was released in 1999, with Homeworld 2 released in 2003—like I said, having never had a decent computer, I missed a lot of the better PC games growing up.
I wanted to approach this review the same way someone with no knowledge of the series and little experience playing RTS games might determine whether it was not only approachable but understandable. And I can honestly say it really does a pretty good job on both fronts. Thankfully, Homeworld 3 has a “History of Homeworld” animatic overview that provides players with the necessary backstory from both Homeworld and Homeworld 2.
“Homeworld 3 picks up sometime after the events of Homeworld 2, with Karan S’Jet and the previous Mothership, Khar Sajuuk, having mysteriously disappeared into something known as The Anomaly.”
If, like me, you decide to dive straight into the story mode before watching that video, you may be a bit overwhelmed by the amount of sci-fi jargon that is being employed, but the frequency of which it’s used coupled with a lot of the contextual gameplay makes it pretty easy to understand once you start playing. I think it speaks to the strength of the story, not only in Homeworld 3 but the entire franchise. Its lore and universe is so richly packed that it makes the whole thing feel so lived-in and believable.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Homeworld 3 picks up sometime after the events of Homeworld 2, with Karan S’Jet and the previous Mothership, Khar Sajuuk, having mysteriously disappeared into something known as The Anomaly. Karan’s grandaughter and mentee Imogen S’jet is tasked with becoming the commander of the newest Hiigarian Mothership: The Khar Kushan is tasked with exploring the Anomoly and discovering the fate of the Khar Sajuuk.
However, things become complicated as Imogen begins having strange visions with every jump to hyperspace. Not only that but during a skirmish with some Raiders, the Hiigarians witness their adversaries Hyperspace Jump through solid matter—something thought to be impossible. Whoever is outfitting the Raiders with this tech is likely controlling the Anomaly, and it becomes a race against time to figure out how to stop it before the entire galaxy is destroyed.
“The visuals are backed by both an amazing score and superb voice acting.”
It’s a compelling story that unfolds seamlessly before, between and after gameplay, consistently keeping the player engaged and eager to see what happens next. However, despite containing an extensive recounting of the previous game’s events, what Homeworld 3 really needs is a moment-to-moment compendium. For a story that’s so packed with events and details, a “campaign log” would have been really useful for players to keep track or remind themselves of events from previous chapters—the only way to really do so is to replay missions.
Like I said at the start, I was a bit hesitant to start Homeworld 3 because the prospect of RTS gameplay always makes me a bit nervous. I’m a slow, methodical gamer and having to manage so many things at once just gives me anxiety—which is why I usually stick to turn-based strategy games instead. But thanks to a pretty solid tutorial and a story mode that slowly introduces gameplay mechanics, it wasn’t a completely overbearing process.
Unlike Starcraft—the RTS I’m most familiar with—Homeworld 3 is a lot more straightforward, albeit a bit more grandiose. Players’ main structure is their Mothership, which allows them to build and research all their potential ships. Players will use Resource Controllers to salvage…resources on the battlefield which will allow them to build new combat ships. Researching and constructing more complex ships is no more complicated than researching other ships—unlike other games that require whole facilities and different abilities.
However, the complexity comes from how players manage their ships and use them to engage the enemy. Fleet combat really is the name of the game here as how many ships you select, choosing their formation, and what ships you assign to a squad can be the difference between winning and losing a skirmish. What’s even more unique and interesting about Homeworld 3—and I guess the whole Homeworld franchise—is the battlefield.
Eschewing the more traditional top-down viewpoint of RTS games, Homeworld 3 has battles unfolding in a massive three-dimensional space. Arenas are packed with incredible amounts of objects and detail that not only provide incredible visual distinction but also give players various advantages in battle. Players can hide their fleets amongst asteroids, or utilize derelict spacecraft for stealth, and fighting within nebulas gives players a degree of cover at a distance.
“I think any fan of classic RTS games has a special place in their heart for the repeated lines of unit chatter spouted by the Terran or Protoss.”
It gives each arena an incredible amount of variety and adds so much depth to the way players engage each other. However, if I have one issue with the gameplay it’s in relation to its size and scope. While it’s in no way bad, I found myself having a bit of difficulty navigating such a massive 3D space, particularly at the speed at which combat can unfold in Homeworld 3. What’s more, the sheer size of the arenas means you’re often going to be zoomed pretty far out, and trying to manage your ships and select multiple crafts—which you still hold-and-drag in a square—can make precise decisions a bit difficult.
While I can concede it’s less a fault with the game, and probably more my own struggles with it, I can see how newcomers, or maybe less experienced players might also have a hard time with it. A lot of this is mitigated in the campaign with the game’s “tactical pause,” which, similar to Dragon’s Age, allows players to stop the gameplay in order to issue orders; this feature isn’t available during multiplayer modes, so it becomes a lot more frantic.
In a lot of ways I like Homeworld 3, but in many others, it’s an incredibly exhausting game to play. When I had a bit more leeway during the campaign to make decisions and strategize, I definitely said it was an enjoyable experience. However, any time I stepped into the basic multiplayer mode, or even the newly added “War Games” mode—which features a roguelike structure of randomized missions, arenas and Artifacts that can bolster your fleet power—I was quickly pounded into the dirt.
I’m sure more dedicated players will have a lot more fun than I did because I can definitely see where a really intense RTS experience lies at the core of Homeworld 3. It’s just not one I could really gel with, and it’s something less experienced RTS fans might want to consider before jumping in. Of course, a lot of this can be mitigated with difficulty adjustments, but you definitely might want to REALLY practice before jumping into true PVP.
Visually, Homeworld 3 is stunning, creating incredible landscapes for its battle arenas that perfectly capture the beauty, danger and mystery of outer space. From an asteroid field highlighted by beautiful pink nebulas against a dark blue expanse, brightly lit by a single star. To dense and dangerous nebulas surrounded by gas clouds—the remains of crumbling intergalactic structures looming above the fog. The use of lighting effects and colour really accentuates the theme and feeling of each arena.
The visuals are backed by both an amazing score and superb voice acting. Fitting the theme of the Hiigaran’s desert-planet origins, the score has a mesmerizing South Asian/Middle Eastern style that makes every moment of calm feel mesmerizing and epic, and every moment of battle feel intense and bombastic. Voice acting during cutscenes is fantastic, with incredible performances from Elysia Rotaru as Imogen S’Jet and Ike Amadi as Isaac Paktu who have the most dialogue in and between cutscenes.
“I genuinely thought that the Homeworld series was a relatively new franchise, but imagine my surprise when I learned the first one was released in 1999.”
But special mention needs to be made about the unit chatter, which feels so genuine and believable that it really endeared me to it. I think any fan of classic RTS games has a special place in their heart for the repeated lines of unit chatter spouted by the Terran or Protos—I know I do. But it was the way the Resource Controller responded when clicked upon that genuinely made me smile.
It was this incredibly exhausted, incredibly bored “Go ahead,” and the way he believably said his technical lines, something like “vectors are in the green, beginning collection,” that made me immediately know this character. Here was a guy who had done this a hundred times, who wasn’t here for glory or the thrill of battle. He’s here to collect resources because that’s his job.
But even the combat chatter is so incredibly rational that it makes the process of battle feel technical and thrilling. Combat pilots communicating with each other, telling each other to watch their lanes, where to concentrate fire, and certain hazards to be aware of, gives the combat an air of credibility that goes far beyond units shouting “Adun Toridas” every time they were clicked on.
Despite my lack of skill, I enjoyed Homeworld 3 and really appreciate it for a streamlined yet highly technical RTS. If you were a fan of the series, or even someone looking for a solid new RTS to play, you’re definitely going to find a lot to like here. Its wealth of content, incredible story, interesting PVP modes and overall polish and style give it layers upon layers of quality and even if you’re not the best at RTS games, like myself, you’ll find yourself constantly wanting to return to it.
