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Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak multiplayer trailer shows it’s fast and objective-based

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak multiplayer

I’m more than a little excited for the new Homeworld. Deserts of Kharak is the continuation of a series that I played very early in life and adored at the time, though struggle to go back to as its systems show the weight of age. They’re singularly beautiful games and, while the mutliplayer was never my bag, this new trailer shows it off in all its glory.

Perhaps the biggest change for the series is the latest iteration can’t be included in our picks of the best Space games.

Best of all, the dev team have eschewed the mock eSports approach to a multiplayer trailer, calmly explaining how it all works rather than trying to get me pumped with faux-excitement. They even reference that the commentary is being recorded after the match was played. Small mercies are what I live for.

Look howpretty it is. I’m in love all over again. They’ve managed to blend the style, chatter, sound and interface of Homeworld so seamlessly with ground combat and vehicles. I’m amazed it has worked so well and I’m fully looking forward to the release now.

As for the actual multiplayer, it’s very hard to compare it to its peers, but I question if objective control can work in a competitive environment. It’ll be great for team battles, but I think it will introduce a lot of weird playstyles for 1v1. Depends on the maps, units and other specifics of course, and it’s far too early to start chatting fiddly balance concerns anyway. Plus, it’s not like this game will live and die by its eSports reputation – I expect Gearbox and Blackbird would be happy to see it move in that direction, but given something the size and magnitude of StarCraft II is lagging behind the big boys, it’s unlikely this will move into that sphere.

The game is out tomorrow on the 20th of January, around 5pm GMT / midday EST on Steam. Fraser’s been playing it this week and will have some thoughts and delicious screenshots for you soon.