Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Reviews

Very fun and just as challenging as the main Homeworld games!

I paid $5 for this and I feel cheated. This game wants so bad to be Homeworld but it feels like it's just taking a bunch of things the Homeworld series has and tossing them in a blender to then smear over a mediocre RTS. It also doesn't have ultrawide monitor support and ultimately crashed my entire PC when I used the steam overlay to respond to a message then tried to go back to the game.

Would I recommend it? That's a complex question. It's a great game, but PLEASE STOP FORCING UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES. Eff management that approves this. Also. VISA AND MASTERCARD SHOULD NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DICTATE MORALITY. STOP VOTING FOR THIS.

Gameplay Mechanics: 8/10 Narrative: 7/10 Graphics: 8/10 Sound and Music: 9/10 Replayability: 6/10 Innovation: 8/10 Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a rare prequel that actually does justice to the original series. It trades the franchise’s signature 3D space battles for massive land-based RTS warfare—but keeps the same tactical depth, strategic pacing, and emotional storytelling that made Homeworld iconic. Gameplay mechanics are strong and tactical. You command a fleet of ground vehicles—ranging from nimble strike craft to colossal cruisers—across vast desert maps with elevation and line-of-sight mechanics. The battles feel weighty, positioning matters, and resource control is key. Score: 8/10. Narrative is well done. The story sets the stage for the original Homeworld, diving into the religious and political turmoil on Kharak as the expedition to find salvation begins. It’s cinematic and surprisingly emotional at times, especially for an RTS. Score: 7/10. Graphics look fantastic. The desert environments are hauntingly beautiful, with dust storms, scorched terrain, and excellent unit detail. The UI is sleek, and the cinematic camera adds to the immersion. Score: 8/10. Sound and music are phenomenal. The audio design brings the battlefield to life, and the soundtrack—especially during key missions—evokes that epic Homeworld feel. It’s atmospheric and powerful. Score: 9/10. Replayability is limited by a linear campaign. While it’s well-paced and worth experiencing, there aren’t many dynamic elements or skirmish options to keep you coming back long-term. Score: 6/10. Innovation is impressive. Shifting Homeworld from space to land could have been a disaster, but Blackbird Interactive managed to retain the series’ identity while creating something fresh. Score: 8/10. Bottom line: Deserts of Kharak is a successful reinvention of a beloved franchise. It respects its roots while carving its own identity in the RTS genre. If you’re a fan of thoughtful, tactical strategy games with cinematic flair, this one’s absolutely worth the journey.

An interesting RTS game, a little gem of sorts. Whilst this game isn't as technical as some RTS's of era, it has some interesting ideas and game mechanics that it utilises well. I confess that I never saw a huge appeal in OG Homeworld, the open expanse of space always seemed like a dull battlemap choice, so the deserts of Karak were a welcome change. Suspect the DLC adds an extra few chapters of story, but felt like the devs could've easily made a few more maps adding a few extra hours to the campaign length. I got this game on sale for a couple of quid (4$ish ?) so I shouldnt complain too much about it's relatively short length of gameplay. I'll look into the virtues of the dlc at some point, though I suspect it doesn't add much in the scheme of things; Prolly spend some time trying the hardest difficulty too, at least until the repetition of doing the same missions gets boring.

Beautiful Game. Love the story, gameplay and the graphics, and the whole idea of Sensors Array.

Although every mission is in essence a variation of "go attack the people to get the stuff" the lore and storytelling is so excellent you can easily overlook this. The game mechanics/units unfold naturally as the story evolves so you always feel like you've got something new to play with. Have never played a HomeWorld game before but might go give some of the others a go now.

it is a fun engaging game and you keep your stuff every round so you can capture something and have it for the rest of the game it is really fun and with the summer deal you can get it and homeworld 1 and 2 and homeworld 1 and 2 remasterd for 3 bucks so cheap

A really fun and simple RTS. Definitely recommend on a sale. Best strat is spamming artillery and rushing the enemy with your carrier and a ton of support vessels (when facing AI). It is very fun.

I really enjoy this game because it is has the right blend of strategy and enthralling visuals to be great. I especially like how the sand dunes are 3D, so you can use them as cover from enemy rail gun fire, and how there are so many different strategies that you can use, so it fits countless different play styles.