What is Hades Star? – Game Review

An enjoyable game is something preferential to the player and like-minded players, like Hades Star. When a game caters to the preference of a group of players, a community is made. As the game continues to receive support from the developers, the community flourishes. The community can do anything in the name of their game with the right resources. Such is the beauty and charm of small, indie games because they have the community cohesion AAAs don’t have.

Hades Star is a game that revolves around the depths of space and making a living in it. In this wild west setting, you are a commander of a colony or company that seeks fame and glory. On this path, a player can meet hostile aliens, and forge strong allies with other players. In the process of glory, a player must gather resources to become stronger as well.  Powerful enemies and alien enemies come with your progression, and that is the charm of Hades Star.

Hades Star Game Design

The overall game design revolved around being accessible at any time, and any place. Hades Star is available to play on mobile devices, on top of being available on Steam. To add, the game can be played with only one hand, with faster inputs being rewarded. PvE in Hades Star is essential, tied to the player’s progression through the game. Combat in PvE is random in its generation, but the difficulty is consistent with the strength of your colony.

Enemy NPC ships appear in the PvE areas called Red Stars. On top of this, other players can also join and cooperate. As for the PvP side, it demands only one ship from the player, pitted against singular ships of other players. It acts like a miniature and faster version of a battle royale, but with enemy NPCs. A last-man-standing PvP design rewards players with rewards and enriches them. Game design is centered around rewarding consistent playtime. 

Art Direction Review

The art direction that the developers took is quite fitting for the game they made. Splash art and portraits of the ships were made with utmost care. Each playable and enemy ship in the game comes with its own depiction portrait. Ships, planets, and comets in the game are miniaturized but are accurate in their depiction. As if from a dynamic map, the moving icons of your own fleet and the enemy are quite nice to look at. 

The weapons and components of the ships that are used in combat are good as well. Despite its simplicity, it gives more than information to the player in crafting strategies. Going back to game design, enemies are designed in different physical frames to identify right away. This is important in a game where there are many, tiny moving parts. Hades Star excels in this simple and comprehensive display, without any burden on graphics.

Hades Star is a compact game, at less than 400MB in the Steam store. When you feel like sitting back with little effort and challenge, then try Hades Star. Be sure to get this game on mobile as well, so you can play it on the go.