If you want to spend the weekend playing awesome games but don’t want to spend any money on it, the latest free download from the Epic Games Store is a perfect fit. The strategy game Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is available for free until August 31. The game, which was released in 2016, earned a strong 4-star review from us, with our tester calling it “a classic resurrected.”
Battles in the desert
Just like the original games in the iconic Homeworld series, the battles in Deserts of Kharak are carried out in real time. The conflicts on the desert planet of Kharak can therefore get pretty stressful. Instead of the spaceships common in the series, tanks and infantry are commanded in this spin-off. Flying units are also part of the repertoire, but Deserts of Kharak is far removed from the sprawling space battles with countless spaceships of the predecessors. It still feels like Homeworld, though.
A total of 13 missions are available in the campaign, and there’s a multiplayer mode with five maps divided among two, four, or six armies. The desert setting is relatively dull, but the units are very detailed for the time.
The story told in cutscenes entertains well, the exciting and varied missions are also convincing. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is well worth your time and the campaign lasts a good 10 to 15 hours. A round or two with friends is also worthwhile, though the low map count might bore you after a bit.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak free of charge in the Epic Store
This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.
Author: Michael Söldner, Contributor
Michael Söldner has been writing for many years as a freelance IT journalist on the topics of Windows, smartphones, security, hardware, software, gaming, cars and space travel. Michael also translates and localizes tests and guides from our international sister publications.