A true, modern Homeworld experience, BBI did a great job.

The campaign, though only moderately lengthy, is fantastic. Great cutscenes, story and progression. The whole way through the singleplayer is a blast.

The combat in Kharak is simplistic but well refined, and follows basic unit-counter mechanics alongside the strategic use of the terrain itself (line of sight and height advantages). It's also awesome to watch a clash of assorted dune-machines blast away at each other, presentation is top notch. The atmosphere this game has with its audio is also second-to-none in the RTS department.

Unfortunately the multiplayer community took a large and rather devastating explosive warhead on launch when the game was tied to Steam region-based matchmaking servers. This region-locked the community, and alongside a few multiplayer connection bugs that prevented games starting in the first place the online playerbase plummeted, you couldn't reliably find and play a game. A shame this is, as Kharak's multiplayer is actually really good. It's a fast paced, skillful and sleek tactical RTS arena.

Due to the (now fixed) initial multiplayer launch issues and resultant lack of players, if you want to have a multiplayer game you'll need to go hunting for people in the forums or on steam etc. I have accumulated a small bunch of Steam friends who I can play a game with on a regular basis, but you need to go hunting, trying to search solo will net negative results.

Ultimately I would recommend Deserts of Kharak to any fan of the Homeworld series or RTS genre, although perhaps not at full price. A game you should pick up during a sale without hesitation.

A true, modern Homeworld experience, BBI did a great job. The campaign, though only moderately lengthy, is fantastic. Great cutscenes, story and progression. The whole way through the singleplayer is a blast. The combat in Kharak is simplistic but well refined, and follows basic unit-counter mechanics alongside the strategic use of the terrain itself (line of sight and height advantages). It's also awesome to watch a clash of assorted dune-machines blast away at each other, presentation is top notch. The atmosphere this game has with its audio is also second-to-none in the RTS department. Unfortunately the multiplayer community took a large and rather devastating explosive warhead on launch when the game was tied to Steam region-based matchmaking servers. This region-locked the community, and alongside a few multiplayer connection bugs that prevented games starting in the first place the online playerbase plummeted, you couldn't reliably find and play a game. A shame this is, as Kharak's multiplayer is actually really good. It's a fast paced, skillful and sleek tactical RTS arena. Due to the (now fixed) initial multiplayer launch issues and resultant lack of players, if you want to have a multiplayer game you'll need to go hunting for people in the forums or on steam etc. I have accumulated a small bunch of Steam friends who I can play a game with on a regular basis, but you need to go hunting, trying to search solo will net negative results. Ultimately I would recommend Deserts of Kharak to any fan of the Homeworld series or RTS genre, although perhaps not at full price. A game you should pick up during a sale without hesitation.