With great atmosphere and challenging gameplay, Homeworld 3 is a worthy successor

A lot of patience was required from Homeworld fans. Not only has it been over 20 years since the last main part of the series, the release of the long-awaited third part has also been repeatedly postponed since 2022. Now the time has finally come: Homeworld 3 is a sequel to the galactic adventures of the Hiigaran people. The game was developed by Blackbird Interactive, a studio of former Relic employees who already worked on the two original games. We played through the campaign, played skirmish games and plunged into the new roguelike war games. In the test, we check, among other things, whether the developers have managed to create the same fascinating atmosphere and tactical challenge in three-dimensional space.

Imogen S'Jet is Fleet Command

After the events of the two predecessors and the discovery of the hyperspace network, the galaxy experiences an unparalleled period of peace, trade and prosperity. At some point, however, a mysterious phenomenon known only as the Anomaly appears and increasingly threatens the hyperspace network. The legendary navigator Karan S'Jet sets out with her mothership to get to the bottom of the problem. We enter the story with the campaign after Karan disappeared on her mission 20 years ago.

This time, Karan's successor Imogen S'Jet takes on the role of Fleet Command on board a new mothership. As the threat of the anomaly grows ever greater, she sets out from Hiigara to follow the trail of her missing mentor, find her and end the threat of the anomaly. This story takes us through a gripping 13-mission campaign told in one piece. This means that the individual sections flow seamlessly into one another and are connected with cutscenes.

The developers have put a lot of effort into a real-time strategy game. The cutscenes shine with stylish character models, great staging and excellent English speakers. There is no German language edition. The stylish cutscenes also enable the developers to bring Imogen as a character more into the focus of the story. In the predecessors, Karan S'Jet was always present as Fleet Command, but was rarely tangible for the player. The plot of Homeworld 3 (buy now ) becomes much more personal, making Imogen not just the embodiment of Fleet Command, but a person with emotions and a fundamental role in the story.

Source: Gearbox Software

From all sides

We also really liked the diversity of the campaign missions. Each part of history presents us with different challenges. While in one mission we build a massive defense line around a hyperspace gate, in another section we try to move unseen with our massive mother ship through an icy fog to a target. The new tactical options when using the environment also come into their own very well.

A big element here are lines of sight and fire lines. This means that it is always a great advantage to use the structures distributed throughout the level to your own advantage. Be it to approach an enemy position unnoticed or to hide from enemy fire. If an enemy missile frigate fires at our fighters, we pull them behind an object to avoid the hits. Of course, the opponents also use corresponding tactics, which we have to be prepared for. The three-dimensional space makes this a very special challenge.

To support this game of cat and mouse, many of the mission also provide the appropriate design. It's hardly mostly empty space anymore. Instead, we move through asteroid fields, old, decayed mega-stations or galactic ice fields. The game also offers great variety in the design of the levels and often amazes us visually. Areas like the planetary surface of Hiigara or the ice field mentioned above are particularly visually appealing.