Space Hack


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Diablo Meets Space Marines

Why aren't there more games like Diablo? A soupcon of story, fast frenetic combat alleviated by a breathing space when you get back to your base, a wide variety of opponents with terrifying bosses, and ever-improving skills and equipment--it's a recipe for unalloyed pleasure, at least for many gamers.

With Space Hack, Rebelmind has taken that recipe and taken it to science fiction, with your character a Space Marine who uses primarily fire rather than melee weapons, for an interesting change of pace. Of course, you may ask yourself whether a small indie developer can provide the level of polish for which Blizzard is renowned. We think they get close, but you don't have to take our word for it. That's what demos are for.

The Developer Says

An ex-officer of the Space Marines; strong, proud and maybe a little too hot-tempered was honorably discharged from service, but upset the wrong people and ended up ‘volunteering’ to join the colonist on Maximus XV.

He became well known and received his nick name after a daring take over of a pirate ship in a spaceport of Mars. He walked on board armed with nothing but a machete and a set of sideburns that would make Elvis jealous. He killed 30 pirates and rescued 150 hostages. After that, people started to call him Space Hack.

Maximus XV
Forget knights and wizards - Space Hack will lead you through a world of high technology on board the Maximus XV. Dark and moody locations, biospheres with artificial ecosystems, futuristic weapons, androids, space ships and nebulas. Everything soaked in atmospheric industrial ambient music.

Action
Space Hack is not for the faint-hearted. Constant stream of alien creatures guarantees non-stop hacking, slashing and shooting. Fights are dynamic, weapons are lethal and the special effects are spectacular.

Reviews

"Deceptively addictive."
   - EToyChest

"How refreshing to see such a good game by a small, new company. Space Hack is easy to get into and enjoyable to play for a few hours at a time... Space Hack is for anyone that is looking for a long, fine action RPG game in the hack and slash style of Diablo. It’s also for any gamer on a budget... Space Hack is a sweet deal."
   - Gamerz Edge

"With its low price tag, Space Hack is well worth the money, extremely fun, and a breath of fresh air amongst the limitless supply of over-produced, hardware-heavy titles currently available. If you were ever curious as to what Diablo would be like set in a science-fiction world, then this is it. The future is now. Go play it."
   - GameHelper.com

"...what you get for a relative steal at 20 bucks are several dozen hours of polished insect-bashing and trophy-collecting... Space Hack is tough to beat.
   - SciFi.Com

"...at a price of only $20, Diablo fans should snatch this one up.... Space Hack is an impressive debut for a newer company, and I can't wait to see what they release next."
   - Cosmos Gaming

"Space Hack has taken some elements from Diablo and expanded upon and improved them to make a highly addictive and entertaining game. There is a LOT to like about this game..."
   - RPGDotCom

"Space Hack has proven that you do not need a big company budget to provide a quality product."
   - Hooked Gamers.com

"One of the nicer surprises this year... is Meridian4’s Space Hack, a budget single player sci-fi Action/RPG that’s a challenging and highly addictive experience for players of all skill levels. The game score high marks thanks to the pick up and playability factor concentrating heavily on classic dungeon hack gameplay in remarkably detailed indoor and outdoor environments."
   - Bonus Stage

Player Reviews

User Reviews
8
out of 10
Most addictive game I've run across in a while

Summary: A good old-fashioned bug hunt. The game's not perfect, but damn if it isn't fun! It's well worth the $19.95.

I've now played Space Hack through to completion, neglecting various other work and household chores. I've never played Diablo (no, seriously), but I've certainly played some other RPGs that follow the same format: kill monsters, level up, distribute points among attributes (in this case, IQ, ST, DX and endurance), get nicer weapons and armor. Along the way, find energy cells (= money and/or power for weapons), weapons, armor, high-tech items that allow you to carry out certain actions (teleport, freeze, mind control), and other items that boost your characteristics.

So, what makes Space Hack so addictive? First, the user interface works very smoothly and, for the most part, stays out of your way. Most of what you do is point -and-click, and that one action moves you forward, attacks, or picks up an object -- in short, about 90% of the game. There are some keyboard commands as well; most are equivalents of what you can do with the mouse, but several are not and are quite critical:

  • F5: does a quick save -- you'll find yourself using this often, particularly in the later stages of the game
  • Space bar: freezes all action, but allows you to carry out certain actions -- for example, you can bring up your inventory panel and switch weapons
  • Shift: keeps you from moving -- this allows you to stand your ground and fire without accidentally moving forward
  • Caps Lock: when enabled, labels items on the ground and shows health bars for monsters

Second, Space Hack does a good job of escalating the pressure. The mix and strength of the monsters varies on a given level; while many of them can be easily killed, if you let them swarm you at the same time a more powerful monster attacks, you'll die. Puzzles never rise beyond the find-the-key-to-open-the-door level, for which I'm grateful -- I hate trying to read the designer's mind.

Third, the bad English translation of NPC dialog is sort of endearing. This appears to have been developed in Eastern Europe (Poland? Hungary?), and the attempted translation into colloquial English keeps things interesting.

The game's weaknesses are typical of the genre, most notably that it gets a bit repetitive and tedious towards the end...but not enough to keep me from coming back to the game and playing it to completion (and success). The third-person UI can get a bit awkward when your character is walking next to a tall building or wall, and I've got a few other quibbles, but they're minor. Also, the majority of the armor and weapons available for purchase tend to require higher attribute levels than you (the player) have at the moment, though that may be due to my effort to keep the IQ, ST, and DX levels roughly equal so as to try out different weapon types.

It's hard to beat the price, and Space Hack certainly delivers value. I recommend it without reservation to anyone who enjoys this genre. ..bruce..


by bfwebster on Thu, 2007-03-29 02:36

Voice of the Masses

Space Hack

Great game

Iconoclast
minipost Posted: Submitted by Iconoclast on Wed, 2006-11-01 20:03.
Iconoclast's picture
Posts: 1
Newbie

This game looks like a lot of fun, but the demo is either too short or character progression is too slow...

After playing the demo, I don't feel like I know enough about the game to buy it.

I would still recommend it to anyone who likes Diablo style Hack'n'Slash.

 
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