When it comes to space-based strategy games nothing comes even close to the Homeworld series’ mastery of the genre. From humble beginnings shuffling about a handful of ships to the epic climax seeing you in command of a mighty fleet of capital ships, Homeworld remains unmatched to this day.
Its success was in part to the story, part to the intuitive controls, and part to the sheer scale, but Homeworld also had an unusual feel to it – rather than cold sci-fi, the tone and the music was much more reminiscent of a desert people crossing a vast desert. The imagery was very effective and helped to ground the far-flung concepts into something much more human-sized, much more relatable and evocative. Human’s aren’t wired to understand quite how big and empty space is, how isolated the Kushan must feel; but we can much more easily appreciate the loneliness and desperation of a group of travellers struggling through a hostile wasteland. The music is superbly pitched to this vibe; even the battle music feels subdued, distant and, above all, sad.
At the 2000 Gaming Globes composer Paul Ruskay won the award for Best Score, further evidence that there is both taste and justice in the world.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and find my old discs…