4X strategy game Horizon looks to bring deep and vast storytelling to the genre coupled with the immense universe setting gamers recognize
In the year 2020, human beings have finally made contact with extraterrestrial life. Now, in the not so distant future, you take on the role of humanity’s leader as you conquest deep space, explore new environments and befriend or destroy new alien races, the future of humanity is in your hands. This is the premise behind new turn-based 4X strategy game Horizon developed by L30 Interactive and published by Iceberg Interactive that looks to create an immersive galactic story with multiple open-ended decisions to bring something new to the genre.
The main draw of Horizon and what separates it from other games of its kind is its dedication to crafting an elaborate and central storyline rather than just having the main goal be to take over the entire galaxy. It also features detailed ship designs, deep colonization management, a tactical turn-based combat system and a handful of others that longtime fans of the genre will recognize.
With regards to the combat system, it is intuitive and heavily involves perks, (such as a faster ship moves first) which provides more of a strategic aspect to designing your ships and how you use them in combat. The research system is also rich and deep but has a little twist in that to discover new techs you must go through plot points in the game to learn them or by gaining them through diplomacy gifts from others races. This means that not all techs are known from the start and brings a sense of realism to Horizon as well as motivation to gain allies and continue the story.
Currently in Alpha, the only playable race are the humans with ten alien races to go up against, however there are plans for others and even a customizable race in the near future. Along with the ability to choose how large the map is, how many stars, planets (habitable and uninhabitable), anomalies, and classic or normal gameplay modes, Horizon has a lot of depth and customization to offer the player so far which is great for experienced and inexperienced players alike.
Although the depth of the games mechanics are a little overwhelming at first, the intuitive tutorial helps you gain a grasp of the basic concepts before getting into the more complex aspects, which for an inexperienced 4X player like myself was really helpful. Even still, Horizon looks to focus on making the atmosphere massive and actually feel like it with the amount of depth in its gameplay and overwhelming sense of scale which could be a major draw or turnoff for some gamers.
Horizon is currently available on Steam for $24.99, and as always with an Alpha it is unfinished with quite a few features not available as of yet, but the current build looks promising so expect to see some big things from this title when it is released come February.
