In the truest sense – Space Hack really is Diablo in space. Diablo 1…
The bad news is that this has more in common with the original Diablo than its big brother, soul-capturing sequel. Now it’s not all bad here. After all, the original Diablo was still a fine experience (once you had a tome of town portal at least) However, some of the interface and design decisions strike me as a little clunky in Space Hack. Hot keys not closing windows, just about zero cfg options…
One of the things I enjoyed most about Space hack were the true 3D graphics – which give it a distinctive look. Of course this means that sometimes 3D objects on the playing field obscure your view, but that’s usually par for the course in any game that implements 3D at this point. This is a fun game – but in short bursts. After the original “gee-whiz” wears off (maybe 5 hours in), the game does become just a derivative Diablo wannabe. The environments and the enemies to tend to repeat themselves – sometimes just in different colours. The maps are huge, and sometimes it’s difficult to find your way to that last group of enemies you’ve missed.
Just a quick timeout here to point out I’m a “completist” – I “need” to clear a level before moving on – however this game is curing me of that compulsion. I’ve had this game for 4 months now and I’m still only about half way through. I pick it up every weekend for a couple hours and play through a level or two while the other computer plays some podcasts in the background… It’s a nice ‘switch-off-the-brain’ experience. I think this title has appeal to the Diablo fans out there. It’s not perfect, but for fans of this genre I think it will find a home. You’ll play forever (if my experience is any indication) before completing it so the value for the money is great. I just don’t think it lends itself to marathon sessions the way Diablo and Diablo 2 did. Good effort by (arguably ) an Indie game maker – and I’d be inclined to look at their next effort in this genre.