The Highly Anticipated Homeworld 3’s Little Cousin: Earthless

Blackbird Interactive, the renowned game developer behind the highly anticipated Homeworld 3, is releasing a spin-off game called Earthless, set to launch in February 2024. While Homeworld 3 takes players on an epic space strategy adventure, Earthless offers a unique twist as a deck-building roguelite card game. As a fan of space strategy games, I had the chance to try out an early preview of Earthless, and while it didn’t quite send me into hyperspace, I must say I’m definitely intrigued.

A Stellar Storyline

In Earthless, the sun unexpectedly goes supernova billions of years ahead of schedule, forcing everyone with a rocketship and a starchart to search for the closest exoplanet capable of sustaining life. Each playthrough involves navigating your ship through a series of nodes grouped into regions. These nodes offer various resource opportunities that grant new cards, story-driven moments where you can upgrade your ship systems, and intense battles against a peculiar alien race that strongly resemble angry Cornish pasties.

In contrast to the expansive 3D environments of Homeworld, Earthless adopts a holographic sandtray interface, where cards represent the abilities of your ship and seamlessly fit into the edge of the table. During your turn, you can move your ship and spend energy to play randomly drawn cards. These cards range from simple missile launches and time manipulation to shield reinforcements. However, be cautious with your movements as excessive heat can immobilize your ship temporarily. Timing your actions strategically is crucial to avoid being an easy target for the enemy.

While the maps in Earthless are small enough to fit on the screen without requiring a zoom function, they are meticulously designed and reminiscent of the popular game Into The Breach. You’ll encounter fog-of-war mechanics with radar anomalies, obstacles like damaging gas clouds, and unpredictable elements such as solar radiation that harms all ships each turn. As you progress, you’ll face not only waves of opponents but also colossal bosses that can dominate one side of the map.

Evolution of Tactical Options

Earthless impresses with its deck-building mechanics, although it’s still too early to provide a comprehensive evaluation. Throughout the game, you earn cards through victories and exploration. To make room for new cards, you can discard unwanted ones at set intervals. Additionally, you have the ability to craft and modify cards, allowing for customization such as generating shield energy during emergency heat venting.

What stood out to me during my time playing Earthless was how my tactical options evolved within just a few turns. Over the course of half an hour, I found myself discovering new strategies and considering different approaches to overcome challenges. Additionally, the game introduces the intriguing possibility of crew mutinies. Focusing heavily on upgrading a specific aspect of your ship may result in permanent debuffs, forcing players to weigh the potential benefits against the drawbacks when deciding how to prioritize their crew.

While Earthless may not surpass the popularity of titles like Slay the Spire and may not possess the same level of excitement as other upcoming Battlestar Galact ’em ups like Jumplight Odyssey, it definitely left me wanting more. Earthless could offer a satisfying gaming experience to bridge the gap until the release of Homeworld 3. However, it’s unfortunate that the early access release on Steam is also slated for 2024.