Developer Black Lab Games has revealed 3D tactical space strategy game, Star Hammer : The Vanguard Prophecy, which has you command a fleet of elite vessels at both the strategic level as a Commander, and on the frontlines as a ship’s Captain.
The studio has also revealed that the game’s open Beta is now live - to sign up for a chance of entering you’ll need to head over to publisher Slitherine’s website.
Star Hammer casts you as the captain of a ragtag human fleet searching for a new home, who finds himself caught up in a frontier battle with the mysterious alien threat (because every sci-fi game needs a mysterious alien threat) called the nautilids.
”Play your part in the Second Contact War in a campaign with a branching story and over 60 missions, or create your own scenarios in skirmish mode battles,” explains Black Lab. ”Give your orders, and watch the results in explosive pausable real-time. Tailor your arsenal of crew abilities and assault class ships as your fleet grows with your command. Exploit the enemy’s weaknesses with superior positioning and flanking manoeuvres to inflict devastating damage.”
It sounds like the game will offer a nice challenge, tasking you with balancing your strategic-level needs, such as keeping fleet morale up and making sure your fleet is well-maintained and in fighting order, and dealing with the tactical decisions of ship-to-ship combat.
There’s a nice description of the game’s main features over on its Steam store page. Star Hammer’s full release is planned for June 4, 2015.
