Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy Reviews – Page 2
4/5 rating based on 13 reviews. Read all reviews for Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy for iPhone.
Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy is paid iOS app published by Slitherine Software UK Ltd.
A game thats more than a point and click
Yahoo879
Update 4 Feb: The command button debate ends with a simple,......hold the "?" down to see what they buttons do,..... I feel a little sheepish..... Previous review: This is a great game, while the price is outside of what I prefer to spend, I am glad I did. This is a great strategy game, thats delivers a great experience; which is vastly different from any other space fleet game in the app store similar in style or genre. If your looking for a game that is a point, move, kill, and repeat...check out Starships (which I have and loved till this game), if you like to destroy a base/fleet with a "free to play/pay to win" fleet - pick from any number of clones out there, and if you like graphics with a voice, hit up Star Trek (have fun with that non-tactical waste of your time). If you want solid tactical gameplay, in control of every aspect of your fleet, check this game out. The basis and strong point for this game I believe is the tactical portion, yes there is a story, but if text dialogue isn't your thing, you can skip it. This game is about full (individual) ship control within your fleet on more than just a "one plane dimension" (a four stacked altitude playing field), as well as power distribution (shields, engine speed, or weapons power), crew members and the bonus they provide (which are affected by other ships crew members). Solid gameplay that I really have enjoyed for both the story mode and within the skirmish game. The enemy is not predictable either, which is nice and makes skirmish games different every time. Selectable maps also add a nice addition. The environment plays a factor, asteroids, space debris, and mines add another facet to a cool fleet game. You have to gauge the enemies moves and where that move takes in the battle, forecasting the end turn of an enemy is one component to this game and is vital to your fleet delivering a decisive win. This game distances itself from other, there is no ship modification, e.g. No guns of fighters to select from. You get the stock load out. I believe the game is not about modding, but about learning the enemy fleet, your fleet, and developing the tactical skills to win. Areas that could be improved...the command bar guide. I will say that I agree with the community as a whole in the poor breakouts of what icons are and do. The online manual (found within the game) or the pdf version found online (do a search, you will find it) lack substance on the "how to" and not necessarily the "why". It took me setting up a skirmish with each of my ships against one enemy Nautilid ships (weakest one) and going through the command bar buttons to fully understand what each button represents; from targeting to ramming. I would recommend to the developers that the community consensus is spot on regarding the manual,....YOUR GAME MANUAL IS BROKEN, SPELL OUT EACH BUTTON WITH THE CORRESPONDING ICON,...PUT THE NAUTILID SHIPS INTO THE MANUAL WITH THEIR CAPABILITIES...., LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY...... There has not been a serious update to this app or the manual as of my post. My recommendation, this game is worth buying. its engaging and challenging. The replay value is there. On a side note, if you like full control tactics, "Breach and Clear" by Gun has a similar feel to this. Don't look for a story there either, its about the tactics.
Good game but worth the price?
j_jim_j
Gameplay - You give commands to you units and then watch the next few seconds unfold as each sides instructions are carried out then continue in this fashion until objectives are achieved or failed. Similar to Frozen Synapse but far more in depth as you have multiple energy assignment options (engines, weapons or shield systems) per ship, attack options per ship and you assign ship movement in 3 dimensional combat. It sounds like it should be complicated but it's very intuitively set up. It helps, though, to watch a "let's play" YouTube video before getting started as it helps you to jump right in but tips given in game work pretty well also. NOTE: THIS NOT A 4X GAME. There is no exploring or expanding (research trees etc..) it is a tactical combat simulator. Graphics/audio - well done here no complaints. I'm running an iPad Air 2 and have it on the best visual settings with no issues. Decent space epic appropriate background music. Sound fx are nothing crazy special but they do the job. Would be nice to have some of the story driven through either audio or video instead of reading. For $15 you expect a certain premium level of delivery which this game doesn't meet. Stability/controls - only been playing for an hour but no crashes so far. Controls are so well done considering the sheer number of options you have. Pros - A unreal amount of control given through a very thoughtfully laid out interface that makes it a easy game to pick up. A sense of growth and development in your armada is achieved by the ability to buy new ships based off of credits earned (I think) base off of past performance. Cons - Not sure this game is worth $15. it seems like you get a game of skirmishes strung together by a (so far) forgettable text based narrative. For the most expensive game I've purchased to date on iOS I expect a premium level of delivery. If there's going to be a story, journal entries should being read with a voice actor at the very least if the devs are too cheap to spring for some proper animations. Someone earlier reviewed that this seems like a incomplete game and I agree to a point: the stuff between battles just seems unnecessary. There's nothing there to make me care about the story. It would be nice to have a multi path random system with a general over arching story a la FTL rather than a detailed bland story with text narrative the player doesn't really end up caring about. Not sure if I just haven't gotten there yet but there doesn't seem to be any environmental components like nebulas impacting visibility or target-ability of ships or asteroid belts to either hide in or risk injury or even simply a rock to hide behind. This makes both the settings and tactics seem more bland then they should be. Even if they were just for decoration it would be nice to have something besides the empty space
Unfairly harsh reviews
usmccraig
I delayed buying this game for months based in the reviews- finally it went on sale and I had some store credit, so I decided to give it a chance. After all, Slitherine hasn't failed me yet and I have several of their games. I'm glad I did- I find the game to be highly enjoyable. The controls make sense as long as you pay attention when they're explaining them, and the combat itself is varied enough to keep me coming back as new ships are added. True- the storyline isn't all videos and special effects- buts it's engaging enough and they save there'll effort for the game. If you're on the fence like I was- give it a try and if you like it fight back against the negative reviews!