A game thats more than a point and click – Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy Review

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.
Review by Yahoo879 on Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy.