ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
Review
Nope, it's not a shooter. We promise.
by Kevin
reviewed on PC
Weapons
There are 30 unique weapons in the game, each grouped into categories called modules. The six modules are Ballistics, Tactical, Hyperbol, Impulse, Vex, and Gravity. Weapons in the Ballistics module are your basic projectiles and are essential for defeating your enemies quickly. It quickly became one of my favorite modules as upgrading it quickly raises its efficiency. For instance, the Scatter Bomb projectile scatters forward instead of radially after you upgrade it. More bullets will hit their target which results in more damage done, with no chance of hurting yourself with a stray bullet. Tactical module weapons require that you have good timing and accuracy and mainly involve explosives. The Hyperbol module weapons deliver awesome damage, especially when upgraded. They do come with a couple of downsides. The projectiles are very slow, making them easy to counter and the ammunition provided for this module is understandably sparse as well. The Impulse module is non-aggressive in nature and lets you build walls and other defensive objects. But the Impulse module isn’t the only module that provides players with ways to deter enemy attacks. The Vex module is filled to the brim with a wide variety of special equipment, the most useful of which is the repair drone. Finally, Gravity projectiles alter the paths of bullets and ships and are better suited for defensive play such as deflecting an enemy Hyperbol.
Of course, without the proper ammunition these weapons are useless. That's why you need to strategically place your Production Station somewhere your enemies can't demolish it. I think the Production Station was a refreshing addition to the game as it helps give the game that RTS feel. The station is really versatile, allowing you to build two or more of the same module in it. Each additional module will grant you bonuses to the amount of projectiles that the module can carry. This also allows you to coordinate what modules you will add to your ship, giving it a particular purpose or focus.
Ships and Customization
You have a few different types of ships at your disposal and each is highly customizable. You change the primary and secondary colors for different parts of your ship as well as choose what those parts look like. There are three appearance choices for each part. A large color palette is available to select your color, but if a certain color you are looking for doesn't happen to be in the palette, you can move the sliders to create your own custom color. The only downside to changing the appearance is that it costs credits to customize your ship. Then again, spending those credits is well worth it when you can have a truly unique ship. Upgrades are bought in an RPG-like fashion and each item has a random set of statistics. When I first noticed that, I realized that this ‘equipment’ is only meant to move stats around, thus making sure that players with more experience and credits don't have a huge advantage over others.
In-game, ships can take on a few different forms. Each of these forms has a different effect. There are some simple ones that only give stat bonuses, and more advanced ones that might imbue your ship with a special power. The most entertaining form for me was the Cloak. It is very satisfying to sneak into enemy territory and blow up their Production Station and annihilate them when they have very limited ammo and greatly reduced physical power.
Online Play
The game supports 16 players over LAN or Internet play. Internet multiplayer uses the Starport matchmaking system. It is here where you can customize your ship, name your character and play against other players. The online play is quite enjoyable and addictive. The only gripe I have is that when playing on team-based games, everyone seems to go off and do their own thing, which results in there being multiple one-on-one battles rather than having the entire teams facing off against each other. Playing online is lag-free and the community around the game is friendly so that you don’t end up receiving a ton of insults for being new to the game.
Due to the somewhat steep learning curve, ThreadSpace: Hyperbol may not appeal to casual gamers. Strategy enthusiasts on the other hand, will love it all the more. Overall, it is an addictive game that can be played for many hours and not get dull. It is well worth the money too. Currently the game is for sale on Steam for 19.95 USD, so it's competitively priced compared to big-budget games.
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
