Horizon
- February 6, 2014
- L3O Interactive
- 4h median play time
Micromanaging your cosmos expansion...look to the Horizon
Get on Steam"Horizon" is a single-player Science Fiction Turn Based Strategy game, offering about 4 hours of playtime. It features advanced turn-based tactical combat, full tactical ship control, and exploration of a vast, interactive galaxy with ten unique alien species. Colonize, trade, and defend your territory to expand humanity's reach beyond the known horizon.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic 4X games like Master of Orion, with engaging turn-based space combat and exploration.
- The research and technology system is innovative, allowing for unique breakthroughs and a sense of progression as players discover and refine new technologies.
- The tactical combat system adds depth to gameplay, allowing players to strategically position their ships and utilize different weapon types.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to navigate and manage their empires effectively.
- The AI is often unbalanced, with opponents expanding too quickly and declaring war without sufficient provocation, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Combat can become tedious, with battles dragging on due to the large number of ships involved and a lack of clear tactical options.
- graphics61 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers describing them as outdated, clunky, and reminiscent of early 2000s titles. While some players appreciate the functional visuals in the context of gameplay, the overall consensus is that the graphics are subpar and detract from the experience, with many expressing disappointment given the game's release date. Despite the lack of visual appeal, some players still find enjoyment in the gameplay mechanics, indicating that graphics are not the primary focus for all players in the 4x genre.
“Good graphics and 4x gameplay.”
“Plus the graphics are fairly good for this kind of game.”
“The graphics are a little dated but they do the job...the music is nice.”
“The graphics are really dated; even games from the early 2000s look better than this clunky bad 3D.”
“The graphics are sub-standard and the interface is unforgiving.”
“The graphics are laughable at times; all the ground units look like someone created them with a 3-hour trial of a modeling program.”
- gameplay55 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this turn-based space 4X game is characterized by a mix of interesting mechanics and significant flaws, including overly complex and unintuitive systems, a confusing user interface, and clunky combat mechanics. While some players appreciate the depth and replayability, many find the game frustrating due to its poorly explained mechanics and lack of polish, leading to a general consensus that there are better alternatives in the genre. Overall, it offers a decent experience for those willing to navigate its challenges, but it may not be worth the investment compared to more refined titles.
“I'm happy to say that as of today, after many patches and gameplay improvements, Horizon is a good 4x space strategy game.”
“Fun combat, rewarding gameplay, not for the faint of heart.”
“In short, because under the simple interface there's quite deep and engaging gameplay.”
“Most of its gameplay mechanics do work - but way too complex and too unintuitive.”
“Over-complicated mechanics and bad UIs are common problems for 4X games, and this one really exemplifies both of those flaws.”
“The game feels poorly made, the graphics are lackluster and the mechanics in tactical combat are not very well done.”
- story34 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging while others consider it weak and poorly implemented. It features a typical galactic conquest narrative with missions that can enhance relationships with alien races, but the quest mechanics can be confusing and lack clear objectives. While the game offers a variety of story modes for each race, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to frustration for some players despite the potential for replayability and interesting backstories.
“I really like the storyline and attention to details.”
“It was enjoyable to play the game and see the different powers come to life with the provided storyline.”
“The story missions can be quite interesting too, giving you a good backstory and view on each race, from each other race’s perspective.”
“The 'story mode' is weak (in my opinion - but, admittedly, at least it has one...).”
“The quests feel odd and difficult to figure out what to do.”
“Sadly, it isn't implemented very well and 'clunky' doesn't express the level of frustration you'll feel with it.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and resource management. While the initial gameplay may be enjoyable, it quickly devolves into a frustrating experience due to counterintuitive mechanics and a lack of engaging content. Overall, the grinding feels convoluted and detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“It's simply tedious.”
“Fun for 80% of one game, then becomes tedious.”
“By the time you have several settlements, this task becomes tedious at best, often causing you more headache than enjoyment.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it soothing and fitting for the space age theme, while others describe it as subpar and unmemorable. A few users opted to mute the game in favor of external music sources, indicating a lack of engagement with the soundtrack. Overall, while the music is not universally praised, it does not detract significantly from the gameplay experience.
“For example, the unique music played when you enter into the communication screen with a species.”
“The music is very soothing, calming, and low key.”
“You don't get tired of hearing the same music; it fits the space age theme of the game very well.”
“Music is a little subpar.”
“The music isn't memorable in any positive or negative way.”
“The soundtrack sounds like something I ate yesterday making a reappearance.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed among users. While some appreciate the random progression and exploration elements that offer replay value, others criticize its simplicity and limited content, leading to a consensus that it has low to moderate replayability. The game's pricing also factors into the perception of its replay value, with some feeling it does not justify the cost compared to other indie titles.
“The random progression of the research, the quests, and the perks discovered while exploring new planets offer much replayability.”
“A decent game, not on Master of Orion 2 level, but has replayability and the ability to tinker.”
“It's really good with gameplay, replayability, and the tech 'tree.' I put it in quotes because it's not really a tree, but I still like it.”
“The game itself is also way overpriced for an indie game. I can buy 3-6 indie games for the same price and entertain myself for hundreds of hours. This I played a couple of times from start to end, maybe 30-40 hours or so; it's got very low replayability.”
“0 replayability.”
“Battle system was enjoyable, but the overall simplicity of the game reduces replayability.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with a Steam rating of 57% reflecting its buggy state at launch. Users report numerous glitches, particularly with gameplay mechanics like planet bombardment and tooltips, leading many to suggest waiting for further updates before purchasing. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels unfinished and should have been released in early access.
“The game is rated at 57% on Steam, and well-reviewed on other pages are far worse. The 57% rating is well-deserved, especially considering that the game was left in a very buggy state.”
“Solid premise, buggy as hell - surprised this isn't up as an early access game.”
“Based on the comments posted when this game was still in development just a month ago, I think they released this buggy game way too early. I would wait to buy this game for several more months to not reward the developer for releasing the game when it wasn't finished and to give the developer time to nail down all the bugs, which I really hope they do instead of abandoning and moving on to another project.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted as entertaining but somewhat superficial, with some players likening it to a less engaging version of classic strategy games like Master of Orion II. While it provides laughs, many feel it lacks depth beyond its comedic elements.
“It's funny, but that's all there is.”
“It was like a crappy civilization game, but still funny if you have spare time.”
“The game is much like Master of Orion II, and that is funny.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its classic 4X feel enhanced by improved graphics, creating an engaging environment for empire management and development. Players appreciate the captivating narrative of leading humanity and the immersive experience provided by the game's real economy system and AI. Overall, the atmosphere is described as excellent, despite a potentially confusing tutorial.
“The first play starts with a tutorial that is bewildering at first, but the story told around us as the coming leader of humanity, with a look at the stars, generates a captivating atmosphere.”
“It has a very nice atmosphere, a real economy system, and nice planet development, making for an excellent experience.”
“The first play starts with a tutorial that is bewildering, but the story told around us as the coming leader of humanity, with a look at the stars, generates a captivating atmosphere.”
“Classic 4X atmosphere with better graphics.”
