Shattered Horizon

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Shattered Horizon is a single player and multiplayer shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Futuremark and was released on November 4, 2009. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Shattered Horizon is an innovative game from Futuremark Games Studio that immerses you in the cold reality of combat in space like no other game before. This first-person shooter is played entirely in zero gravity. A catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. Join intense 32 player battles to control hollowed-out asteroids, huge fragments…

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 269 reviews

graphics22 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Shattered Horizon offers a unique and visually stunning multiplayer experience with innovative zero-gravity combat mechanics.
The game features impressive graphics and a well-designed environment that immerses players in a space setting.
Despite its low player base, the game can still be enjoyable with bots and offers a fresh take on the FPS genre.

The multiplayer community is essentially dead, making it difficult to find matches with real players.
The game has high system requirements and lacks optimization, which can lead to performance issues on less powerful hardware.
Many players feel that the game was poorly executed and that the updates and changes made over time detracted from the original experience.

graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The graphics in this game are widely praised for their stunning detail and immersive environments, particularly in zero-gravity settings that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers note that the visuals are breathtaking, especially when played on high-end hardware, although the game is graphically intensive and may not perform well on weaker systems. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and innovative gameplay mechanics makes it a standout title for those with capable graphics cards.
- “My outlook on existence profoundly expanded as I was transported to a zero gravity moonscape with awe-inspiring visuals.”
- “The graphics are amazing, with a shattered moon surrounding the Earth like an asteroid belt as well as various structures such as the International Space Station and other structures such as a mining station on one of the asteroids, an abandoned research station, and the Ark (the shattered remains of parts of the moon that settled into the Earth's orbit).”
- “Not only are the visuals jaw-dropping but the audio is perfect, with an epic orchestral score and sharp sound effects; this game has it all.”
- “Considering it was developed by Futuremark, creators of those spiffy benchmark programs, the graphics were hardly as mind-blowing as I expected.”
- “However, do beware that lowering the graphics settings makes little if any performance improvement, so if you have a weak graphics card, don't buy this game.”
- “Only thing to beware of: the game is very graphics heavy.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
36%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by its unique zero-gravity mechanics and innovative combat systems, offering a fresh take on the first-person shooter genre. While many players appreciate the stunning visuals and immersive environments, opinions are divided on the overall fun factor, with some finding it poorly optimized and lacking in engaging content. Despite its intriguing concepts, the game struggles with player retention and accessibility, limiting its potential audience.
- “The gameplay and graphics are fantastic, there's so much detail in the environments, with broken pieces of space stations and asteroids flying around at you.”
- “The zero gravity gameplay is amazing and works despite what you might think.”
- “Extremely fun and innovative gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is not fun at all.”
- “Although it features some unique elements such as the ambience of space and 3-dimensional fights, it is poorly optimized, has a very lazy 2D interface, and bland gameplay with very little to do besides shooting other players.”
- “However, just like 90% of FPSs with great graphics, the gameplay sucks.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The story in "Shattered Horizon" is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, focusing on the conflict between an international space agency and a moon mining cooperative. While some players express a desire for a more developed single-player campaign, the existing narrative is considered simplistic and lacking depth. Overall, the storyline is not a major highlight of the game, but it provides a basic context for the multiplayer missions.
- “Okay, so the backstory isn’t the greatest, nor does it make the most sense… all you really need to know is the international space agency and the moon mining cooperative don’t like each other.”
- “First, what is important, I'm not asking much about the background story.”
- “I just wish there were single player missions.”
- “There's even a bit of a storyline that could easily be the backstory for a single player campaign.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's optimization is notably poor, with minimal performance improvement from lowering graphics settings, making it unsuitable for players with weaker hardware. Despite its unique elements, the game suffers from a lackluster engine that hampers performance and visual appeal, resulting in a frustrating experience for many users.
- “Beware, it takes a bit of kit to run smoothly.”
- “However, do beware that lowering the graphics settings makes little if any performance improvement, so if you have a weak graphics card, don't buy this game.”
- “Although it features some unique elements such as the ambience of space and 3D fights, it is poorly optimized, has a very lazy 2D interface, and bland gameplay with very little to do besides shooting other players.”
- “A great game ruined by a horrible engine from a benchmarking company that performs like a benchmarking engine without offering anything visually stunning compared to other game engines that run circles around it in performance.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive depiction of space, featuring floating asteroids and comets that enhance the experience of dark, silent, and zero-gravity environments. Players commend the execution of atmospheric duels and battles, making it one of the best space-themed games in the last two decades.
- “Great idea, very good execution, tons of atmospheric duels and battles.”
- “Don't pay attention to the fact that this is a multiplayer and DirectX 10 only game; this is the best game about space I have played in the last 20 years. No other game before has come so close to the atmosphere of real dark, empty, silent, and zero-gravity space!”
- “Don't pay attention to the fact that this is a multiplayer and DirectX 10 only game; this is the best game about space I've played in the last 20 years. No other game has come close to capturing the atmosphere of real dark, empty, silent, and zero-gravity space!”
- “I like the way asteroids and comets are floating around in the atmosphere; I suppose you would call it a solar system.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The music in the game, composed by a veteran of Max Payne and Alan Wake, is described as "spacy" and enjoyable, drawing comparisons to themes from the TV series Lexx and the Halo main tune. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a key reason for their purchase, emphasizing its distinctiveness and appeal.
- “The music is created by the man who worked on Max Payne and Alan Wake, and it's totally different—so 'spacy' and enjoyable. It reminds me of themes from the TV series Lexx and the main tune of Halo.”
- “The music is created by the man who worked on Max Payne and Alan Wake, and it's totally different—so 'spacy' and enjoyable. It reminds me of themes from the TV series Lexx and the main tune of Halo.”
- “That awesome music was one of the main reasons I bought this game!”
- “The music is created by a man who worked on Max Payne and Alan Wake, and it's totally different; it's 'spacy' and enjoyable, reminiscent of themes from the TV series Lexx and the main tune of Halo.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game attempts to incorporate humor, many users feel that the poor performance of the game engine detracts significantly from the comedic elements, making the overall experience less enjoyable.

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67%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shattered Horizon is a shooter game with science fiction theme.

Shattered Horizon is available on PC and Windows.

Shattered Horizon was released on November 4, 2009.

Shattered Horizon was developed by Futuremark.

Shattered Horizon has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

Shattered Horizon is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Overload, Boundary, DRONE The Game, Interstellar Marines, Grip and others.

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