Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy

About

"Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy" is a turn-based tactical spaceship combat game. Players command the Vanguard, a fleet of starships, in strategic battles against an alien threat. The game features a variety of customizable ships, weapons, and upgrades, as well as a campaign with multiple endings based on mission outcomes. Realistic physics and physics-based damage models add depth to the combat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy screenshot

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews

story14 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique WEGO turn system that allows for simultaneous decision-making, adding a fresh twist to tactical gameplay.
Combat mechanics are engaging, requiring careful management of shields, weapons, and positioning, which can lead to satisfying tactical victories.
The game has a charming setting with interesting character interactions and a branching campaign that reacts to player choices.

The user interface is clunky and lacks clarity, making it difficult to understand ship statuses and actions during battles.
There is a significant lack of ship customization and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and limited strategic options.
The storyline is weak and poorly communicated, with a heavy reliance on text that can detract from immersion and engagement.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
79%
10%
The story in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as weak, poorly written, and forgettable. While some appreciate the branching paths and how gameplay choices can influence the narrative, the overall execution is criticized for being text-heavy and lacking depth, leading to a lack of engagement. Despite these shortcomings, a few players noted that the character interactions and the game's mechanics provide some redeeming qualities, though they still feel the story fails to captivate.
- “The story features likable characters and a good, branching campaign that offers replayability.”
- “The game has a fun story overriding the campaign as you go from mission to mission which are tactical turn-based space battles.”
- “Another interesting aspect is that the story changes depending on how you fight your battles!”
- “The story itself is too focused on texts.”
- “The story is poor and the lack of voice acting really damages immersion; reading and having to wait for the next page is very annoying.”
- “The story and writing are garbage, but the gameplay itself is quite fun.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The gameplay is widely praised for its unique mechanics, tactical depth, and engaging ship positioning, making it a standout feature of the game. While some players noted issues with the crew system and certain mechanics feeling broken or overly complex, the core gameplay remains fun and challenging, especially in skirmish mode. Overall, the game successfully combines strategic elements with solid visuals and audio, appealing to fans of sci-fi and strategy genres.
- “The gameplay is a huge strength with the detail-oriented emphasis on precise ship positioning and ability usage being fun.”
- “Excellent gameplay where fleet formations, maneuvering, and tactics are actually important.”
- “The tactical mechanics are, in my opinion, balanced and the ship types are also unique and engaging.”
- “A prime example of this is the crew system, which is a good addition but the complexities had to be figured out through trial and error and ultimately I had to shrug and just keep playing as I love the core gameplay.”
- “Such a shame a few of the mechanics have let this game down.”
- “The RPG mechanics should be deeper.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them decent and suitable for low-end PCs, while others describe them as unpolished and reminiscent of indie titles. Many agree that while the visuals are not groundbreaking, they adequately support the gameplay experience, with some noting a lack of detail in certain areas. Overall, the graphics are considered good enough to not detract from the fun, though improvements could enhance the overall presentation.
- “The graphics are good looking and will not crush a low-end PC.”
- “This is a great game, the graphics are top notch and the interface is very user friendly.”
- “The graphics are good quality as well and the pew pew spaceship factor is definitely fun.”
- “The graphics are meh as are the sound, the story is uninteresting and the dialogue tropey.”
- “Graphically, the game feels very prototype and unpolished even for the price point.”
- “While feeling graphically incomplete and unpolished, there is a solid core game that is fun to play through multiple times.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The music in the game is generally engaging and fits the overall tone, though it is described as somewhat repetitive and generic, with only a limited number of soundtracks totaling around 30 minutes. While some players appreciate the polished sound and find the soundtrack exciting, others feel it lacks variety and depth, suggesting it serves its purpose but may not stand out. Overall, the music is functional and complements the gameplay, though it may not leave a lasting impression.
- “Great soundtrack.”
- “Very polished game with excellent sound and music.”
- “I've only played a few missions but I can already see the great gameplay and fun story… the graphics look nice which isn't the most important thing but it's worth mentioning - the sound works well and the music seems appropriate for the game's style.”
- “The music is somewhat repetitive, but it's exciting and fits the tone of the game, so if it gets too grating, I just turn it down.”
- “The music is pretty generic.”
- “This game looks like an indie game and for all intents and purposes it is; it won’t earn any awards for the sound, music, or graphics nor for the story, but it does get the job done.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing frustrating bugs and glitches, particularly during lengthy missions, while others report a smooth experience with no issues. Overall, the game has potential but currently suffers from stability problems that detract from the enjoyment.
- “I've noticed no glitches, freezes, or other hiccups.”
- “I've noticed no glitches, freezes, or other hiccups.”
- “Add in buggy achievements and you've got a game that's more annoying than good, but worth a quick playthrough if you can get it on sale.”
- “It also makes glitches very, very frustrating, especially when a long mission has been going on.”
- “It's a bit buggy at times; the UI really needs work in a lot of places, and the writing for the campaign is... let's be polite and call it unintentionally amusing but serviceable.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while it features a branching campaign with likable characters that encourages multiple playthroughs, many players feel that the lack of a sandbox mode limits its potential for extended replay value.
- “The story features likable characters (I will not spoil this for you) and a good, branching campaign that offers replayability.”
- “I enjoyed the campaign, but I'm just saying that a sandbox approach could do wonders for the game's replayability. Oh well, maybe in the sequel.”
- “It's not terrible, but this game is pretty rough and doesn't give you much in terms of replayability.”
- “Now don't take me the wrong way, I enjoyed the campaign all right, I'm just saying that a sandbox approach could do miracles for the game's replayability... oh well, maybe in the sequel.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional journey throughout the game, highlighting moments of conflict and camaraderie that lead to profound realizations of strength and hope. The stark contrast between the game's current state and its potential evokes strong feelings, with some reviewers noting that it nearly brought them to tears.
- “They started questioning my command, had emotional outbursts in combat, started fights between each other, and towards the end, they even found strength and hope because they had survived this hell together.”
- “This game has such an enormous, unbelievable, awesome potential in it that the gap between what this game actually is and what it could be nearly made me cry.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a blend of humor and action, highlighted by entertaining crew conversations and an engaging plot that enhances the overall experience.
- “It's got humor, action, spaceships, and a good plot.”
- “Funny crew conversations.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of managing ship energy output and weapon targeting to be tedious, especially when controlling a larger fleet, which can detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- “The controls for ship energy output and weapons priority targeting can be tedious at times, especially if you have a larger fleet.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay invested in the game's story and characters.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is generally perceived as insufficient, with many users noting a lack of depth and growth in the characters throughout the game.
- “Character development is rather lacking.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the story.”
- “There is minimal growth or change in the characters, making it hard to connect with them.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's user interface has been criticized for lacking proper optimization for PC, leading to a subpar experience for players on that platform.
- “The UI isn't really optimized for PC either.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues that hinder the overall experience.”
- “Loading times are excessively long, making it frustrating to get into the game.”