Space Hulk (1993)

Space Hulk is a computer adaptation of the popular board game Warhammer 40,000, created by Electronic Arts programmers. The player will take control of a team of star commandos, delegated by their superiors to explore a huge complex, entirely controlled by an alien and bloodthirsty race of monsters, known as Genestealers.

Before starting a proper campaign, the player can get acquainted with the basic rules of the game by means of several training missions. They focus on learning how to move a team of commandos and how to exterminate monsters. The campaign consists of a number of scenarios in which we carry out various orders, such as typical cleaning the area from enemies, rescue missions, or infiltration of the complex in order to retrieve important data. Before each task, the player is given the opportunity to carefully select the composition of the team and the means of extermination, represented in Space Hulk by several deadly weapons.

The action of the game is observed from the perspective of the first person on five monitors. We choose the commandos we want to move by switching the view to the largest screen. Wandering through the dark corners of a spacecraft resembles a traditional RPG with the option to rotate the hero 90 degrees. Although Space Hulk is a real-time game, the authors have implemented a button that allows the user to stop the action and give orders to their charges. This facility is a tribute to the fans of the original, offering a division into rounds. However, the amount of time we get as a result of freezing the action is limited, so the player - regardless of the circumstances - has to hurry up.

The Electronic Artsproduct focuses primarily on the climate. Traversing the deserted corridors is constantly accompanied by disturbing noises, monsters appear suddenly and as a rule they get caught up in a few seconds. At Space Hulk you never really know what's lurking around the corner, so you need to be vigilant all the time. In order to maintain a claustrophobic atmosphere, a graphic design with narrow corridors and small rooms dominates. Both monsters and individual locations are made decently, as well as briefings before missions, coloured with additional spoken samples.

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Last updated on August 14, 2015