Space. The last fun tier. Video games have taken to the stars for action and adventure since the Spacewar in 1962! And since the Venn chart of sci-fi fans and gamers is basically one circle, it’s no surprise that the settings of some of our favorite games dominate. Mass effect Empty space. EVE Online
But there is one title that covers everything a science fiction fan wants in a game that is tragically overlooked. It has exciting naval combat. Alien Invasions. Intergalactic Political Intrigue. The fate of humanity rests on the shoulders of a fearless captain (you). And until February 18th, this game is absolutely free on the Epic Games Store.
I’m talking about Halcyon 6 from massive damage. This tactical RPG space sim is currently free on the Epic Store until February 18, giving you just enough time to experience a three-day weekend of tactical splendor, meticulous resource management, and a good dose of nihilistic humor. Galaxy Quest
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What makes Halcyon 6 such a striking title? In a word, balance. There is just enough of everything without too much of anything. The gameplay itself is essentially split into three components. You have an aspect of resource collection / base management along with turn-based combat in both spaceships and landing parties and, finally, managing your base and crew of captains.
The premise of the game revolves around you as the leader of the only surviving human community (think Battlestar Galactica) aboard Halcyon 6, an old space station capable of producing powerful spaceships. You need resources to build ships. So send your little shuttles to various asteroids and cosmic wreckage in your galaxy to harvest materials and take them to Halcyon for processing. You need captains for the ships, so you train them on your base and also earn valuable XP in battle. It’s a wonderful little cycle of needing resources, building ships, training captains, and then needing Lake resources for better ships and stronger captains and so on.
One problem – the Chruul. Your quintessential growling space monsters, the Chruul, are an invasive collective hell that completely destroys everything. And they come quickly. They want to destroy Halcyon 6 and much of the game revolves around you preparing you for increasingly difficult waves of Chruul invading your galaxy. The combat strategy goes deep and you have to pay close attention to status effects and stack different buffs to survive.
The Chruul are not the only threat you will encounter. There is a wide variety of colorful intergalactic factions that you can work for, work with or work against. The dialogue with these groups is where the game really shines, with some of the funniest lyrics I’ve ever come across in a game. It elevates what is normally a “hold X to skip” level of RPG dialogue to something you really look forward to. Even your reactions are dynamic and add a lot of sardonic flair to these interactions.
The free version of Halcyon 6 Available this week on the Epic Store is the “Lightspeed Edition”, a revamp of the original game that includes a ton of quality of life improvements that have really diminished the key level in the game. According to the developer, you can now complete the game in ~ 15 hours, although that’s easier said than done. And if you’re a grind-simp like me, you’ll spend a lot more hours making sure you visit every bit of space dust in your galaxy before completing the next big research project that will inevitably kick off the next phase of the game.
Is Halcyon 6 for everyone? No of course not. If you don’t like turn-based combat or don’t have nostalgic attachments with retro-style pixels, you won’t get much out of this title. But if you’ve ever been serious about showing a Vulcan salute or bringing a folding chair to sit online at a Con, you’ll almost certainly find something to love about this game. It’s worth your time and, for the next week, absolutely not worth your money.