Warpgate HD: Soaring Space Strategy

App Name:	Warpgate HD
Platforms:	iPad
Publisher(s):	Freeverse
Version Reviewed:	1.2
Genre(s):	RTS, RPG
Release Date:	May 4, 2010
Price:	$7.99
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When Warpgate, Freeverse’s spacefaring RTS/RPG game, hit the iPhone and iPad last year, it made a small splash, and then talk about the game seemed to quickly fade. This is a shame, because Warpgate is truly a top-notch game. Its iPad version, Warpgate HD, is actually one of the single best games I have played on not only the iPad, but either of my iOS devices. It is a rich, deep, well-crafted game that would be right at home on a desktop computer or gaming console.

In Warpgate, you take command of a small independent freight ship, trying to make a living amongst the space lanes. Very quickly, you are introduced to the major players in this galactic arena, and you must decide which sides to trust, which missions to take, and what strategies to follow. You travel between systems via the titular warpgates and choose the path that will ultimately bring you success.

It’s a sprawling title with a wide-open storyline and plenty of room to play the game any way you want. Like a combat oriented game? Build a warship and engage in battle. Prefer to follow a storyline? Warpgate will have you making deals, backstabbing agents, and trading alliances. Enjoy a commodities and resources game? Play the part of a cargo ship and start buying low and selling high. Do you like buying your way to success? Hit the in-app store and drop a few bucks on a first-class starship and a ton of credits.

I really, really enjoyed Warpgate HD. It is easily one of the best games that I have played on iPad. It hits all the right buttons and offers all the right things. The variety alone is enough to keep you interested: dozens of ships, hundreds of planets, and a non-linear series of missions that you can take and complete as you please. I especially had fun with the reputation system, looking for ways to gain the favor of the various in-game factions and use them to my advantage.

The interface for Warpgate HD strikes exactly the right balance between ease of use and the flavor of a starship. You can fly freely amongst the stars, or plot direct courses via starchart and then autopilot your way to your destination.

Granted, some elements of the control scheme can get a little cumbersome. I’m thinking of the accelerometer-controlled combat here, which is probably the weakest thing about the game. It can be switched off, however, and doing so more or less solves any issues I had with combat. Overall, and especially outside of combat, the game’s interface and controls are designed well.

In addition, Warpgate HD looks absolutely gorgeous.  The graphics are sharp, the spaceship designs interesting, and the interface sufficiently futuristic. It’s a game that i want to show people when i show off my iPad. My only complaint here is that the large, spherical planets always look a little hexagonal … but that’s a limitation of the iPad, not the game. It’s all accompanied by an orchestral score that suits the flavor of the game.

I cannot offer a comparison to the iPhone version of Warpgate here, as I haven’t played it. My understanding based on comments by others is that they are basically the same game, so if you’ve played through the iPhone version, you may not want to spend the extra money for the iPad version; but I loved playing this on the larger, better screen, where the graphics pop.

For the depth and quality it offers, I should be hearing more about Warpgate HD. It deserves to be a bestselling title, high atop the Top Paid and Top Grossing lists and the Best of 2010 lists come December.  It is a high quality game that you will not regret playing, and one that I will continue to play until I’ve explored every corner of its virtual galaxy.

Our score: 5/5.

Warpgate HD is $7.99 at the time of this review.

About the Author

Writer@Large Brian P. Hudson is an educator and freelance writer currently living in Dearborn, MI.

 

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