“Highfleet by studio Microprose is A ‘Smart Person's’ game--and if you aren't, it'll at least make you feel smart while playing.”

The game lets you pull out a ruler and pencil to mark enemy positions that get pinged on radar. You can then go ahead and apply some math to figure out their heading and speed. This information is used to infer what kind of ship based on how fast it's going. E.g. Faster km/h means planes / scouts. Slower means it's a treasure ship--or most likely a strike group coming to turn your fleet into a combination of diesel/scrap/mulch.

What do you get for all this due diligence? The culmination of a unique gameplay loop that rewards the player with enemy scrap, treasure, and even the discovery of sprawling friendly cities hidden amongst the sand dunes.

Now does this sound like a good time to you? The answer to this will help you decide if Highfleet is worth the time/money investment. At least the manual has cool fluff and artwork.

Speaking of which, Highfleet is the first game in a while where I actually read the manual out of both interest and necessity. Is the game itself well executed? That's up for debate. But if you're willing to set aside time to learn how to play it, you'll get your money's worth back eventually from how engrossing and just plain different Highfleet can be.

Synchronicity from Highfleet’s status as this year’s sleeper hit strategy game, 2021’s successful film remake of Dune, the announcement of Dune: Spice Wars headed by Shiro Games, and of course the highly anticipated return of the universally celebrated Homeworld franchise (Blackbird Interactive’s Homeworld 3) has caused quite a stir in the hearts of old and new fans alike. It has whetted a long dormant appetite for games set in the “sandpunk” sci fi genre. I predict this sentiment will only grow as more and more similar titles return after a long hiatus since the 90’s boom of the space faring, fleet commander genre.

Highfleet by studio Microprose is A ‘Smart Person's’ game--and if you aren't, it'll at least make you feel smart while playing.

“Highfleet by studio Microprose is A ‘Smart Person's’ game--and if you aren't, it'll at least make you feel smart while playing.” The game lets you pull out a ruler and pencil to mark enemy positions that get pinged on radar. You can then go ahead and apply some math to figure out their heading and speed. This information is used to infer what kind of ship based on how fast it's going. E.g. Faster km/h means planes / scouts. Slower means it's a treasure ship--or most likely a strike group coming to turn your fleet into a combination of diesel/scrap/mulch. What do you get for all this due diligence? The culmination of a unique gameplay loop that rewards the player with enemy scrap, treasure, and even the discovery of sprawling friendly cities hidden amongst the sand dunes. Now does this sound like a good time to you? The answer to this will help you decide if Highfleet is worth the time/money investment. At least the manual has cool fluff and artwork. Speaking of which, Highfleet is the first game in a while where I actually read the manual out of both interest and necessity. Is the game itself well executed? That's up for debate. But if you're willing to set aside time to learn how to play it, you'll get your money's worth back eventually from how engrossing and just plain different Highfleet can be. Synchronicity from Highfleet’s status as this year’s sleeper hit strategy game, 2021’s successful film remake of Dune, the announcement of Dune: Spice Wars headed by Shiro Games, and of course the highly anticipated return of the universally celebrated Homeworld franchise (Blackbird Interactive’s Homeworld 3) has caused quite a stir in the hearts of old and new fans alike. It has whetted a long dormant appetite for games set in the “sandpunk” sci fi genre. I predict this sentiment will only grow as more and more similar titles return after a long hiatus since the 90’s boom of the space faring, fleet commander genre. Highfleet by studio Microprose is A ‘Smart Person's’ game--and if you aren't, it'll at least make you feel smart while playing.