Space Commander: War and Trade Review

Light Years Beyond Expectations

Perhaps you are like me when it comes to the allure of space-faring mobile games. The promise of exploring the stars is exhilarating. But while downloading a new game, you gaze into the cosmos and search your feelings. “The universe is so vast, but my phone is so small”, you think to yourself. “How can I roam the final frontier with but a simple handheld gadget?” Fear not, my astronautical friends. Download Space Commander: War and Trade by Home Net Games for Android and your brain will jump to hyperspace. Take command of your very own space fleet. Deck out your ships with custom paint jobs, upgrades, and a wide array of weaponry. Engage in exciting orbital dogfights with space pirates and private organizations vying for extraterrestrial control. Take advantage of fluctuations in the intergalactic market to grow rich and increase your firepower. This is the way.

Deep Space, Deep Plots

This game currently has three options of playable story lines. First is the primary story, whereas the other two are more like expansions. The main story takes place just before humanity begins its expansion into other galaxies. It’s up to you to ensure that no opposing factions acquire the technology that can harness the power of wormholes for transportation. The Conquest of Tau Ceti takes place after the main story in a different galaxy. Humanity is in the process of colonizing new planets. You must fight heavy fleets of alien ships that threaten humanity’s attempts at colonization. The Captain’s Challenge is a survival challenge. You are given a large sum of money to upgrade your fleet however you please. Check your map for invading space fleets and take out as many as you can. Each kill grants you a point toward your score on the leaderboard.

Out of This World

As soon as you dive into Space Commander: War and Trade, you’ll be blown away by the stunning visuals. The designers at Home Net Games didn’t spare any detail when it comes to the ships, weapons, and spaceports. Everything is so crisp and clear; you’d think you were playing on a console. Sun shafts, energy shields, planetary atmospheres are all top notch. When docking at a spaceport, you get a 360-view of your craft and can zoom in to see every little detail. Controlling your ship is much like Star Wars Battlefront. It flies forward on its own, but you can steer, engage afterburners, lock onto enemies, and fire weapons.

There are two options for movement control. You can either calibrate your phone’s orientation to steer by tilting it or use the touch screen directional controls. Each option is exceptionally smooth, and the ships are highly responsive and handle realistically. Transport ships are slow with a large turning radius whereas interceptors can turn on a dime. Open your map to view the solar system or galaxy array. By tapping on a planet or station and choosing your speed, you can fast travel between systems like in Mass Effect. Making long trips puts you at greater risk of being targeted by space pirates. But traveling fast burns through your limited fuel supply faster. Plan your voyages carefully. Unfortunately, I don’t think Google Maps will come in handy.

Shut Up and Take My Money

Good news everyone! Deliveries are in high demand, and there’s plenty of money to go around. No, you don’t get to pilot the Planet Express ship from Futurama. However, you do get to see what’s in demand and which are in high production by tapping bases on your map. Prices of goods vary. If you plan strategically you can make a run between bases buying and selling when prices are best. When you dock at a base, each item will indicate whether the price is good to buy or sell. Most items are purely used to earn money and aren’t visibly used in the game. But there is a huge selection of amazing looking ships to buy and sell. Some cost real money but aren’t terribly expensive. And they all look fantastic.

A Stellar Game

This is one of the smoothest, cleanest, and most engaging games I’ve played on Android. Home Net Games outdid themselves with the visuals and customization in Space Commander: War and Trade. Since you can only pilot one ship at a time, your others will fly alongside you and aid in combat. I would love to see Home Net take this a step further and allow multiplayer game modes. With very few ads, multiple game types, side missions, and endless options of ship and weapon choices, this is a must-play. Go get em’ shooter.