The Hive is a real-time strategy game, available in early access since October 2014. Throughout the development process, various updates have been deployed at the regular rate of one per month. So that I could form my opinion, Sauli, one of the members of the independent development studio Skydome, gave me a key and I went on an adventure!
In the introductory cutscene, we are on Earth in 2175. A war breaks out, then a ship escapes from the planet and we find ourselves on a planet where our little insects settle. The tutorial begins, the interface looks like most strategy games, and most of the usual controls are built in as well. It is possible with the mouse to select the units with a left click and, with the right click, to make them go to a place. With Ctrl + N, it is possible to assign a number to a group of units and the camera moves using the WASD keys. The first step is to put my hive down.
It is a structure from where it is possible to create workers for 50 food, but also to heal units. To recover this essential resource for the extension of the camp, I must go fishing or slaughter turtles. Each worker costs 10 food only. The funny thing is that unlike games of this type where the harvesting units go back and forth with the camp, these are little insects that make the trips. It is not possible to create workers with a shovel: a limit number prevents creation once reached (5-6).
Once enough food is gathered, it's time to collect some ore to build the barracks and create military units. Below, even though the screenshot is from a subsequent mission, we can see the three types of units that are usable at the moment: the Fat Queen, the Little Gladiators, and the Blue Hunters. Likewise, the number of units is limited. This is all the more "troublesome" as the units are considered by group: thus, even if 2 of the 3 members of the group are dead, it is impossible to recreate a unit as long as the survivor is there.
Ready for war, now is the time to attack an elder who possesses mighty power! But don't wait for me to tell you more about my discoveries, it would be a shame if I revealed something to you that you could discover for yourself while playing!
In the beginning, only four buildings are available:
- Hive - the hive (150 minerals) : creation of workers (10 food) and queen (100 food, which improves durability and damage inflicted by allies), heals nearby allied units
- Barracks - the barracks (100 minerals) : creation of offensive units (50 food), hunters (Hunter) at a distance and legionnaires (Legionnaire) in contact
- Worker Den - the lair of the workers (100 minerals) : to be used to store resources, allows to improve units and buildings
- Turrets - a turret (50 minerals) : defensive structure that shoots nearby enemy units
With that, I have to develop myself, learn more about the mysteries of this new world and defend myself against the villains that lurk!
From the second mission, I have to solve a puzzle ... peaks appear under the slabs if I'm wrong! Fortunately, the solution is not hidden far ...
Solution Puzzle
Other puzzles are to be solved as the chapters go on: wheels to turn, statue elements to be found ... Here, destructible bricks hide resources (I admit I was a little disappointed, I hoped a treasure !). There are also areas covered in sand that can be "harvested" by workers and contain objects, chests ...
Currently featuring 10 story acts, The Hive is "limited" to its story mode. The game engine as well as the operation could certainly leave the door open to a more classic multiplayer mode where the objective would be to develop his hive as quickly as possible to defeat the other players. It may come in the future but in the meantime, there is already something to do with the content offered. The difficulty of the first two acts is quite low but rest assured: it increases quite drastically in act 4 where the enemies become aggressive and attack the camp regularly!
