Parents' Guide to

Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander

By Michael Lafferty, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Old-school strategy has too much unexplored potential.

Game Windows 2016
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Halcyon 6 Screen #1
  • Halcyon 6 Screen #2
  • Halcyon 6 Screen #3

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

Charles T.
Charles T. Parent of 5, 9 and 12-year-old
November 22, 2016
age 9+

Turn based Star Trek game with Away Team fun too!

This game is based on a Star Trek like background. So you have a human Federation and awesome space ships crossing space to engage in devastating space battles defending the last human settlements in your sector. Up to 3 vs 3 space ship combat occurs in a turn based system in which there are quite some tactical choices to be made. Your choice of ships and captains is quite important and it's very satisfying to get a Hull Breach on an enemy ship from your first ship, and then your second ship attacks with a specific setup that capitalises on the Hull Breach to devastating effect (massive damage multipliers). The Federation management part is quite important in that you need to research/manage the facilities to get better ships and crew. As the main reviewer said, the campaign gets harder with much bigger and powerful enemy ships. So getting the logistics handled (research and expansion choices in the base) is quite important. You can also engage in personal combat, but it's the same turn based 3 vs 3 setup but with your captain and two other officers/crew against enemy ground forces. Again, choosing the right skills and the correct usage is tactically very satisfying. Quite frustrating if you aren't able to do it in the later stages of the game. However I do think that kids will appreciate the choices if they are helped a little in understanding the tactical ramifications!

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

HALCYON 6: STARBASE COMMANDER is set on the edge of space at a mysterious abandoned base. The Federation, once sent to rebuild the base and discover its secrets, is leaving it behind, but catastrophe strands the player and a small crew in its crumbling walls. The quest is to survive, rebuild the base, defend it, and rediscover the technology left behind by an unknown alien race. There are enemies who are set on taking the base by force, including a consortium of pirates and a race of aliens. As commander of the base, your job is to develop the resources and defend your crew while waiting either for reinforcements or a way home.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Old-school graphics and elements combine to bring out a strategy game that has potential but isn't innovative. Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander merges features of tactical and strategic turn-based/role-playing games, but it's a simple rehash of titles that have gone before. Visuals aren't very detailed and look somewhat basic, which puts the emphasis on the story and base building, technology research, and turn-based tactical combat elements. These are handled well, but there's a sense that something's missing to tie everything together and create a deeply satisfying game experience. It could well be that nothing here is new and it's all rehashed from other similar titles, but give Halcyon 6 credit for trying to create something deeper with both space- and land-based elements.

On the plus side, Halcyon 6 focuses on the story, and a lot of elements cry for attention. There's building the base, which amounts to selecting a room and choosing what goes there. You'll have to pay attention to the needs of the crew and not only to powering up. With three commanders to initially select from (science, tactical, and engineering), you can set the tone for the focus of your base. Fleets can be created and sent to nearby galaxies to explore and perhaps bring back resources. There's the chance for diplomacy, but it seems that most of the time is spent either in researching and building or fighting. Selecting the right crew to manage areas presents the chances to decrease research and building time. But eventually, what holds this game back is that it had a lot of potential but lacks any innovation.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about setting media-consumption time limits. These games are famous for luring gamers to keep playing for "just one more turn," so how do you strike the balance between time played and time away from your progress?

  • Talk about strategy in video games. While this one is set in space, can you apply tactics used in this title to real life? Are there some things that simply aren’t possible?

Game Details

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