In space, no one can hear you scream
If the fantasy trappings of classic dungeon crawler Diablo don't appeal to you but the essential gameplay does, then Space Hack might just be what you're looking for. It's very obviously a budget title, with low rent graphics and minimalist audio, while the gameplay doesn't stretch too far from the template laid down by the aforementioned classic, but if you can live with this, there's some simple-minded fun to be had here. There's some surprisingly decent sci-fi back story to this one, as it takes place in a grim future where people are forced off the planet in overcrowded spaceships that are rife with problems. You play the role of a convicted soldier on one of the ships that is filled with prisoners but when everyone gets trapped in a cosmic anomaly, their problems get a lot worse as hordes of vicious beings are unleashed upon the hapless travelers. The gameplay is classic Diablo stuff, as you wander around isometric environments, clicking madly at all the nasties that come after you with the usual range of weapons and abilities. There really is nothing here that you haven't seen in a hundred other similar titles so be aware that you're not getting anything new. The visuals and sound too aren't exactly spectacular, particularly the audio, lacking in detail as they are but again, if you know this in advance, you might not be too disappointed. The gameplay is far from complex, basically requiring lots of manic clicking but if this is what you're into, there's some fun to be had here. Low budget stuff but strangely entertaining.
