<s>
Homeworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Deserts	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kharak	I-Application
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Blackbird	O
Interactive	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Gearbox	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
20	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
prequel	B-Application
to	O
the	O
1999	O
space-based	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
Homeworld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gearbox	O
Software	O
bought	O
the	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
Homeworld	B-Application
franchise	O
during	O
THQ	O
's	O
bankruptcy	O
auction	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
this	O
,	O
they	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
remaking	O
both	O
Homeworld	B-Application
and	O
Homeworld	B-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
high	O
definition	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
in	O
February	O
2015	O
as	O
Homeworld	B-Application
Remastered	O
Collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
obtaining	O
the	O
IP	O
rights	O
,	O
Gearbox	O
granted	O
permission	O
for	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Homeworld	B-Application
IP	O
to	O
Blackbird	O
Interactive	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
formed	O
by	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Homeworld	B-Application
development	O
team	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Blackbird	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
ground-based	O
RTS	O
game	O
entitled	O
Hardware	O
:	O
Shipbreakers	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
subsequently	O
renamed	O
Homeworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shipbreakers	I-Application
and	O
announced	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	B-Application
to	O
Homeworld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
16	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
as	O
Homeworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Deserts	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kharak	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
became	O
available	O
for	O
pre-order	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
on	O
that	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pre-orders	O
of	O
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharak	O
also	O
included	O
the	O
Homeworld	B-Application
Remastered	O
Collection	O
for	O
free	O
,	O
while	O
those	O
who	O
already	O
owned	O
the	O
Homeworld	B-Application
Remastered	O
Collection	O
received	O
a	O
20%	O
discount	O
for	O
their	O
pre-order	O
of	O
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pre-order	O
also	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
free	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
interactive	O
Expedition	O
Guide	O
,	O
a	O
DLC	B-Protocol
companion	O
application	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
details	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
Kharak	O
and	O
its	O
society	O
,	O
the	O
expedition	O
and	O
its	O
purpose	O
,	O
technical	O
data	O
on	O
the	O
vehicles	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
Coalition	O
and	O
the	O
Gaalsien	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
behind-the-scenes	O
look	O
at	O
Blackbird	O
's	O
founding	O
and	O
the	O
eventual	O
progression	O
from	O
Hardware	O
:	O
Shipbreakers	O
to	O
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blackbird	O
would	O
later	O
revive	O
the	O
Shipbreaker	O
name	O
and	O
concept	O
with	O
the	O
space	O
salvage	O
simulator	O
Hardspace	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shipbreaker	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
June	O
16	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharak	O
became	O
available	O
for	O
purchase	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
by	O
Paul	O
Ruskay	O
(	O
who	O
also	O
composed	O
the	O
soundtracks	O
for	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
Homeworld	B-Application
games	O
)	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
day	O
the	O
game	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
15	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Soban	O
Fleet	O
Pack	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharaks	O
first	O
in-game	O
DLC	B-Protocol
pack	O
,	O
adding	O
Kiith	O
Soban	O
as	O
a	O
playable	O
faction	O
in	O
Skirmish	O
and	O
Multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
DLC	B-Protocol
pack	O
introduced	O
the	O
Khaaneph	O
faction	O
,	O
clanless	O
scavengers	O
from	O
Kharak	O
's	O
southern	O
deserts	O
who	O
use	O
salvaged	O
,	O
heavily	O
modified	O
,	O
Gaalsien	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
desert	O
planet	O
of	O
Kharak	O
,	O
106	O
years	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Homeworld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
expedition	O
had	O
been	O
sent	O
by	O
the	O
Coalition	O
of	O
the	O
Northern	O
Kiithid	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
Kushan	O
clans	O
from	O
the	O
northern	O
polar	O
region	O
of	O
Kharak	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
disappeared	O
in	O
the	O
desert	O
four	O
years	O
earlier	O
;	O
the	O
in-game	O
campaign	O
centers	O
around	O
a	O
second	O
expedition	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
chief	O
science	O
officer	O
,	O
Rachel	O
S'jet	O
.	O
,	O
ancestor	O
of	O
Karan	O
S'jet	O
in	O
Homeworld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
the	O
expedition	O
also	O
discovers	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
shipwrecks	O
that	O
are	O
largely	O
intact	O
in	O
spite	O
of	O
their	O
age	O
and	O
conditions	O
in	O
the	O
desert	O
,	O
and	O
Rachel	O
theorizes	O
that	O
they	O
in	O
fact	O
materialized	O
inside	O
solid	O
rock	O
(	O
referencing	O
the	O
hyperspace	O
abilities	O
of	O
vessels	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Homeworld	B-Application
)	O
,	O
having	O
been	O
forcibly	O
intercepted	O
by	O
the	O
power	O
contained	O
within	O
the	O
Jaraci	O
Object	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Coalition	O
forces	O
destroy	O
the	O
Gaalsien	O
flagship	O
in	O
a	O
heated	O
battle	O
;	O
as	O
his	O
ship	O
is	O
consumed	O
in	O
the	O
explosion	O
,	O
the	O
K'Had	O
Sajuuk	O
warns	O
that	O
Kharak	O
would	O
be	O
destroyed	O
by	O
fire	O
from	O
the	O
sky	O
(	O
prophetically	O
referencing	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Homeworld	B-Application
)	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
Coalition	O
's	O
actions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
campaign	O
centers	O
around	O
the	O
Coalition	O
(	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
faction	O
)	O
and	O
Kiith	O
Gaalsien	O
;	O
two	O
other	O
groups	O
,	O
Kiith	O
Soban	O
and	O
the	O
Khaaneph	O
,	O
were	O
added	O
in	O
DLC	B-Protocol
packs	I-Protocol
as	O
playable	O
factions	O
(	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
originals	O
)	O
for	O
Skirmish	O
and	O
Multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
tactics	O
are	O
described	O
by	O
the	O
developers	O
as	O
being	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Greek	O
phalanx	B-Application
and	O
Cold	O
War-era	O
vehicle	O
tactics	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
required	O
total	O
commitment	O
to	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Grey	O
Brotherhood	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
Sobani	O
are	O
a	O
mercenary	B-Application
kiith	O
formed	O
from	O
the	O
remnants	O
of	O
a	O
clan	O
destroyed	O
by	O
rivals	O
centuries	O
before	O
,	O
eventually	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
feared	O
warrior	O
clans	O
on	O
Kharak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deserts	O
of	O
Kharak	O
is	O
a	O
spin-off	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
deviates	O
from	O
the	O
backstory	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Homeworld	B-Application
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
Homeworld	B-Application
Manual	O
:	O
Historical	O
+	O
Technical	O
Briefing	O
booklet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homeworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Deserts	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kharak	I-Application
has	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
scoring	O
79/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	O
Steighner	O
of	O
Hardcore	O
Gamer	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
4	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Homeworld	B-Application
:	O
Desert	O
of	O
Kharak	O
is	O
an	O
accessible	O
and	O
well-made	O
strategy	O
game	O
with	O
outstanding	O
production	O
values	O
and	O
a	O
legitimate	O
claim	O
to	O
being	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
legendary	O
franchise.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Patrick	O
Hancock	O
from	O
Destructoid	O
rated	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
7.5/10	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
campaign	O
is	O
well	O
executed	O
for	O
veterans	O
and	O
newbies	O
alike	O
,	O
proving	O
that	O
over	O
a	O
decade	O
without	O
Homeworld	B-Application
is	O
far	O
too	O
long.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Do	O
n't	O
expect	O
to	O
recreate	O
the	O
magic	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Homeworld	B-Application
16	O
years	O
ago	O
and	O
you	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
disappointed	O
.	O
</s>
