Heat Signature a Hidden gem

Heat Signature is a top-down, rogue-like ( a game with randomly generated levels and permanent character deaths) released in 2017 by the studio, Suspicious Development. In Heat Signature you board other space ships to complete an objective with whatever equipment you brought with you, so you can create enough inspiration for people to liberate a space station of your choice.

In Heat Signature each character you pick will have a personal mission which usually is some form of revenge. Your character is equipped with specific traits that can help or hinder you. This makes your character feel more personal . This, combined with the game’s permanent death feature makes the missions you play more intense because you can lose all of your equipment and any progress in your character’s personal mission.

The game play Consists of boarding a randomly generated ship to complete a mission with multiple options. The game heavily discourages going in guns blazing. It uses alarms reinforcements for opposing forces to discourage your character from shooting blindly. Playing involves knocking out guards, avoiding turrets, and using your equipment to weaken the enemy’s defenses. Complete enough missions and you will be able to liberate a space station of your choice. Most space stations will have some form of upgraded equipment that will appear in the shop afterwards.

The game has very little hand-holding outside of the opening tutorial. This makes learning the game and equipment extremely hard, yet gratifying. One of the best parts of this game comes when you use your equipment in unique and interesting ways, once you know what all your equipment does and how to most effectively to use it.

During my time playing this game I noticed very few bugs. I did notice, however, that the art style is extremely generic. It’s not bad, but it is something you probably have seen before. The graphics are also not that special. The game looks like it’s a Flash game from 2010.

My final Score on Heat Signature is a 9 out of 10. The game is an acquired taste, but it is hard for me not to recommend it when I have spent 65 hours on the game since the start of the new year according to Steam.