Gateway II: Homeworld

aka: Gateway 2: Homeworld
Moby ID: 318
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Description official descriptions

A huge, strangely shaped object was spotted just outside the orbit of Pluto. Scientists dub this object "The Artifact", assuming it to be a spaceship possibly connected to the mysterious alien race, the Heechee, who have disappeared without a trace, leaving only ships with cryptic destinations behind. Meanwhile, a terrorist sect is planning to use The Artifact to lure in the Assassins, an alien community bent on destroying other species. Eventually, a sole explorer reaches the enigmatic ship, only to discover traces of former Gateway prospectors . This leads him to believe that something might be malfunctioning at the very core of the Heechee civilization.

Gateway II: Homeworld is a sequel to Gateway. It is the last adventure game by Legend Entertainment to use text-based input, after Companions of Xanth introduced a purely graphical engine. Its interface is identical to that of Eric the Unready: while most commands can be either typed in or selected from a list combining verbs and available objects, conversations with characters are handled by choosing pre-set topics and displayed on separate screens. The game also features some animated cutscenes.

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Credits (DOS version)

19 People · View all

Producer
Based on Hugo and Nebula award-winning Heechee Saga by
Design and Implementation of Part I: Escape
Design and Implementation of Part II: The Artifact
Design and Implementation of Part III: Rescue
Design and Implementation of Part IV: Homeworld
Additional Design
Computer Illustration
Special Cinematic Effects and Animation
Music Composition
AdLib Transcription
System Architecture
System Programming
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 10 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 26 ratings with 5 reviews)

A wonderful successor to Gateway 1.

The Good
Gateway 2: Homeworld is made in the same style as the Gateway 1, with a similarly involving storyline and acute attention to detail. All of the puzzles are clever and make sense in their context, and you never get "stuck" -- as long as you pay attention to the important conversations and remember to TAKE everything you come across, you'll always have access to everything you need to solve a particular puzzle, even if it isn't immediately apparent how to do so.

The Bad
The game isn't quite as impressive as its predecessor: it has none of the truly mindblowing puzzles of the first one, and the storyline is completely linear. At times the dialogue options are obnoxious or tongue-in-cheek, as if the designers felt they needed to make up for an uninteresting dialogue script. The graphics are primitive, but that isn't important, and the music didn't work on my machine, but I take it that's a plus :).

The Bottom Line
A very well-made and interesting adventure game. While you don't need to have read the Gateway books to play it, you should definitely play Gateway 1 first; it also helps to have a general background in science fiction, and being familiar with common science-fiction cliche's will help with some of the puzzles. If you're not a sci-fi buff you might not appreciate this game, but if you are it is a jewel... I thought the story was better than some of the Gateway books.

DOS · by rananite (2) · 2003

Puzzles preferred to plot in this sequel

The Good
Atmospheric, thought provoking sci-fi adventure. Beautifully designed, carefully constructed, and hard to fault. And, as you travel across the universe, you get to meet the alien race (the Heechee) that are introduced in the first Gateway adventure.

The Bad
However when you compare it to the original Gateway it's not as strong. (But then the original Gateway is one of the all-time great adventure games.) I think its because it's longer. This means although you get more game for your money, and more puzzles and gameplay, the plot tends to ramble in places, and the dialogue is sometimes a bit long and irrelevant.



The Bottom Line
You'll have trouble tracking down the first Gateway. I think there were more Gateway 2 published. Certainly they come up on e-bay regularly, and it's a game thats definitely worth playing.

DOS · by jossiejojo (37) · 2005

Lacking the original's atmosphere and depth.

The Good
Many engaging, puzzles, plus the chance to solve some unaddressed mysteries from the original.

The Bad
Far more linear feeling than the original, without so much depth. Emphasis on puzzles lead to less of a focus on plot this time. I actually never liked discovering the Heechees - as in most science fiction stories, I prefer the mystery to the solution. Far easier than its predecessor despite its length. Vague sense of disappointment on completion.

The Bottom Line
Gateway 2 is an adequate sequel to the original, but for me fails to live up to the expectations created by Gateway. Having saved Earth from certain destruction in the original, you now find yourself targetted by a fanatical cult, and again set sail for the stars. Well worth playing if you are a fan of adventure games or science fiction, Homeworld is entertaining, but pales compares to its original.

DOS · by Shane Cornall (6) · 2006

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

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Related Sites +

  • Fan Page
    information about Gateway 2 - covers, credits, walkthroughs and a transcription of the handbook that was included with the game

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 318
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by RmM.

Additional contributors: Jeanne, formercontrib.

Game added October 22, 1999. Last modified January 19, 2024.