Where to get it

2002 · Humongous Entertainment · Strategy · Turn-based strategy

MoonBase Commander

In the far future, Mankind has nearly exhausted all of earth’s natural resources. Fragile alliances between nations are tested to their limits as fierce wars ignite across land and space.

Released: 13 August 2002
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Strategy Turn-based strategy
Developers: Humongous Entertainment
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Engine: SCUMM
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E
Languages: English
Time to beat: 5hmain story6hcompletionist

About

MoonBase Commander is a strategy video game released in 2002 by Humongous Entertainment. In the game, the player controls a main hub, which can send out other hubs, attack enemy structures, create defensive buildings, and collect energy for further expansion; this is accomplished through launching buildings and/or weapons from a hub. Each building is connected to its parent hub by a cord, which cannot overlap with other cords. The game features both single-player and multiplayer formats. It won the "Best of 2002: The Game No One Played" award from IGN.

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is turn-based, allowing the player to spend a limited number of energy points per turn. The player can spend these energy points by attacking their opponents and/or adding more buildings to their base. Most units are ground-based and are attached by a cord to the unit that created them. Cords cannot overlap or land in water.

Regardless of whether a unit is ground-based, all units need to be launched from their originating unit, similar to many artillery games. The power of a shot is not preset, but determined by how long the player holds down on the launch button. The longer it is held down, the further the unit launches. Wind can also affect the accuracy of launching units.

Development

MoonBase Commander was developed on the SCUMM engine, best known for its use in LucasArts adventure games. In 2024 Moonbase Commander was made to work with ScummVM thereby removing limitations to only Windows only PCs.

Reception

MoonBase Commander received mostly positive reviews on GameRankings and Metacritic. It was praised by Tycho of Penny Arcade at the 2002 E3. Despite this, sales of the game were low, such that when an intellectual property valuation for Atari Interactive was performed in 2006, Moonbase Commander was estimated to be worth somewhere between $0 and $100,000. The rights to the MoonBase Commander franchise were sold at auction to Rebellion Developments following Atari's bankruptcy.

The editors of Computer Games Magazine presented MoonBase Commander with their 2002 "Best Budget Game" award. It won GameSpot's annual "Best Game No One Played on PC" award.