Halfway

Lore & Background

Halfway begins with an adrift spaceship randomly traveling through hyperspace, during which it is invaded. The player controls a survivor who wakes from cryosleep and attempts to figure out what is happening and how to stop it. Players encounter other survivors, each with a special ability, and can recruit up to eight of them. Characters have three stats: health, accuracy, and speed. Between missions, players can talk to other survivors and choose which to take on the next mission. Combat is turn-based and tactical; each character gets two action points to spend moving, attacking, reloading, or swapping inventory items. All ammunition is shared among the squad and takes up limited inventory space. Squad members who are defeated during combat revive afterward.

Reader's Guide

Halfway received mixed reviews on Metacritic. Rock Paper Shotgun said it 'has some considerable charm' and enjoyed the mood and attention to detail, but criticized what they felt was the game's tendency to make tactical decisions impossible through not providing enough information, unfair battles, and bugs. GameSpot praised the game's visuals, music, and mood, but felt that the lack of permadeath harmed the atmosphere these elements set up, and that the pacing made some parts feel like a slog. PC Gamer called it a 'relatively tough but mechanically lean sci-fi strategy game'. The game is notable as German studio Robotality's first major title, and its shared-ammo system and revival mechanic distinguish its tactical combat.

Did You Know?

• Halfway is German game studio Robotality's first major game.
• Players can recruit up to eight survivors, each with a special ability.