| Hard Nova | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Nancy L. Fong | |
| Developer | Malibu Interactive |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Producers | Christopher Erhardt Roland Kippenhan III |
| Designer | Karl Buiter |
| Programmers | Karl Buiter Scott Fisher |
| Artists | Mark Dickenson Peggy Brennan Cynthia Hamilton |
| Writers | Eric Lindstrom Jeff Haas |
| Composer | Jon Medek |
| Platforms | MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release | 1990 (1990) |
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Hard Nova is a role-playing video game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Electronic Arts in 1990 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST. It is a follow-up to Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic from 1988.
Gameplay
Hard Nova has a character creation element that allows players to choose their gender, and, unlike Sentinel Worlds I, lead a group of mercenaries.
Reception
The game received 5 out of 5 stars in Dragon.[1] Scorpia of Computer Gaming World opined in 1991 that Hard Nova greatly improved on Sentinel Worlds, and concluded that it "is a pretty decent game, with some interesting touches and a good storyline. While not a long-term epic, it should keep you occupied for awhile".[2] Ken St. Andre wrote in the same issue of CGW that "it is a very good real-time shoot-'em-up game", but that the combat became boring and amoral and the game offered little exploration.[3] In 1993, Scorpia said that Hard Nova was "definitely worth your attention if you like space games".[4]
Jim Trunzo reviewed Hard Nova in White Wolf #26 (April/May, 1991), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "It's hard to imagine what could be missing from Hard Nova. A simple, menu-driven interface, beautifully detailed graphics, a strong and open-ended storyline and realistic roleplaying features make Hard Nova worth the many hours you'll spend playing it. For those who enjoy an occasional walk on the wild side, try roleplaying a mercenary who's into something much bigger than he/she can possibly conceive. "[5]
References
- Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (March 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (167): 47–54.
- Scorpia (April 1991). "Scorpion's View / Scorpia Casts Light on Hard Nova". Computer Gaming World. p. 29. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- St. Andre, Ken (April 1991). "Hard Nova - Hard Look". Computer Gaming World. No. 81. p. 58. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- Scorpia (October 1993). "Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games". Computer Gaming World. pp. 34–50. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- Trunzo, Jim (April–May 1991). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine. No. 26. pp. 58, 60.