Black Hearts: Frontier

"Nothing comes without a cost." -Official Tagline  
Black Hearts: Frontier is the sixth game in the Black Hearts saga developed by Q Games. It is set in the 2830s, a period between Project: Akin and the era where the majority of Black Hearts games take place (3010s). Frontier explores the early colonization craze following the achievement of faster-than-light travel some 100 years prior, and depicts a fledgling Irin Republic and Velconum Empire just beginning to exert their influence among the stars, but already at one another's throats.
== Development ==
Details on Frontier's development are few and far in between. The game launched unceremoniously and without any marketing campaign on March 15, 2019, with a single day of early-access for long-term Q Games players. Though treated as a full game release, Frontier was given to any players who already owned Black Hearts: Rebels almost like a campaign expansion.
Supposedly, the release of Frontier is to make up for delays in the Rebels updates, similar to the Utopia campaign. The exact reason for the delays and the decision to release Frontier in the middle of Rebels development is unknown (See Trivia for theories).
== Gameplay ==
Frontier uses the exact same gameplay system as Black Hearts: Rebels. Due to the time disconnect between Frontier and any other entry in the Black Hearts series, the weapons and vehicles in Frontier are unique, though many function roughly the same and serve identical roles in the game. Weapon damage and time-to-kill has been tweaked, generally on the lower side to contrast their higher-tech iterations from Rebels. This results in more difficulty piercing armour, especially those of vehicles, but the strength of the average infantry unit remains roughly identical due to having less health/armouring along with less damage.
Energy weapons are completely absent from Frontier. Even on 'Easy' difficulty, sniper rifles no longer have aim assist as advanced tracking scope technology has not yet been developed. Because of Frontier's emphasis on smaller-scale fights, heavy weapons are extremely rare in the campaign, though rocket launchers found in Frontier do possess the same target lock system as that of later games.
Frontier also introduces a full ship customization system to Black Hearts, giving players the opportunity to equip the Beagle with a wide range of modifications. The system is essentially a retooling of the weapon modification system on ships, allowing players to personalize the main ship of the game. Frontier encourages the use of this function, and while the campaign is completable with a stock Beagle, it becomes increasingly difficult if no upgrades are purchased. This system is planned to be introduced into Rebels in the next update, which will give players the ability to customize Taan's Rovoen Scout Ship in a similar fashion.
== Setting ==
While Frontier's introduction is set in March 2834 shortly before the death of Lord Kalyen Irin and after the ascension of Emperor Dahak II, the rest of the game is set after the founders of both the Irin Republic and Velconum Empire had passed away. Much like the original Black Hearts, the cold war between the two powers are on the verge of boiling into open conflict. Like many rulers before him, the new Velconum Emperor seeks to solidify his name in the annals of history by expanding his Empire and crushing his enemies, while the Irini Lords squabble over whether to risk another war in pursuit of their fouinder's dream of a united democratic humanity. 
As implied by its name, Black Hearts: Frontier focuses on the human colony worlds, which has been the centre of competition between the Irini and Velconi since the uneasy peace established in 2750. The game is not limited to only the Fringe-worlds, as several inner colonies play a critical role in the plot. However, Frontier is most notable for being the first game (not counting side entries such as comics) in the Black Hearts series that will not directly depict Earth. 
== Plot ==
The introduction begins on a pre-block tower Pirus with Cassidy Carran (Cass) and her young brother James (Jimmy) learning of the murder of their father, ex-military colonist John Carran. A week later, the local sheriff releases the prime suspect, a member of John's team named Diego. Cass confronts and kills Diego, after which she discovers a link to a land development official called William Grant from a communication device found on Diego's body.
In a spree of vengeance, Cass shoots her way through Grant's estate and fatally wounds him, sustaining a injury to her left ear in the process. However, she discovers that Grant was actually a Vice Admiral in the Imperial Navy. With Grant's warning that the Empire will now be after her, Cass and Jimmy flee into the Deadlands, the name for the wilderness of Pirus which had largely been stripped bare by Velconi terraforming.
Cass locates an outlaw base in the Deadlands using her father's maps, where she is told by the local crime boss that her father was actually working for them to smuggle illegal substances through Pirus to the rest of Velconi territory. Cass and her brother are both pressed into the smuggling operation in order to stay hidden from the Empire.
== Characters ==
* Cassidy Carran
== Trivia ==
* Multiple theories have arisen surrounding the unusual release of Frontier. Some suspect that the single-campaign story largely unconnected to the events of Rebels allows developers to get accustomed to the new system and overcome technical difficulties that hamper the Rebels project. Others believe that the Frontier campaign will tie in to Rebels in some major way by the time of its conclusion, providing backstory that is necessary for Rebels to continue.
Category:Games