Genre: Action, trading simulation
Developer: Midway Studios – Newcastle / Gremlin Interactive
Publisher: Gremlin Interactive
Year: 1998
Platform: PC
Hardwar is an open-world action and trading simulation game set on the moon Titan, where players pilot customizable hovercraft to trade goods, complete missions, and engage in combat. The game combines economic strategy with arcade-style flight and shooting mechanics, allowing players to choose between legal trading and criminal activities to progress.
Players navigate Titan’s sectors, each with unique stations and market conditions. Trading involves buying low and selling high, while missions from various factions provide objectives such as deliveries, sabotage, or combat assignments. The game’s physics-driven flight model requires careful piloting, particularly when maneuvering in confined spaces or engaging in combat with rival traders and pirates.
The PC version features 3D graphics and a fully explorable environment, including spaceports, tunnels, and surface areas. Players can upgrade their hovercraft with better weapons, engines, and shields to improve performance. The game also includes dynamic AI factions whose relationships with the player can change based on actions, creating a reactive and immersive world.
Upon release, Hardwar received generally positive reviews for its ambitious blend of trading simulation and action gameplay. Critics from MobyGames and other verified sources highlighted the depth of the economic system, the freedom offered to players, and the challenging flight mechanics, while noting that the steep learning curve could be a barrier for some. The PC version was praised for delivering a distinctive combination of open-world exploration, trading, and combat.
