![]() The Unfallen are giant tree people whose philosophy on life feels both familiar and wholly alien. The nomadic and religious Vodyani drain energy from entire star systems from their massive Arks. The bio-engineered, cybernetic insect Cravers just want to devour everything in their path. About half the factions from the first Endless Space return. ![]() You choose one of eight distinct races (or craft your own). But Endless Space 2 is full of personality thanks to its varied factions and story-based quest lines. You research and unlock new technologies, build improvements, wage war and diplomacy, uncover secrets buried on planets, and profit from trade routes between star systems.Īt its very basic level it plays similarly to granddaddy 4X series Civilization. Populating planets nets resources: Food, Industry, Science and Dust (currency). You build ships to explore the stars and colonize star systems. This is how it swallows your time, your minutes, your hours.In case you missed Endless Space (for shame), Endless Space 2 is a turn-based, 4X strategy game where you run an entire galactic empire. Instead, it's simply pleasantly engrossing, somehow compelling you to play for one more turn, to inch your fleets a little further, to build yet another satellite array. In spite of all that it offers, all that goes on in a game, it's rarely a thrilling experience. Most importantly, though it's almost painfully addictive, the game isn't necessarily exciting. Diplomacy is also rather bare and although each race might be very distinctive (and demonstrate some canny AI), they don't really have much to do with you beyond sliding contracts under your nose occasionally. As your territory expands and the endgame approaches, it naturally slows and becomes somewhat mired in micromanagement, though not quite as much as some of its peers. While Endless Space is a great example of 4X strategy, it still suffers from a few of the genre's classic shortcomings. “Much as I want to continue exploding in a supernova of praise for this game, I do find myself coming back down to earth. Perhaps it's biggest insult is in telling you you're at war, but failing to let you know who your enemy is. Oh, I've conquered that alien world? A notification would've been nice. Why can't I move my fleet to a nearby system? No explanation. Only occasionally does the game fail to serve up relevant information, but when this happens it's frustrating. Hover your mouse over just about anything and you're presented with an explanation of what it is and a breakdown of why it's behaving that way. It's also remarkable that, for all its depth, this is a game that could teach its rivals a few things about clarity. The default races all offer very different experiences tailored to particular play styles, while the various routes to victory require you to master different skills and, of course, every new game offers a completely different galaxy. Tipping that balance one way or another will be the choices you make as you play, choices about who you are and what you want to do next. But the clever thing, no, the genius thing about this game is that it isn't simply a mess of chaotic, formless content, but it's actually very, very cleverly balanced. Or maybe what I just described will be nothing like the game you play, because Endless Space is a stellar sandbox entirely at your disposal. Is there enough room to plaster on another layer of armour? You might need it, because your new neighbours are a particularly warlike bunch, but hopefully you can buy them off by generously trading those rare minerals that are only found in your corner of the galaxy. “Or perhaps they're not, because you wisely chose a race that can withstand the rigours of colonial life, so instead you get back to designing your latest battleship, carefully choosing from the dozens of different components you've developed.
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