Yet importantly, it all feels very natural.
Endless Space 2 does a wonderful job of taking a core genre mechanic and developing it into a network of interrelated functions. If it feels like I’m getting side-tracked when discussing what are, ostensibly, basic mechanics of any 4X game, it’s because that’s what this game does. Luxury resources can subsequently be traded on the open market, or even used to mollify Colonies that might be heading towards rebellion. Planets can produce luxury resources these sorts of resources can also be acquired by ‘looting’ a planet.
Endless Space 2 has a number of resources which need to be understood when it comes to empire management and colony administration: food, industry, dust, science and influence (the technical term is, apparently, FIDSI). However, once the colonies start piling up, things inevitably get a bit more complicated. Researching particular technologies allow different planet types to be colonized, and this in turn opens up new resource extraction opportunities. Once the player has discovered a new system with a colonizable planet, they can expand their empire via a settler ship. However, patrol ships can also send out a limited number of probes into deeper space, opening up new routes and potential discoveries along the way. Galaxies are randomly generated, and patrol ships can discover new systems by following the available movement paths.
If the player’s influence is strong enough, minor factions can even be assimilated entirely.Įmpire management is also a joy, as there is a lot for the player to do in this game. While diplomacy with minor factions is minimal, the player can still exert influence over these species with a view to gaining resources from them. Endless Space 2 also adds an interesting feature in minor factions. There’s an impressive amount of depth on offer, starting with the game’s eight main factions, which are appropriately diverse. Show me what you’ve got.Įndless Space 2’s pretty interface is one thing, but rest assured the game itself is not simply all style and no substance. 4X veterans should find themselves at home straight away, and newcomers will have no issue getting comfortable with things. Barring one aspect (I’ll get to that later), Endless Space 2 achieves this with aplomb. A good UI should be clear and logical, facilitating a largely seamless and natural interaction between player and game. As anyone who plays strategy games knows, the fluidity and accessibility of the UI is a central facet of not just navigating a game’s mechanics, but also enjoying it. The presentation in this game is truly excellent, and Endless Space 2 does a fabulous job of avoiding the many pitfalls that sometimes hamper UI architecture in 4X games. The first thing that immediately struck me about Endless Space 2 is the beautiful, clean, dynamic user interface (UI). But all players can probably relate to the sentiment I’m aiming at here: some games have an immediate impact and others simply don’t.Īll this introductory preamble is a roundabout way of saying Endless Space 2? It’s my new 4X bae, and I knew right away. This doesn’t mean I can’t play and think critically about a wide variety of 4X games – or any type of game. I’ll know, intrinsically, when a game feels immediately obtuse where everything feels like a slog and I straight up don’t want to learn the various mechanics at play. I’ll know whether I’m going to have to put in extra effort with a particular title, or I’ll have that sense where things might not immediately click, but I know a certain game will likely grow on me and to stick with it. When it comes to 4X games, for example, I’ll know sooner rather than later if the game feels right for me. This is natural for any gamer, I’d imagine – and oftentimes, quite a subjective process. When playing a lot of one particular genre, a player will, over time, likely develop an acutely personal inventory of likes and dislikes for that game type – be it MMOs, FPS games, RPGs, etc.
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