What went wrong? I thought I was doing well, I paid my military generals on time. I liberated my neighbours from the scourge that settled next to them, I have pleasure domes on nearly every planet... but now, staring at the result from the most recent election, I realise now that I should have banned democracy in all forms. those civilians don't know what's good for them! Pfff, you want a new leader? fine, but don't come crying to me when you're all space amoeba food!!!
Ok, I might not have been the best ruler. My space fairing nation was always at war, I enslaved have of my people and remember those liberated neighbours? Poker chips in my struggle to conquer the galaxy. Perhaps I should have just been the minister of agriculture.
Stellaris is a new take on an old idea. Paradox, the creators behind Europa Universalis, have decided to expand (see what I did there) their scope of games by taking the basic core of EU and putting it in a space setting. All of the usual options and commands are there, waging war, communicating with rival factions and exploring the area around you. It's a traditional 4X game but with a slight twist. The little I've played of Stellaris has left a lasting impression. If you have ever read anything from Arthur C. Clark or the such you feel right at home here. Hyperdrives, lasers and obscure aliens are all included, but it's not the just the setting that makes this game special, it's the stories you create within this world.
Pew pew pew! (Stellarisgame)
Every so often your scientists find something of interest that becomes a full blown adventure. Perhaps this could be a space faring beast like the previously mentioned space amoebas, or the ruins of an ancient race left on a planet, it could even be the chance to raise a stone age alien society to space flight... to do with what you please once they reach the stars. Everything in this game organically reacts to you and your people. Some of the games I've played myself have even made me want to right my own book! Take this moment for example:
As my lead scientist roams the stars, he comes across a race of iron age aliens that he believes could be worth studying. As the head of state (militaristic one at that) I decide it would be in our best interests to elevate this species to the stars and have them work for me, probably without pay. A few years go by and through quite brutal tactics the species finally makes it's first spacecraft... which it then uses to blow up my research centre in orbit. What follows is one of the hardest wars my nation has ever fought. The alien species using my own weapons against me. Our military beats them back down to the planet they came from and I am finally happy... for about a minute as sympathisers from my own society take up the cause of liberating the alien planet from my grasp and eventually elect one of the aliens to the position of president, my position! This situation wasn't scripted but happened by itself. I could've perhaps given into demands and given the alien species the same rights as my own people on my own planets, but it didn't and I'm paying for it.
While I will say that I'm really enjoying this game there are a few things to highlight for potential buyers. The end game can become a bit slow, while the beginning is beautiful exploration of the unknown, once you've fully established an empire things start to wind down. Of course you are able to get deeply involved in diplomacy or war, and there are a few surprises in the story side of things but I found myself speeding up time just to get to those moments. The opponent A.I can also feel a bit "cheaty", perhaps it's just because I'm rubbish at strategy in general but in every battle a had, including the ones where my army far out weighed my enemies, it was always a very close battle.
I would suggest this game to many people but definitely check out a few more reviews and YouTube videos before you make the plunge.
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