Guest Post by: Michael Early
Gamers are perpetually inundated with an endless flood of new games. I know we all wish we could play every single one, but there is just too much out there to give everything a shot. Quite often a game gets released and is overshadowed by other releases or simply fails to attract mainstream attention. Endless Legend is probably one of those games you might not have played. If you didn’t, here’s why you should.
Endless Legend is a 4X title. The “4 X’s” are eXplore, eXpand,eXploit, eXterminate. Games in this genre include Civilization, Total War, and Sins of a Solar Empire. These games are all about empire building. You’re in charge of everything. Do you want more fancy resources? Go and get them, but make sure you have the military strength to protect it. Endless Legend plays closest to the Civilization series. Fans of those games will find this game to be very easy to pick up and enjoy.
You take control of one of eight distinctive factions; each one with their own military units, hero characters and play style. The Broken Lords do not use the food as a resource; all of their growth comes from Dust, the game’s equivalent to gold, which they can use to both heal their heroes and purchase new citizens. Other factions are able to hire a wider variety of units from the games sub-factions, which are similar to the city states that players might recognize from the Civilization series.
The game’s combat is different for the genre, with battles taking place in real time and armies spreading out across the map’s terrain and taking turns attacking one another. They’re engaging and can be tough, but they are not impossible. Careful positioning and effective use of the terrain can really turn the tide of battle. Units and characters gain experience and level up as you use them, similar to those in Civilization games. Really, It’s not too far a stretch to say that this game will do well to scratch a sci/fi fantasy itch for players who did not really enjoy Beyond Earth.
Endless Legends does struggle. The AI is rather easy to exploit, making the game’s difficulty go down quite a bit as you scale into end game. While this does diminish the fun factor, it can be easily fixed by grabbing a buddy or two and engaging in an online campaign. The game’s got a unique style and is one part to a larger universe the developers have created. It really helps to make the game feel like something greater.
I think you should definitely check out Endless Legend, or even it’s sister games Endless Space or Dungeon of the Endless. They’re all pretty great and offer some interesting mechanics. Nice thing is that you can pick them up as a bundle during most steam sales. You haven’t played this game yet and now that you’ve read this: what’s stopping you?
