Most strategy games on the market offer their own
takes on the genre, but unfortunately fall into the same ol’ formula. Sure,
there have been a few great entries to the strategy genre in recent years, like
Company of Heroes and World in Conflict, but more often than not new games in
the strat genre leave little diversity for seasoned fans. Therefore, it’s all
the more reassuring when a game comes out that not only puts its own unique spin
on the genre, but adds great elements that makes the overall experience feel
like a lot more original than other titles out on the market.
Stardock’s latest strategy game, Sins of a Solar
Empire, seems to do just that. A space simulator, Sins of a Solar Empire has
many of the familiarities and mechanics of the turn-based strategy genre, from
resource gathering and unit building to space battles, but does things a little
differently than most turn-based strategy titles by doing away with the end turn
concept, instead unfolding in real-time. However, the game has a lot more depth
than your typical real-time strategy playing out more like a Civilization game
than, say, Company of Heroes. Plus, the lack of an end turn option serves to add
more tense moments, an eventual mastery of the game’s system of menus and a keen
understanding of the overall mechanics.
The beta preview build of the game presented only
one race available for play, the Trader Emergency Coalition, but there will be
two others in the final build (the Advent and Vasari Empire). The game will
require you to explore the universe and exploit resources a lot more than
actually fight enemies, and requires a great deal more diplomacy than your
typical RTS. You’ll have to form shaky alliances with other races, complete with
trade routes and so on. Not to say that the game is very low on the action, as
you’ll be fighting with broken treaties and enemy forces pretty often.
Aside from military elements, there are a fair
amount of political elements that you’ll have to contend with in order to be
truly successful. There is a civilian element that will require you to keep your
population happy, or else you’ll experience slower planetary expansion.
Additionally, the game puts a heavy emphasis on
researching new technologies. Almost like building a class in an RPG, you’ll go
down a variety of research trees, following a path and basically playing the
game according to your preference. There are a lot of options and roads to take,
making for a bit of a sandbox experience.
Graphically, even though the game isn’t set for
release until early next year, it still looks pretty impressive. The ship models
are very well done and the game runs very well on mid-range PCs. The camera
angles are pretty varied, allowing you to zoom in and out very closely or far
away to see the full brunt of the empire that you have amassed.
All in all, Sins of a Solar Empire is showcasing
a great amount of innovation and tense gameplay, as well as some very deep
research and diplomacy elements. Check it out next year.
