Endless Space

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 566 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 345 out of 566
  2. Mixed: 151 out of 566
  3. Negative: 70 out of 566

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  1. BlueAardvark
    Jul 14, 2012
    2
    The Steam video was impressive, lots of action, the promise of a really good space adventure comparable to Masters of Orion from years back. I bought the Deluxe version with the Dreadnaught and off I went to play... end turn... end turn... end turn... end turn... end turn... The strategy is limited to researching terraforming techniques to inhabit other systems in a land grab, thenThe Steam video was impressive, lots of action, the promise of a really good space adventure comparable to Masters of Orion from years back. I bought the Deluxe version with the Dreadnaught and off I went to play... end turn... end turn... end turn... end turn... end turn... The strategy is limited to researching terraforming techniques to inhabit other systems in a land grab, then building endless numbers of disposable ships to wage a 'rock, paper, scissor' battle where the resolution is painfully simplistic and offers little for interaction to the outcome. The races are somewhat different technically, but offer no real interaction that makes Amoeba's different from the Humans. No voice overs, no videos, very 1990's interaction. Shipbuilding is limited to an 'auto-upgrade' feature, anything less and you are not effectively utilizing the capacity/firepower ratio that ultimately determines victory or defeat. If you are looking for a fun space adventure game, keep looking. $34.99 wasted, I've seen better facebook games that do the same thing, for free.… Expand
  2. JranZu
    Jul 6, 2012
    3
    I found the game very inanimate, while the graphics are not bad, they are not great either. The game play is stagnate with only a minimal amount of feeling. There are other games out there that do everything this game does and more; I feel like the time and money I put into this were wasted.
  3. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jul 27, 2015
    4
    Unfortunately ES isn't a very good 4x strategy game, playing it more only reveals all the major flaws of the game, however one major aspect of any 4x game is decently programmed AI, and that is something Endless Space doesn't have at all, since the AI is poorly programmed and starts with more or less infinite bonuses and the ability to do things the player can't - the outcome of the gameUnfortunately ES isn't a very good 4x strategy game, playing it more only reveals all the major flaws of the game, however one major aspect of any 4x game is decently programmed AI, and that is something Endless Space doesn't have at all, since the AI is poorly programmed and starts with more or less infinite bonuses and the ability to do things the player can't - the outcome of the game almost always leans in favor of the A.I winning no matter the difficulty setting, unless the player has enough experience to know all the aspects of the game, knows the skill tree and how to get important research done first and of course, the player gets an almost legendary start.

    Even on the easiest of difficulty settings, the A.I can still easily beat a skilled human player because of the boosted AI stats. Not to mention, throwing almost endless high powered fleets of ships if war is declared against the player and to add further insult, knowing almost intimate information about the players empire so it can attack your weakest points at any time, like many 4x games - basically the AI is programmed to cheat since thats the easiest way to program an AI to give a human player a challenge, even on the newbie difficulty A.I difficulty makes me want to face palm. I'd like to know how its possible for an A.I player with a couple of planets to have nearly double the score I have sometimes when I have nearly triple the star systems, wonders and a large fleet of ships?

    Some would say its a "Smart A.I" but there is a difference between a proper smart A.I and one that has been programmed with cheap bonuses that more or less gives it a clear winning edge against the player. Also, I think the galaxy map isn't big enough, the so called "Huge" map feels quite small by comparison to other 4x space strategy games with maybe less than a 100 star systems without mods. Many of the good mods unfortunately break the game completely as they haven't been updated, these mods we're perhaps the saving grace of the game but now its more or less been abandoned.

    Like someone commented, this game seems to be better played co-op against A.I players. Single player just isn't worth your time, especially if your a 4x fan - ES seems to be more like a zerg rush than empire building, which weakens the gameplay considerably - so the title really should be changed to Endless Zerg or Endless Fleets.

    I think the premise of the game is fairly good, the graphics, sound - all that is fine. The problem really lies with the execution of the gameplay, thats where it falls down. I think a sequel that fixes all the major problems the original has would be a good contender for the top 4x space strategy title, but they need to fix a lot of problems and make sure they don't make the same mistakes.

    4x space strategy is about expansion, empire building - in a nutshell turtling out your empire, building fleets - defending choke points - exploring the galaxy. ES does this, but in such a way it all takes the back burner, the galaxy without 'working' mods is way too small - The AI cheats too much to make the game fun or interesting, so a sequel needs better programmed AI without infinite bonuses or other stupid stuff.

    Overall, 4/10
    Endless Space isn't 'terrible' per say, but AI does heavily let the game down. GalCiv remains the king of 4x space strategy games. I'm glad I got this from the Humble Bundle sale, I would never pay full price for this. I would like to see a sequel to see if they can improve the game.    … Expand
  4. Bobchillingwort
    Jun 29, 2013
    4
    Purchased the game on Steam sale recently after hearing a lot of hype. Endless Space looks pretty- the graphics a good for an indie title, and the menus have a pleasingly clear aesthetic. Unfortunately this title fails in some fairly basic areas of the 4X genre.

    First of all, the game does a poor job of explaining game mechanics to you, optional tutorial notwithstanding. It is    Purchased the game on Steam sale recently after hearing a lot of hype. Endless Space looks pretty- the graphics a good for an indie title, and the menus have a pleasingly clear aesthetic. Unfortunately this title fails in some fairly basic areas of the 4X genre.

    First of all, the game does a poor job of explaining game mechanics to you, optional tutorial notwithstanding. It is difficult to tell how much food you need to a planet to add a new population point, or when your borders will expand (and by how much), or even how missile weapons actually work (the game's description is misleading). There is no in-game 'Pedia, but rather a link to the fan-made Wikia, which is out-of-date on some topics and useless on others.

    Second, the combat system is awful. As many people have commented here, a lot of it comes down to guessing the correct cards to counter the AI and loading your fleets with energy weapons and heroes. There is some strategy in the form of ship load-outs, but even that basically boils down to "lots of lasers & some defensive modules". Invading planets is a hideously boring affair, where you camp above AI worlds for potentially dozens of turns (and at least four), fending off the disposable fleets the computer pulls from its ass. Far too much is automated, leaving the player with little to actually control. Apparently the new expansion pack (from a different studio) resolves some of these issues, but I am not particularly inclined to invest 10 more bucks to make the combat system enjoyable.

    Finally and most egregiously, there just isn't a whole lot to do in the game. Even on a large map you'll expand to a half-dozen or so systems and then find your only options are to sit around teching for eternity or build up enormous fleets to take on an AI which hates to make peace, gradually wiping out one faction after another. If battles were more enjoyable to fight you might want to go after other empires for the sake of combat, but it's a mostly joyless affair. There's nothing much to explore once you've colonized your core systems and met your neighbors. Really, it ought to be called "Empty Space".    … Expand
  5. Osmium
    Jul 29, 2013
    4
    As much as I want myself to actually like this game, I just cannot really get myself to give it another go. Being a big fan of space strategy (or 4x) games and having played for around 30 hours, I find the game mediocre at best. The start is extremely slow and tedious. The starting position in this strategy game and the first hour of gameplay basically defines if you will have a chance toAs much as I want myself to actually like this game, I just cannot really get myself to give it another go. Being a big fan of space strategy (or 4x) games and having played for around 30 hours, I find the game mediocre at best. The start is extremely slow and tedious. The starting position in this strategy game and the first hour of gameplay basically defines if you will have a chance to prosper or fail miserably. Also, I found yourself confronted with an AI that clearly cheats so hard in this game (starting from "normal" difficulty, everything below is pointlessly easy) it makes you feel absolutely incompetent. Fighting and invading usually comes down to who has the bigger fleet, which in turn comes down to who has the bigger empire. The slow pace, the weird balance due to AI cheating, the boring combat system, and the somehow lifeless and uninspired presentation made this game a disappointment to me.… Expand
  6. dam1730
    Jun 5, 2013
    3
    Endless Space is one of those games that I think where you are going to love it or hate it. There are a lot of problems that I have with this game. First of all, the attempt to mix real time strategy with turn based strategy was a failure with having all players take their turns at the same time. This mechanic makes pursuing enemies extremely frustrating as you will attempt to move toEndless Space is one of those games that I think where you are going to love it or hate it. There are a lot of problems that I have with this game. First of all, the attempt to mix real time strategy with turn based strategy was a failure with having all players take their turns at the same time. This mechanic makes pursuing enemies extremely frustrating as you will attempt to move to there position and they will simply move toward you somehow going through your fleet. Secondly, there is an amazing lack of depth to this game. The different races really lack personality. The whole game really lacks personality. The launch price for this game was $30, however I believe this game looks like a $5 to $10 game based on the graphics quality and the attention to detail. The combat mechanic on this game really seals the deal for this being a below average game. The settlement elements, technology research, empire management, and and fleet construction are all poor, but that could have been made up for if the combat mechanics were interesting, challenging, and exciting, unfortunately this isn't the case. The whole system is basically a luck of the draw system. You pick a card and if it matches up well against the card the AI chose, your fleet will do well in battle, if it doesn't match up well, then you don't do well. There really isn't any strategy of any kind to the combat.… Expand
  7. vomov
    Aug 27, 2012
    3
    Initially, it seems like loads of fun, and it does do some things pretty good. The different types of planet and their pros and cons are pretty fun, the heroes can give specific systems a pretty hefty bonus, and the graphics quality is also quite nice.

    However; the amount of stuff you can actually do boils down to setting governors, select cards (yes, cards) for combat, and maybe build    Initially, it seems like loads of fun, and it does do some things pretty good. The different types of planet and their pros and cons are pretty fun, the heroes can give specific systems a pretty hefty bonus, and the graphics quality is also quite nice.

    However; the amount of stuff you can actually do boils down to setting governors, select cards (yes, cards) for combat, and maybe build some ships.

    The tech tree is somewhat arbitrary, but especially the military end of the tech tree is a simple upgrade system with pretty names. In the end, I couldn't finish a single game, and went back to other, more fun 4X games, which don't need heroes to give the player some level of control over an otherwise bland and boring game.    … Expand
  8. jjhalberd
    Oct 31, 2012
    4
    It is only after buying this game that I found out that it's card-game wearing a 4X's skin. The lack of tactical combat is txtremely dissappointing to say the least. The technology also seems kind of bland.
  9. Pipewrench
    Jul 28, 2012
    1
    This game need's a lot of work. Where to start.
    1. This research tree will force you to follow the same steps over and over to maximize expansion. Everything is shown so you have nothing to discover and nothing changes.
    2. The Galaxy map: i: 2-d connect-the-dot with no hidden surprises. ii: Generated at random so as to decide multi-player games at the start. iii: Has    This game need's a lot of work. Where to start.
    1. This research tree will force you to follow the same steps over and over to maximize expansion. Everything is shown so you have nothing to discover and nothing changes.

    2. The Galaxy map: i: 2-d connect-the-dot with no hidden surprises. ii: Generated at random so as to decide multi-player games at the start. iii: Has only systems, pirates who block choke points ,and fleets in a 2-d display with little animation.

    3. Random events that pop-up due to a scripted timeline that either help you or hurt you depending on your
    current growth. Same events over and over.

    3. Solar System maps have no real motion except in selecting a planet. Planets are not in orbit but put side by side with no rotation. Planets are displayed with no mysteries and only require certain technologies to unlock modifiers.

    4. Space combat at first will be fantastic 3d until you realize its a card system with no other control. Rock, paper, scissors with admirals who add unbelievable attributes if in the fleet. Ships follow the same path every time with just the background changing to match the system your in. This after a time will lead you to automate battles to save time.

    5. AI will spam fleets with no clear objective and can be simply defeated with a good Admiral as in point 4.

    6. Due to random maps experienced players will know if the other player has a good starting position due to not resigning. If you do not have a good starting location you are wasting your time, but you will be a good sport in loosing. The UI is very smooth and the graphics are clean but this game will get boring very fast. If your expecting a good head to head match with a human I wish you the best. I can just see the walkaways from poor starting locations because that in a nutshell is the game. Obviously most reviewer's seem to be Civ fans who like repetition and memorization....

    A boring 1 after 20 hours of play.
    Wait 6 month's until the updates.    … Expand
  10. cheat2win
    Jul 14, 2012
    4
    I was super hyped for this game, but ended being a super disappointment. Yes, the UI is great and polished, even more for a indie game. It has various races and planets. But it lacks short, plus it has a cheating AI. There's no real differentiation from race to race, and the tech trees are similar, except of a few techs... Overall, good tech demo, and not a bad effort for a indie game. ButI was super hyped for this game, but ended being a super disappointment. Yes, the UI is great and polished, even more for a indie game. It has various races and planets. But it lacks short, plus it has a cheating AI. There's no real differentiation from race to race, and the tech trees are similar, except of a few techs... Overall, good tech demo, and not a bad effort for a indie game. But as a game, it is severely lacking. I was hoping to play it for a few weeks at least, but ended up not wasting two days. Even the soundtrack sucks. In fact, the more I write, the worse it gets.… Expand
  11. NGResonanceFan
    Nov 28, 2012
    2
    I really wanted to like this game, but after playing it feel that I was a victim of the pre-release hype machine. As a long-time strategy gamer, I'm mystified by all the high scores people have given it on Metacritic. Fanboys I guess. Anyway, there is a lot wrong with this game: 1) An AI that cheats and spams. 2) The research tree is a total mess. For example, you will find criticalI really wanted to like this game, but after playing it feel that I was a victim of the pre-release hype machine. As a long-time strategy gamer, I'm mystified by all the high scores people have given it on Metacritic. Fanboys I guess. Anyway, there is a lot wrong with this game: 1) An AI that cheats and spams. 2) The research tree is a total mess. For example, you will find critical military technologies buried half-way up non-military tech trees. 3) A terrible rock/paper/scissors combat system. 4) A totally dull and lifeless galaxy void of any real surprises. 5) Diplomacy feels useless. 6) Generic races that lack an serious differentiation other than the physical. 7) Dull 'advance turn, advance turn' gameplay. 8) Heroes are overpowered. 9) Soundtrack is uninspired and amateurish. In short, this game is devoid of any soul is the worst case of the Emperor's New Clothes I've ever seen in a game. If you like 4X space strategy games, try the infinitely better grand strategy RTS Distant Worlds.… Expand
  12. plasmoo
    Jul 15, 2012
    3
    It's an ok game. However the game completely lacks keyboard controls. While the interface is well designed, keyboard controls would have really benefited this game.
    Also the manual is very short and high-level, that's bad because there is no tutorial level. Just a few screens, which are basically the same as in the manual.
    The game play seems unpolished and unbalanced, a lot of    It's an ok game. However the game completely lacks keyboard controls. While the interface is well designed, keyboard controls would have really benefited this game.
    Also the manual is very short and high-level, that's bad because there is no tutorial level. Just a few screens, which are basically the same as in the manual.
    The game play seems unpolished and unbalanced, a lot of important mechanics don't get explained. For example ship upgrades are handled very poorly by the AI. By reading the forums you can quickly gather that missiles are worthless, as they only hit one enemy and laser beams are overpowered...    … Expand
  13. HerrJoebob
    Aug 3, 2012
    1
    An OK game if you're really itching for an updated Civilization 2, in the sense of "it's 2am and the bar's about to close so grab anything". Matches are determined by the random number generator when you start the game. For instance, pirates might curbstomp you with fleets that are literally unbeatable while you're starting out, but you have to invest a ton of time to find out whetherAn OK game if you're really itching for an updated Civilization 2, in the sense of "it's 2am and the bar's about to close so grab anything". Matches are determined by the random number generator when you start the game. For instance, pirates might curbstomp you with fleets that are literally unbeatable while you're starting out, but you have to invest a ton of time to find out whether they'll show up or not - it has nothing to do with what you've done. Another problem is the resources. Unlike Civ 2 which made the resources 'nice to have', in this game they're a requirement to win. If the RNG doesn't spawn them in your home systems you're really just done and have no chance of success.

    Rolling back to being a beginner, the tutorial deserves special mention for being aggressively useless. When you go into a new screen it brings a pretend version of that screen up and then kind of points at what it wants you to look at, blocking you from interaction while it _sloooowly_ metes out information about what the screen is about. I defy anyone to keep it turned on for more than 2 or 3 screens. In addition the research tree is completely opaque unless you're willing to use wikis and the forums to research how to actually _play_ this game.

    That said, it's pretty and it's fun to play in the same way that it's fun to optimize a spreadsheet to make the numbers really high. Ultimately there are too many frustrations to bother with and it's a waste of money.    … Expand
  14. sarahcohen
    Nov 23, 2012
    1
    Extremely deceptive game. It's not really a 4x space strategy game with spaceships battling in space but its actually a card game disguised as a 4x game! If they had mentioned this in the advertisement, I never would have bought it!
  15. Swarning
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    I do not accept the argument "Your playing wrong, don't just have fun exploring and colonizing planets while defending yourself. That isn't how Endless Space is meant to be played, and we won't LET YOU play it that way"!

    There is a concept in most of these games of "corruption". As your empire grows bigger, you need to spend more to maintain it. I made it 1/2 way through one game before    I do not accept the argument "Your playing wrong, don't just have fun exploring and colonizing planets while defending yourself. That isn't how Endless Space is meant to be played, and we won't LET YOU play it that way"!

    There is a concept in most of these games of "corruption". As your empire grows bigger, you need to spend more to maintain it. I made it 1/2 way through one game before my economy went from 1 or 2 planets out of 25(ish) having problems with major problems with corruption to my entire empire crashing... in ONE turn (and the game was then unplayable).

    I was researching (and building) people-placating technology at about a 4-1 ratio compared to everything else.

    If I can't expand my empire and enjoy myself without the game breaking, it isn't worth playing. I wish I could get a refund from Steam for this turd.    … Expand
  16. Gingerjobs
    Dec 2, 2012
    2
    Now this game has a very acute taste. For those who wan't to buy this game and have seen the steam trailer I say to you "It's not really like that". Part of the trailer is accurate, but it forgets to show the painstakingly long period of time where it's basically you clicking next turn and research this. Plus the actual gameplay fighting scene/battle... WHICH, I would have never called itNow this game has a very acute taste. For those who wan't to buy this game and have seen the steam trailer I say to you "It's not really like that". Part of the trailer is accurate, but it forgets to show the painstakingly long period of time where it's basically you clicking next turn and research this. Plus the actual gameplay fighting scene/battle... WHICH, I would have never called it that. It is a strategy game and multiplayer but it is a pointless game. Which is anything but addictive. I played it on the normal setting's it provides as default and to but it nicely, "IT WAS CRAP". I played it for over 4000 turns to see if it was any good and i unlocked everything off the tech-tree and it was useless. The game requires multiplayer to make it the slights entertaining, but that was only because i was chatting to them on Skype. The only thing you can do on this whole cheap, crapy knock-off of "Civ" is, inhabit planets, choose what you would like to do on the planet, explore the universe which after 150 or so goes is done. Then there is the battle stage which you still only get to click buttons!!!!!!!!. To summarise this game I would say buy Civ 5 or any other strategy game that isn't this S**t piece of a game. It makes me so mad that i fell for that stupid cinematic trailer. What a waste of £27 or £23 for those who buy the normal edition. DON'T BUY THIS GAME. unless you like crapy repetitive stuff.… Expand
  17. JoceDoIt
    Jan 29, 2014
    4
    Seems great first but after few games, realise that there is lack of making choices than building ships. Graphics and sounds poor. Need to follow straight lines between the stars that are connected together. Worst, the battles are controlled by the IA, you choose 1 special move by round (3 by attack) and you watch the battle without doing anything? So, you hope that your ships build isSeems great first but after few games, realise that there is lack of making choices than building ships. Graphics and sounds poor. Need to follow straight lines between the stars that are connected together. Worst, the battles are controlled by the IA, you choose 1 special move by round (3 by attack) and you watch the battle without doing anything? So, you hope that your ships build is better than the other and cross your finger.

    Go get "Star Lords" : In Alpha for now but really better than this game.

    JoceDoIt    … Expand
  18. Coeco
    Jul 10, 2012
    3
    You want to play Civilization 5 Billy? No? How about some Rock-Paper-Scissor then? Not that either? Hmm. What about Eve Online? No? Well f*ck you billy. This is Endless Space and it has everything except real strategy elements in a RTS. I really tried to like this game, I did. But once I started to learn how things worked after getting over-run by excessively difficult AI's at normal, IYou want to play Civilization 5 Billy? No? How about some Rock-Paper-Scissor then? Not that either? Hmm. What about Eve Online? No? Well f*ck you billy. This is Endless Space and it has everything except real strategy elements in a RTS. I really tried to like this game, I did. But once I started to learn how things worked after getting over-run by excessively difficult AI's at normal, I realized that for all the different name-given technology trees, they are ultimately mixed together. Lets say you want to play offensively, military style. Sure, you can research better weapons and armor for your ships in the Galactic Warfare tree but unless you get better coordination technologies in the Diplomacy tree to have more units in a fleet, the AI/opponents will overwhelm you due to bigger numbers per group. Get bigger ship blueprints you say? Sure! Just spend over half the game's time researching technologies in the Exploration/Expansion tree! Yeah, lost an appetite for war already, didn't you. That's alright, we can try a scientific victory instead. Just start researching things in the tech tree and don't forget to get food for your people through the diplomatic tree. Oh, right. You'll need to inhabit planets to give people somewhere to stay as well. That's in the exploration tree, sorry. Short said, It is a MESS. It's like having four kinds of your favorite foods on separate plates just to have them slapped together in a mixer and then poured out all over again in piles of goo. Talking about feces, you think you can balance all that out by the same time while staying alive through constant blockades by 1 hp scouts, interrupting your research as pirates constantly swarm you? Have fun trying to learn anything from the intensive build-up of loading times. Let's say you want to research something useful, that'll be 30-50 rounds of waiting. Every round, the AI creates more units, increases their influence substantially and have war with each other which is constantly growing in scale. You WILL NEED to play the smallest map possible with as little opponents as you can. Anyone who played Civ 5 with 4-5+ players late in game will know what I'm talking about. But really, the moral of this review is: Try the game where you either can get a refund or not have to buy it at all doesn't matter. Make sure it both works and fits for you.… Expand
  19. evild4ve
    Dec 27, 2013
    3
    Endless Space has all the problems normally associated with 4x strategy games, but few of the fun parts. The tech-tree is large, convoluted, and the discoveries don't correspond at all with the effect on gameplay. Want to colonize a lava planet? That requires graviton thingummy-jiggies on tech tree #4. Research can't be queued. Diplomacy against the AI either includes no optionsEndless Space has all the problems normally associated with 4x strategy games, but few of the fun parts. The tech-tree is large, convoluted, and the discoveries don't correspond at all with the effect on gameplay. Want to colonize a lava planet? That requires graviton thingummy-jiggies on tech tree #4. Research can't be queued. Diplomacy against the AI either includes no options whatsoever, or they get switched on by some obscure discovery.

    Balance is everything with these games, and when each system takes 150-200 turns to conquer and the tech tree is a complicated limiting factor, even on Easy difficulty (which is boring) it's very possible to build your empire "wrongly" and reach a stage where you can't make further progress against AI opponents who only have 3 stars but chose the "right" kinetic weapons oojahmahflip from tech tree #2 50 turns previously.

    Combat is always between two fleets of up to 12 "command points" (1=gunship, 2=cruiser, 4=battleship). In practice, most battles are between maxed-out fleets and victory is determined by tech. Tactics and ship customisation will not change the outcome against an opponent with an extra point in beam weapons. A fleet with an extra point in beam weapons and an extra point in deflector shields will chew up an infinite number of weaker fleets suffering virtually no attrition in the process (due to insta-repair during the opponent's turn). This means the economic weight of a galactic empire during the end-game isn't an advantage, making the end-game take even longer. They have actually found a way to make the 4x formula's classic problems even worse.

    The ship customisation is so limited that they might as well have kept it to templates. Choose from little, medium or big and lasers, machine guns and missiles. There are also carriers, but this is a bad use of "command points", and also ground bombardment and ground invasion options. Ground invasion could have been quite an interesting idea, but there are no significant fixed defences to bombard, and no garrisons to attack. Sieges take 20-30 turns, or you can send in a single unit of infantry for instant conquest.

    Sins of a Solar Empire also came out recently as an easier-on-the-eye, slightly "liter" 4x strategy game, and it's much better at the things listed above with few if any drawbacks. The one thing Endless Space does get right by comparison is that its map consists of stars and their orbiting planets, rather than the peculiar free-floating planets of SoaSE. Upgrading planets in Endless Space makes as little sense as the tech tree, but it does at least give the impression of there being a solar system whose local planets co-operate with each other to build stuff. Planets can be: barren, arid, desert, tundra, terran, jungle, asteroid belt, lava, arctic, gas giant (hydrogen, methane or helium), and they can be tiny, small, medium or huge. The differences aren't as noticeable as they should be so long as you choose advanced intergalactic bobbins on tech tree #3 (left branch), they are all equally easy to settle and look after.

    The graphics and artwork are mediocre. Planets of the same type look the same as each other, each faction only has six ship graphics and I defy anyone to actually tell them apart either at the strategic scale or in the close-up battle sequences. The auto-resolve battles (with added rock/paper/scissors) aren't as annoying as others have made out I had been watching them to try and better understand the combat mechanics. The problem is that you can tell who is going to win by adding up the tech levels of each gun in their fleets. Graphically, they impressed me less than Gratuitous Space Battles, as well as tactically.

    I got this on Steam for a single-digit sum of money and was bored within 8 hours. Get a fan-mod of Empire of the Fading Suns, or even a copy of Supremacy (1990) instead for "4x lite" done well. Don't get this.    … Expand
  20. Broadnick
    Oct 8, 2012
    4
    I played many 4x games before and this one is the greater deception of all games I tried. Endless Space looks promising and is a nice production, but the game play is so boring than I give up after only two or tree hours of playing. I gave the game a second chance some days later...same sleepy effect! Research system is well developed but return no real feeling of some advantage; combatsI played many 4x games before and this one is the greater deception of all games I tried. Endless Space looks promising and is a nice production, but the game play is so boring than I give up after only two or tree hours of playing. I gave the game a second chance some days later...same sleepy effect! Research system is well developed but return no real feeling of some advantage; combats are boring and need absolutely no strategy; Commercial exchange are frustrating because of the balancing value mechanism.

    Don't spend your money on it.    … Expand
  21. Ananisapta
    Jul 7, 2012
    2
    I'm a veteran Civilization player and I was disappointed in Endless Space. There's a lot of tiny print involved in managing a large number of units over a 2D empire that I couldn't get emotionally involved with. CIV FTW!
  22. BBHill
    Jul 21, 2012
    3
    I got this game because it was rated so highly and everyone seemed to have great things to say about it. This game is really not that great. It is at best a mediocre 4X Turn-Based game and at worst terribly boring and frustrating. It seems to be trying to combine Civilization with Sins of a Solar Empire but it really never seems to come close to either game.

    My first complaint is the    I got this game because it was rated so highly and everyone seemed to have great things to say about it. This game is really not that great. It is at best a mediocre 4X Turn-Based game and at worst terribly boring and frustrating. It seems to be trying to combine Civilization with Sins of a Solar Empire but it really never seems to come close to either game.

    My first complaint is the combat system. It seems like it was originally intended to be somewhat like either Sins or Total War but they scrapped that and just decided some cheap Rock, Paper, Scissors card game, where you have next to no control over your fleet, was better. It really isn't and you are better off just hitting auto resolve, the result is pretty much the same anyway. If they were just going to make something that is essentially random then they should have just stuck with what Civ does and have them duke it out on the galaxy map instead of wasting the player's time loading up a separate screen.

    My second complaint is that the game seems to be a mess of poor and annoying design choices. For instance you will be penalized for over-expanding early on in the game which is fine, it happens in Civ too. The problem comes when the only way to offset these penalties is to go deep into the tech tree, pray you find a hero that has some approval bonuses available on level up, or just not expand at all because if you keep going you'll pretty quickly find yourself with a revolt on your hands. If you stop expanding, you better hope you have some defensive fleets keeping the AI at bay because anything that you leave unguarded they'll colonize because they seem to suffer no penalties from over-expansion, they just keep going until there is nothing left to take. You'd also think that the race that is supposed to expand quickly, because they are essentially locusts, would not suffer this over-expansion penalty but you'd be wrong. If anything the game I played as them the penalty actually seemed worse than in any I'd previously played.

    Another annoying design choice seems to be the AI's lack of ability to do anything but expand. Diplomacy is basically finding them, waiting a bit for them to warm up to you a little, and then asking for a peace treaty which won't ever be refused. Declare war on them and they do nothing about it except occasionally harass your fleets as you try to take their systems, never once did they send fleets to attack any of my systems. In fact the only thing that ever actually attacked me were some pirate fleets that were completely unkillable at my tech level. The fleet attacking my system had an attack score of over 4000 when the best the AI or I could seem to field at the time was just over 1000. Went in and tried to win manually, which like I said is a waste of time, and their first barrage wiped my entire fleet out and I barely even dented them. Didn't even bother attacking with my second or third fleets that had arrived because it wasn't even worth the effort of hitting auto resolve.

    The concept of the game seems to be interesting and it could have been good but there is just so much wrong with the way this game works that it really isn't worth playing. I guess for a first game in the genre it isn't awful for the company and hopefully their future games will have a little more playability. As it stands you are better off playing Civilization or Sins instead since they are a lot more enjoyable and better designed.    … Expand
  23. Eyse
    Jul 8, 2012
    0
    Mind-numbing waiting between turns, cumbersome technology tree, stupid combat system, disappointing graphics - this game has it all! "Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion" makes this production look amateurish.
  24. wastedmymoney
    Aug 9, 2012
    2
    no storyline, no real tutorial, no real backbone.
    You shouldn't have to research how to play a game on google.

    I Wish i spent my 35$ on a bag of dope.
  25. dplehwalder
    Aug 28, 2012
    1
    Looks so good, but is really a very bad game. Combat is horrid! You cant auto resolve combat unless you have at least two times the force they have or you will always lose. Once I attacked with three times the force and still lost. STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME!!!!
  26. Rotar_Rocket
    Oct 17, 2013
    0
    Poor turn-based game that has a military focus. A hack copy of Master of Orion without any fun.

    This is another example of Steam taking peoples money for complete crap.
  27. super3588
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    Nope. Not a game you want, whether or not it's a Steam Free Weekend this weekend (11/30/12-12/2/12). Yuck. It's like intergalactic Risk: It's slow, you can't figure out what to do, and basically, it's not a game I want in any way, shape, or form.
  28. kenobi87
    Nov 29, 2012
    3
    It must be in Spanish or another language.. It's only in English, If it had been free to play, I wouldn't have been disappointed. I like games based in the space
  29. shadywack
    Dec 21, 2012
    1
    This is just a virtual card game. Steam advertises this as some kind of RTS or action oriented game, when in reality you make a huge litany of small decisions in order to counteract the means by which the deck of cards hits you when you have to face other empires. The lack of ingame information is also infuriating. After spending a couple hours watching youtube tutorials, the faction IThis is just a virtual card game. Steam advertises this as some kind of RTS or action oriented game, when in reality you make a huge litany of small decisions in order to counteract the means by which the deck of cards hits you when you have to face other empires. The lack of ingame information is also infuriating. After spending a couple hours watching youtube tutorials, the faction I chose apparently didn't like missiles. No matter how large or how vast a fleet I made, I would just watch it get blasted to smithereens by two paltry and insignificant pirate ships. Space combat is entirely dictated by who draws a better card. If you try to employ any kind of strategy, logic, or common sense the card just smacks you in the face with "sorry about your luck, your vast armada just got blown to bits by a couple lowly pirates". This is by far one of the most regrettable purchases I have ever made on Steam.… Expand
  30. DonnGwuan
    May 23, 2013
    2
    Looks great and i'm sure i'd have a lot of fun, if it wouldn't freeze up.
    Which is a problem for many and has been for a reasonably long and extended time.
    A 2 for appearance.
  31. Vas
    Jun 30, 2014
    3
    This is even more disappointing than StarDrive. The reason? Because this actually had a lot more potential and looked a lot better and the videos were great.

    The videos draw you in, show a lot of exciting combat. You know what happens when you play? Tedius research planning. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one thing. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End    This is even more disappointing than StarDrive. The reason? Because this actually had a lot more potential and looked a lot better and the videos were great.

    The videos draw you in, show a lot of exciting combat. You know what happens when you play?
    Tedius research planning. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one thing. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one more thing. End turn. (x10).

    Yep. You basically just end turn, a lot. The tutorial is terrible. It's a picture with text (Ok, an advanced picture with text). I lost my fleet because the tutorial came up and stopped me from clicking anything, I lost before I could finish reading the large volume of text information, and it canceled it's self so I couldn't finish learning battles. I tried a manual battle, it sucked. Auto is the way to go. Which kinda sucks too. There are only 3 ship classes you can use, this is after I researched 60% of the military research and 40% of everything else. It's a really long boring RTS with great graphics with misleading videos to get you to buy it.    … Expand
  32. Taram
    Dec 20, 2014
    4
    While the game seems well laid out the tutorial is downright awful and the game is not intuitive at all unless you're a 4x veteran. Unfortunately the 4x Genre seems to be hell bent on making games as complicated as possible.

    What I wouldn't give for a "Civilization" in space game that has simple controls and easy to understand tutorials.
  33. Winters
    May 31, 2017
    3
    The best way to define Endless Space would be to combine the Civilisation series with the space-stage of Spore, then remove the voice acting, dialogue, content and finally suck out all of the fun.

    The combat options are "Auto" which just shows the combat results, or "Manual" which allows you to pick a battle tactic for long range, medium range and melee range, then watch it played out.    The best way to define Endless Space would be to combine the Civilisation series with the space-stage of Spore, then remove the voice acting, dialogue, content and finally suck out all of the fun.

    The combat options are "Auto" which just shows the combat results, or "Manual" which allows you to pick a battle tactic for long range, medium range and melee range, then watch it played out. Not sure where the manual part comes in to play there.

    The Pirates, which if you are familiar with other games of this genre, are the random, pain in the arse element. They would be fine and an enjoyable part of the game, except that while you are still trying to develop ships bigger than a scout-class, they show up with three cruisers and wipe out your civilisation. You literally have to prepare for and take preventative measures from turn 1 to have a chance of dealing with a random pirate attack.

    I really can't think of any balancing points. There are much better space-based games of this genre out there, from 10 years ago, with the same level of graphics, with far more attention to detail and immersion.

    Endless Space will drive your average gamer to tears through boredom. Only a hardcore genre fan will complete it and almost no one will play it through more than once. The game is not awful but it is trying very hard to be.    … Expand
  34. gingerninja11
    Apr 14, 2017
    4
    Bad out-of-digital-box experience with too many options and aspects of the game presented with no campaign storyline and a ton of instuctions to get started. No mini tutorial campaign that teaches the ropes in a fun way to provide basic guidance on how to leverage advantages from skill and build combos. Some techs are absolutely useless (IE, researching tier 3 siege only to find out maxingBad out-of-digital-box experience with too many options and aspects of the game presented with no campaign storyline and a ton of instuctions to get started. No mini tutorial campaign that teaches the ropes in a fun way to provide basic guidance on how to leverage advantages from skill and build combos. Some techs are absolutely useless (IE, researching tier 3 siege only to find out maxing out tier 2 siege is better). Extremely exploitable strategy where you can stack a few space fleets on a system for "offensive attack" where your enemy has a large amount of their ships stacked, and then run away from battle every time so that the enemy can never fly their ships elsewhere while you're blockading the system. Even if the defender has faster space ships. This makes no sense: if they run from battle, you shouldn't still be blocked from leaving the system.

    Combat isn't very interactive, tech trees are really not fun to dig around, and there's no explanation of precisely how influence works, anywhere in the game or online.

    Off to find a better 4k.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PC Game of 2012
36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. GameOver.gr
    Feb 12, 2013
    70
    What it lacks in storytelling and script it gains in gameplay and in the way it can get awfully addictive.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer.no
    Oct 27, 2012
    80
    This is a fun and addictive space strategy game. It doesn't quite have the character of Master of Orion 2, but it offers intelligent gameplay, smart opponents and plenty of fun while you build your interplanetary empire. Well worth trying, for both hardcore and casual strategy gamers.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 14, 2012
    83
    Master of Orion still retains its throne, but Endless Space with its enticing atmosphere and fluid gameplay is one of the best 4X games in recent years. [Sept 2012]
See all critic reviews »