Endless Space 2 is without context an excellent 4X, and one of the richest on which fans of the genre can get their hands. The latter have no reason to miss out, especially when it is known that the Amplitude studio is used to ensure an exemplary follow-up of its products, thus guaranteeing that the few bugs and imperfections still present will be eradicated in the Weeks to come. On the other hand, it is another matter for novices who, despite an interface and tutorials in progress, will still find it difficult to find their young among the foultitude of parameters to manage. But at a time when some games succumb to a process of extreme simplification, we will not complain too much!

Created in 2010 by former developers of Ubisoft, Amplitude Studios quickly succeeded with its first title: Endless Space. The universe created on this occasion was then declined into two quite different titles, named Endless Legend and Dungeon of the Endless. But it is only today, with the release of Endless Space 2, that the studio actually revives with the genre of the galactic 4X. Are you ready for a new dose of exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination?

Like any self-respecting 4X, Endless Space 2 offers you to lead your faction to conquer a new world. Here, the limits are those of space and it is therefore the whole galaxy that is offered to your ambition, or more exactly to that of your faction. The game universe has eight, which are played quite differently from one another. Pacifists and intellectuals, the Sophons privilege scientific knowledge and technological progress. Definitely more primitive, the Cravers are hunter-gatherers who think only of ingesting any form of foreign life. The Empire brings together humans who wish to bring civilization to other worlds. The Horatio breed consists solely of clones in search of pure beauty. The People of the Fault controls the powers of temporal displacement. Like the fire, which symbolizes both destruction and rebirth, the Persians are both peaceful and ready to fight to defend their ideals. The Vodyani tirelessly travel the stellar paths aboard a gigantic mother ship. Finally, the Lights do not like anything so much as trade, exchange agreements, and the resulting economic growth.

You will have understood, the universe created by the developers is particularly rich and singular. But factions do not differ only in appearance or history. The gameplay varies significantly from one to the other. Wealth is one of the constants of Endless Space 2, which multiplies the parameters to manage and the possibilities of victory.

Whatever your ultimate goal, you will have to master the various subtleties of the game in order to reach it. And they are many! Nothing but the technological tree has more than one hundred research axes divided into four categories: empire development, military, science and exploration, economics and commerce. You will also need to manage the different types of populations that can inhabit your planets, monitor your five essential resources (food, industry, mist, science, influence), exploit many luxury resource pools, complete scripted quests to progress more effectively , Manage your fleets of vessels (including colonization, patrol or fighting vessels) in detail. Assigning heroes to posts where they will be most useful, maintaining the best diplomatic relations possible with other factions, and even managing a complex political system, through the composition of the Senate, the census of the population, And the balancing of major political parties. Particularly ambitious and complete, Endless Space 2 will take care of hundreds of hours if you manage to dive into it.

For as much the game will happen to easily excite the habitués of the 4X, so much it risks to put off the novices purely and simply. The game is particularly challenging and therefore absolutely can not be approached lightly. Since the first episode, developers have nevertheless made efforts in interface and tutorials. Messages and information screens are plentiful, but their abundance has as much chance to educate the novice player as to scare him. On the other hand, it is a no-fault for the general artistic direction, which displays charismatic characters, seductive planets and extremely clean 2D screens. The overall finish is very satisfactory, although there are still some bugs here or there. Given the richness of the game this is hardly surprising. Furthermore, The studio is renowned for an exemplary follow-up of its products, and it is therefore a good bet that Endless Space 2 will soon reach quasi-perfection. There will still be a big shadow on the board: the system of fighting. Indeed, space battles are carried out through a prior planning of the maneuvers of the vessels. A principle of interest from a tactical point of view, but once the battle begins, the player has nothing else to do but to observe it from the angle of camera of his choice. Until, tired by so much inaction, he zapped directly and systematically on the final result, thus depriving himself of the beauty of the spatial confrontations. This flat however does not detract from the general richness and complexity of the game.

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