ENDLESS Space™ - Definitive Edition

Игра с годами только хорошеет, как хорошее вино. Это пошаговая 4X-стратегия в космосе, где ты управляешь целой цивилизацией и пытаешься захватить галактику дипломатией, войной или наукой, а главная фишка - это уникальные фракции, каждая со своей механикой и лором, от воинственных кланов Созидателей до загадочных Созерцателей, которые видят всё иначе. В Definitive Edition входят все DLC, включая «Disharmony» и «Сombat» (хотя последнее мне не очень зашло), плюс куча балансных правок, так что искать отдельные дополнения не нужно. Боевая система здесь необычная: не просто щёлкаешь «атаковать», а выбираешь тактику на несколько ходов вперёд, гадая, что сделает противник, и от этого зависит, как пройдёт битва. Визуал и музыка - отдельный кайф, особенно саундтрек от FlybyNo, который создаёт ту самую атмосферу бескрайнего космоса и тайны. Правда, есть и ложка дёгтя: искусственный интеллект иногда тупит, а интерфейс, несмотря на обновления, местами всё ещё выглядит как со старых версий. Но если вы фанат жанра и любите копаться в технологических деревьях и дипломатических интригах, то эта игра может затянуть на сотни часов, особенно если засесть за неё с друзьями в горячей каше. В общем, берите не думая, особенно на скидке, это одна из лучших космических стратегий своего времени, которая не стыдно поставить в один ряд с Galactic Civilizations или Master of Orion. И если этот обзор наберёт 50 лайков и 10 наград - куплю все дополнения и сыграю 100 часов. Улучшу значок до 5 уровня и схожу в церковь помолиться за разрабов, чтобы они делали только крутые проекты… ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠋⠉⠉⠄⠄⠉⠉⠙⠛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⡿⠋⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⠙⢿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⠏⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣠⣴⣶⣶⣤⣄⠄⠄⠹⣿⣿ ⣿⠃⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢠⣾⠟⣩⣤⣤⡉⢿⣧⠄⠄⠘⣿ ⡏⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸⣿⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⠈⣿⡇⠄⠄⢹ ⣅⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢀⣾⣿⣿⣦⡙⠻⠟⣋⣼⡿⠄⠄⠄⠘ ⣿⣿⣷⣶⣤⣀⣀⣀⣠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠟⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⢠ ⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣌⢻⣿⡿⠟⠉⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸ ⣿⡄⠈⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢀⡏⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢠⣿ ⣿⣿⣆⠄⠄⠈⠳⢬⣭⡴⠟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣰⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣄⣀⣀⠄⠄⣀⣀⣠⣤⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

thought it was cool initially. I appreciate the simplified approach to the 4x genre, where most of the strategy is coming from a grand overview of how you've made your decisions and hoping it doesn't make things worse down the line instead of the average paradox approach of micromanaging 20 different things, not understanding even half the mechanics and figuring it out from there and you'll probably be fine. Or a masters of orion old school 4x approach where it's very much understandable, but you'll need to play a couple games to really get the hang of how to make the right decisions. Now here's where a lot of problems show up, planets and colonizations? Simple, you select one thing to build on each planet, you can research to settle more, easy enough, more settlements more stuff and you're doing better. Except there's a happiness meter that isn't explained that well~ However this cuts out about... Pretty much every aspect of a 4x game. It's not so much managing your empire/civ/species and more just hoping you can get more quick enough like a really awkward game of hungry hungry hippos, except it's determined by how well you can decipher the research tree. You'd think the combat would help out with this, maybe the events and other players can help make this more interesting, just the problem is that combat is selecting 3 cards out of like i can't remember... 7 or something? Less than 10, and having more ships. These cards come into play in 3 phases, and will modify percentage of how much defense you're shields have against kinetic or something else that's utter gibberish with no other terms anywhere in the game other than the research tree. So you're genuinely better off guessing while having as many ships as possible. Which only feeds into the exponential growth race which just kinda sucks. Like this would all mean something if the research tree was easier to understand so decisions there and progression would matter, but most of it was the average paradox style: String Nanothermite Deflection Chamber: +2(random symbol) +2(random symbol) +2(random symbol) +2(random symbol). Gablonxers in the lava region have better skin resistance allowing unique thruster research. Increases resistance against plasma fire by 18% for constructed ships. I think anyone reading this knows exactly what I mean. You might be able to parse most of this, but it just raises more questions than it answers. Do all these boosts apply universally, only on lava planets? Should I make sure my construction queues for my warships occur in specifically systems with these planets? Or will they get a boost if I repair them there. What exactly does it mean by plasma fire, you can't customize ships in this game so is it a class type or a research tree unlock? Things like that just plague every decision in this game when the overall game itself is nowhere near as complicated and you won't notice most of these choices affecting gameplay. Hell there's a REASON there is a BUILT IN WORDSEARCH in the research tree. Christ rng is also a pretty bad factor since you can also get segmented into a system that's not close to other stars, so it'll force you to only be able to reach far systems by researching a wormhole transport thing, except if you don't have any and only have a string connector, you need a special research most the way down the tree to unlock it, which is later than when you unlock a warpdrive that renders using a wormhole or string connector pointless but it's still far down enough that it forces you to basically ignore the entire tree ANYWAY since you have to research that to find scout the rest of the system or expand to other planets. I think most disappointing of all is how imaginative the different factions are. In particularly I found the vaulters the most interesting, where it states that they are living on ships and the idea of a homeworld they can live is considered mythical both to the universe and to themselves. So naturally you wonder how this will affect gameplay! Spoilers: you still colonize planets, the game lied.

Endless Space - Definitive Edition delivers an engaging turn-based space strategy experience focused on exploration, expansion, and interstellar diplomacy. Each faction offers unique mechanics that encourage different playstyles, while researching new technologies and managing galactic empires remains consistently rewarding. It's a solid choice for players who enjoy thoughtful strategy at a steady pace.

离谱，现在玩全靠记忆

This was the first "clean" space 4X I'd ever played. I greatly enjoyed Birth of the Federation, long ago, but it was a buggy mess, especially on later operating systems. Sins of a Solar Empire, as well, always felt messy to me, despite being a grand ole time. Endless Space felt smooth and uninterrupted, bug free, and it was new for me, someone who always loved sci-fi and desperately wanted a premier empire management game in that space. I return to this every few years to play a handful of games, much like I do with the Civilization and Total War series.

so nice to chill & plan your universal domination turn based.. Nirvana.

Вже класичний спадкоємець Master of Orion. Всім прихильникам 4х - стратегій і наукової фантастики дуже рекомендую, а для новачків це може стати точкою входу в цей тип стратегій і всесвіт Endless. З мінусів: трошки одноманітно. І немає української мови.

🔹 General Impression Endless Space is a strong 4X space strategy game, often compared to Civilization or Master of Orion. It offers deep empire management and many strategic systems, but it has a steep learning curve and is not very beginner-friendly. Most players agree it is a game that becomes enjoyable only after investing time to learn its mechanics. 🔹 Strengths Deep 4X gameplay (exploration, expansion, economy, warfare) Strong empire-building mechanics on a system level (not just individual planets) Interesting faction variety with different playstyles Flexible ship design system with many customization options Multiple victory conditions (science, military, economic, etc.) Visually appealing space map and cinematic battles High replayability due to factions, galaxy settings, and strategies Good atmosphere and sci-fi setting with light lore background 🔹 Weaknesses Very weak tutorial (more like a reference guide than real onboarding) High learning curve (takes several hours to understand core systems) Combat system is simplified and partially automated, which reduces control AI behavior is inconsistent and sometimes feels unfair or “cheaty” on higher difficulty Diplomacy system is limited and sometimes feels rigid or unclear Late-game micromanagement can become slow and overwhelming Some mechanics are not intuitive and require external wiki or trial-and-error learning 🔹 Overall Conclusion Endless Space is a complex and rewarding strategy game, but it strongly targets experienced 4X players or people willing to invest time in learning it. It is not immediately accessible, but once understood, it becomes a deep and engaging experience with a lot of strategic freedom.

If you like strategy games, this one has a lot going for it so far. I have only played on normal difficulty to date but as I go I learn more, so later I will give a another review...maybe. :)

A beautifully sleek, atmospheric masterpiece that proves spreadsheets in space can be genuinely gorgeous. Endless Space is the foundational game that launched Amplitude Studios' critically acclaimed "Endless" universe, and it remains one of the most stylish and polished 4X strategy games ever made. In a genre that is often plagued by cluttered menus and overwhelming data dumps, this game is a breath of fresh air. The user interface is an absolute triumph of game design—it is incredibly clean, intuitive, and visually stunning, making the daunting task of managing a massive, sprawling galactic empire feel remarkably smooth. Coupled with a hauntingly beautiful, atmospheric soundtrack, you can easily lose dozens of hours just zooming out to admire the glowing starlanes of your territory. What truly sets this game apart from its competitors is the sheer variety and depth of its factions. This isn't a game where every alien race feels like a simple palette swap with a +5% laser damage bonus. Playing as the knowledge-obsessed Sophons requires a completely different strategic mindset than playing as the Cravers, a race of relentless insectoid cyborgs who literally consume and deplete their own planets to fuel their eternal war machine. The asymmetrical design encourages you to completely change your playstyle with every new campaign, and if you somehow get bored of the base races, the custom faction creator is deep enough to let you design your own perfect sci-fi empire. The only aspect of the game that might divide players is the combat system. Instead of frantic, real-time tactical micromanagement, fleet battles here are handled through a cinematic, rock-paper-scissors "card" system across three engagement phases (long, medium, and short range). It is much more hands-off, relying heavily on how well you designed your ships in the dockyard beforehand rather than your reflexes during the fight. However, if you prefer the grand, big-picture strategy of exploration, economic dominance, and political maneuvering over clicking individual laser turrets, Endless Space is an absolute must-play classic of the 4X genre. 9/10 — I conquered the galaxy not with mighty armadas, but by buying out the entire galactic economy with Dust.