Pax Nova

If you looked through the other reviews, you might already read this and I can second it. This game tries to Planetside and Space strategy and fails on both. The Idea isn't bad at all, it's just... it doesn't play well. I's not easy to really point my finger on whats wrong... The planets are too small, space too static, rivals everywhere on every planet. In most other games, you start in your corner of the galaxy and at some point meet your rivals. I guess this game wanted to skip this early, rather boring phase - you start in planet view and already have neighbours. It may be a personal preference, but I'm not fond of that. And once you develop the Tech to build your own space ships - it's the same everywhere. Every damn Planet is already inhabited. Strategic deepth is limited both on the planets as in space. Potentially the Galaxy is huge with interconnected Sectors, but there's just no need to go to another sector. I did not notice the bugs, that other reviewers wrote of btw. It's a good concept that just doesn't work the way it was done. I'd like to give some constructive thoughts on how this could have worked, but i'm honestly not sure how to make this better without changing a lot of the game.

I want to recommend this game, but because of so many shortcomings I simply cannot. On the surface, Pax Nova is a robust 4X Turn-Based Strategy Game, but after a quick look under the hood it's actually rather shallow and unpolished. I went in wanting to love this game - I saw the mixed reviews, but I love 4X games and this bad boy was on sale, so I dove in head first. Immediately I noticed the lack of polish and attention to detail. The biggest problems seem to be the simplest things. I cannot turn of edge-scrolling on the map, which infuriates me. Every time I want to check things on the top tab I am forced to scroll upwards. There's no confirming or undo for unit moving, instead relying on a "left click select, right click move" system that is really clunky, resulting in me moving units countless times when I didn't intend to. The unit overview doesn't show unit levels, nor does it allow any type of subdividing or organization. Finding information about things from cities to units is quite convoluted. WHY CAN'T I DESELECT THINGS?! It should not be a big deal but there is no way to simply deselect a unit or anything besides a city. So if I click a unit, navigate elsewhere on the map and click something, I might end up moving a unit I never intended to because there was no way to deselect the unit. You MUST click one of your cities then click the return button at the bottom of the screen - this is the ONLY WAY to deselect ANYTHING and clear you UI. Maybe this is me being really nitpicky but it's hella annoying. The result is something like Endless Space with a hex-grid planet map grafted into it, but it falls short in everything that makes Endless Space great. The writing in Pax Nova is sincerely underwhelming - the flavor text for everything is brief and uninspired, I found numerous typos in both the tutorial and general content. I am going to continue playing this game, as I honestly haven't even made it into space yet - but it's an uphill battle at this point. If the user experience becomes more intuitive and the gameplay/writing becomes more robust, I will gladly come back and adjust my review.

bugged bugged bugged. wildly inconsistent mechanics for example forest planting sometimes has no cool down, other time has 20 turns, for no known reason. Hyperspace says it requires aether to power but when you try to use it it says it needs usselium. A lot more like this. There is so much of this that you can't implement a strategy, in a strategy game.

Here are some helpful tricks [*] Never build near a resource. It will attract attention early on that you can't handle. Border tension will always result in unwanted war. [*] Build City in between mountains to prevent invasion force. [*] Make sure you have more harmony than prosperity. Harmony increase border, prosperity increases the population. Later, you will have the opportunity to invite people in your capital. [*] Do not hesitate to demolish districts to make room for something you need. [*] Good strong standing army. My estimate is the average strength of the planet force. [*] Use multiple units to take down enemy units. Never march with a single unit. [*] Put one unit inside enemy territory to prevent them from building new unit. After that keep the attrition going. [*] Play the strength of your civilization. If its good at making money (talking about terran federation) then focus on that. [*] Be nice to everyone strategically. You don't want to fight when odds are against you. [*] Do focus on tech. Remember, this can get over powered. [*] In space park six ships around the planet, this will prevent any other player from landing in your planet, keeping the whole thing for yourself. [*] Just like the ground battles, fight enemies with more number. If outnumber defeat them in detail. Attack one unit with multiple from the flank, that way the AI ships must spend time manuvering instead of engaging your fleet. Withdraw often to reduce casuality on your side. That's all for now. I have to keep exploring more before I come up anything else.

В общем, игра не без недочётов, но скорее понравилась. На распродаже можно брать однозначно (ну, как по мне): сразу минусы, потом к плюсам: - многие уже писали в отзывах, местами интерфейс не самый удачный, хотя в основном эти неудачности во второстепенных местах находятся (типа указанного в других отзывах экрана исследований, которому бы очень не помешало дать возможность использовать зум, например) - странная оптимизация,где-то с середины игры начинает подтормаживать на ходе соперников, хотя казалось бы, что не с чего - невозможно отключить или ускорить анимацию передвижения юнитов по карте. Я во всех 4х и компании всегда это выключаю по возможности, чтоб не тратить время на просмотр одинаковой анимации передвижения, тут нельзя. Печалит. - никакой саундтрек. Просто дефолтные "космические" мелодии, которые сливаются воедино и надоедают ко второму часу игры, проще отключить эти 2-3 трека или сколько их там. Не припомню космостратегии с таким грустным звуком. - не самый низкий порог вхождения - несмотря на то, что в целом механики тут достаточно стандартные, некоторые моменты ты понимаешь не сразу, что может не лучшим образом отразиться на перфомансе. - сильная зависимость от выбора места под первый город, а генератор рандома иногда пихает в такие турлы, что хоть стой, хоть падай, хоть заново начинай (ну, представьте, что вас в условной циве закинуло в глубокую пустыню пополам с горами, где нет ни зелени, ничерта. Вот, сиди, грусти, учитывая, что горы застраивать нельзя, а убрать их можно только в предпоследнем тире исследований). - Некоторая пустота карты, в космосе так точно. Возможно, генератор не самый удачный, и в принципе это вроде бы даже ближе к реальному космосу, но игры на то и игры, что разрешают некоторый отход от того, как что-то "на самом деле". И играть, когда у тебя 10% карты с точками интереса и двумя хабами по 2-3 планеты в 4-5 клетках друг от друга, а вся остальная карта почти пустая с одним астероидом с полезными ресурсами на 20 клеток - такое. Плюсы: - Достаточно интересный подход к некоторым классическим механикам космосима, где у вас есть два уровня контроля (космос и планеты). Причём нельзя взять и просто застолбить планету, запретив там селиться кому-то ещё, неа, кто-нить обязательно прилетит и поселится там, где вы сами хотели. Или не хотели. - ИИ мониторит ситуацию вокруг себя и атакует вас первым, если вы много войск на границе с ним сконцентрировали. Хотел ровненько выстроить на границе арту, жахнуть и танками додавить то, что останется? А вот на тебе сразу Курскую Дугу вместо Барбароссы. Приятно удивило в первый раз после условных цивилизаций и иже с ними. В целом он тут пободрее, чем в среднем по больнице, но иногда опять же упирается в рандом карты, и вполне реальна ситуация, где ввиду экономической обоснованности ИИ не построит космопорт и будет пердеть в одном поселении, когда все остальные гоняют по карте и осваивают другие планеты. Мне скорее зашла, но хотелось бы полировки некоторых моментов, в чём я сомневаюсь, смотри на дату выпуска. По скидосу точно брать можно, за фулл прайс - на свой страх и риск.

Developed by Grey Wolf Entertainment, Pax Nova is a sci-fi 4X strategy game that sets its sights high. With elements of Civilization, Endless Space, and Alpha Centauri, it promises vast interstellar empires, deep tech trees, diplomacy, and tactical warfare across both planets and space. While it delivers a strong framework and a few standout features, it ultimately feels more like a promising prototype than a polished galactic epic. Set in a distant future where humanity and alien races are rebuilding from a collapsed age of conflict, Pax Nova lets players choose from various factions, each with unique traits, backstories, and visual styles. You can also create your own faction from scratch—choosing ideologies, perks, and penalties, which is a definite highlight for replayability. The galaxy is populated with mysterious anomalies, ancient relics, and diplomatic opportunities, creating an engaging setting. The lore isn’t deeply developed through storytelling, but the atmosphere and flavor text do just enough to immerse you. The core gameplay loop follows the familiar 4X model: Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. You begin by founding a colony on a planet and gradually expand both terrestrially and into space. Each game is a mix of planetary colonization and interstellar conquest, which gives Pax Nova a dual-layered map system not often seen in the genre. Colonies function much like Civ-style cities—you build districts, harvest resources, research technologies, and manage citizens. But things can feel undercooked. City management lacks the depth and variety seen in other 4X games, and balancing production and growth can feel more like micromanagement than strategic planning. Combat is turn-based and occurs both on planetary surfaces and in space. While the tactical layer shows potential, it lacks the satisfying crunch of other games like Endless Legend or Age of Wonders: Planetfall. AI often behaves passively or nonsensically, leading to less-than-epic battles. The tech tree is vast and nonlinear, giving you plenty of strategic flexibility. You can focus on military, economy, or advanced alien tech paths. However, many upgrades feel more like stat buffs than game-changing innovations. Diplomacy is similarly ambitious but shallow. You can engage with other factions diplomatically—form alliances, declare war, sign treaties—but the system lacks nuance and personality. Leaders feel interchangeable, and interactions tend to become formulaic quickly. Pax Nova has a clean, stylized look that blends planetary detail with galactic scope. Ships and cities look cool in concept, but animations are stiff and UI elements can be clunky. It’s not an ugly game by any means, but it doesn’t dazzle either. Music is ambient and pleasant, but it loops often and doesn’t leave much of an impression. Sound effects are serviceable, though not particularly impactful. Pax Nova is a game with enormous ambition and plenty of ideas worth exploring. It blends space and ground gameplay in an intriguing way and offers a solid foundation for future development. However, it lacks the polish, depth, and AI sophistication that define the best in the genre. With some refinement, it could become a cult favorite among 4X fans—but as it stands, it’s a decent choice for genre enthusiasts looking for something new, but not a must-play. Pros: -Dual-layered exploration (space and planets) -Customizable factions with strategic variety -Vast tech tree with open-ended progression -Good replayability thanks to procedural generation Cons: -Shallow diplomacy and passive AI -Underwhelming combat mechanics -Lacks polish in UI and visuals -City management can feel tedious and limited Pax Nova reaches for the stars but falls short of true greatness. It’s a solid indie 4X experience with strong ideas, but it needs more development to truly shine. Worth trying if you're hungry for new space strategy—but temper your expectations. Rating: 6/10

A quite undiscovered 4X I have had in my library for quite some time. I just installed it and added up the new dlc:s and my first impressions are absolutely positive 👍 Graphics and music are very "pleasling"! As a relaxed "eyecandy gamer" it really matters if a game is beautiful. Game feels deep and complex but based on gameplay I would say "easy to get into". Very playable. A true next turn game 😁 What is interesting in this game is the two layers of battle where you both have the planet and space maps. It made me wishlist this game long before EA 💪 Another content, in it self not totally unique, is the elements of pollution and the alternatives to go for a more planet friendly route. For instance you can plant forests that both reduce pollution and provide defencive bonus in combat. A good amount of different resources, with varied accessibility and use 👍 its not DWU but it gives me more chewing challenges than some really vanilla "most sold" 4x on Steam. Overall one of the most beautiful 4x and complexitywise just up my alley. I have bought at least five 4x games on Steam way more complicated (at least from start) where learning curve and/or difficult level has made me giving up the effort to enjoy the game even some few hours. But this is well worth a try! If you are looking for a midrange where playability and graphic beauty is some some of the requirements on your wishlist 👍

It's a good game for people who like micromanagement. I have to say it's similar to Beyond Earth in some aspects, but I prefer Beyond Earth much more due to less micromanagement. Unfortunately, I have to change my review to negative. The game freezes while waiting for the end of a turn while the opponent is playing. This has happened twice. So, it's a demo where you can play about 200 turns before the game freezes. Until this is fixed, I can't recommend this game, which is a shame, because the idea itself is very good, but the execution isn't.

Ich weis nicht. Ich habe es nach Jahren mal wieder probieren wollen aber es scheint als wen das Spiel einfach irgendwie vergessen wurde. Es hat immer noch starke Gameplay bugs, Übersetzungsfehler und ist einfach unspielbar. Die KI agiert übelst aggressiv, Wen man nicht frühzeitig armeen baut ist man am bobes. Also ich glaube nicht das es weiterentwickelt wird.

Game breaking bug present since last patch (increasing cost of units at each load savewgame, as I try yo play whenever i have the time, this is game breaking) Refunded.