Stellaris Reviews
Stellaris strikes the rare balance in the 4X space strategy genre of bringing enough new things to the table, while retaining what works from the past. An amazing amount of customisation in skills, traits, and abilities seamlessly flows into the background without ever bogging the game down. The single largest difference from others in the genre is a heavy focus of the early game and "eXploring," as you actually feel like you are leading a brave race into the empty space and the dangers there. All the subtle touches, decisions and excellent GUI make this a rare pleasure to play and an absolute recommendation to fans of the genre.
Calling Stellaris Europa Universalis in space is probably reductive, but it was the first thing I did in this review not because they are almost exactly alike, but because, when I put away my empires and get on with my day, the stories that have played out in these digital worlds embed themselves in my brain, and I so desperately want to tell people about them. Both games tickle the part of my brain that wants every battle to have some greater context, every move I make to be part of a larger narrative. Stellaris manages to do this without history to lean on, though, and does so with aplomb.