Stellaris Reviews
This ain't your grandfather's space strategy game. Stellaris opens up a whole new perspective on galactic conquest, and in doing so sets the bar for the genre for years to come.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This is a game for anyone who has already enjoyed the grand strategy genre or anyone who has always wanted to. There is a strong sense of accomplishment from starting an empire and guiding it along the path you choose, even if it eventually ends in failure. Stellaris is easy to comprehend and exciting to execute, which is a perfect combination for a genre notoriously difficult to break into.
It's good that, in a game about space, I've never felt limited, because there shouldn't be limits. While this almost feels like "Sim Universe" at times, the core difference is in something for which to strive and active threats beyond your own mishandling of resources and the occasional fire to put out. There's a whole universe out there, and I can't wait to play through Stellaris as many times as it takes to experience the whole thing.
Ultimately Paradox has created a brilliant and lasting experience in Stellaris; one that allows players to cultivate an empire that spans entire galaxies. It is both wonderful and appropriately grand.
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.
As many other videogames developed by Paradox, Stellaris speaks to a very small niche. Complex and uncompromising, it shows an impressive effort to bring the gameplay of a Grand Strategy Game into the space.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Stellaris is simply wonderful. If you enjoy grand strategy games then you'll love this. If you don't then this could be the one to change your mind. If you've been too intimidated to try the genre before now, then here's your ideal starting point.
Stellaris captures the craziness and fun of sci-fi in an engaging, infinitely replayable strategy game.
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.
The crown jewel however is that grandest of strategy… Paradox really do know how to craft an engaging and challenging yet natural narrative building engine
Stellaris, bringing the final frontier to your PC allowing you to build the galactic empire of your dreams
A major improvement in almost every facet of gameplay, made even better because it's free.
So how to go with recommending it? Were this a creation of any other developer or publisher, I'd have my concerns. But the truth is, once they get it all sorted, it's going to be a heck of a game. From the modular ship constructor system and the impressive (if automatic) fleet battles, to the ethical tensions between interstellar neighbours reminiscent of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, to the endless moddability that'll allow, no doubt, classic sci-fi reskins (the likes of Dune spring to mind), I can't wait for Stellaris to be the game it is so obviously going to be. For now, though, it's still struggling with escape velocity on its mission to the stars.
A blisteringly fun early game can be dampened somewhat by the bloated middle and late stages, but Stellaris is another example of Paradox Interactive showcasing that they are the kings of grand strategy, and is a game that every fan of the genre should have in their collection.
A sort of best-of compilation of gameplay mechanics from other Paradox games, Stellaris is one of the greatest strategies this studio has published so far. So, put on your space suit, rev up the thrusters and head into the stars - the galaxy is waiting for you!
A series of small tasks makes Stellaris easy to jump into, but hard to put down without completing that "one last thing"
_____________________________ Exploration and empire expansion are genuinely captivating.
Marrying Paradox's particular brand of real time grand strategy to the familiarity of space and 4X empire building has worked wonders, making this the most welcoming and accessible of their games that I've played. There's a few minor niggles, but it's compelling and it's easy to lose yourself in Stellaris for hours at a time, as you build your empire and explore both the galaxy and the stories that it can contain.
Stellaris captures the wonder of exploring space and colonizing the stars, but gets bogged down when the borders freeze and negotiations start. A solid foundation of things to come and an excellent entry-level grand strategy game, this will hopefully be a good start for a greater experience to come.
Stellaris combines watertight strategic gameplay with a wonderful sense of exploration to create a thrilling and engrossing spacefaring grand strategy title.