Stellaris Reviews
A disappointingly flawed grand strategy game, which for every good idea seems to have another that works actively against it.
Stellaris is filled with good ideas, and it's not difficult to see the outline of a great space strategy game where those ideas could come together. But beyond the early game, it's only compelling in bits and pieces – it turns into a largely uneventful slog after that. Paradox has developed a reputation of major upgrades to their games for years after launch, and Stellaris is going to need all that love and more to reach its potential.
The game is meant to evoke that kind of wide-eyed wonder that the night sky holds, placing the player, at first, in an empty galaxy that holds such promise and excitement.
Stellaris is a game that begs you to explore but with erratic sector AI and trait conflicting win conditions it is a confusing and at times unexciting game to play.
Stellaris gives you the stars as your playground, proving that Paradox capably translates some of their strategy game prowess into space.
The early game promises an instant strategy classic, but Stellaris is unable to maintain that pace.
With the proper cultivation and growth, Stellaris can stand with the greats like Galactic Civilizations III or the upcoming Master of Orion reboot, but as it stands, it needs a little more love, whether that is from Paradox themselves or a dedicated fan-base, I do not know. One thing is for sure though, and that is that Stellaris is the planting of a seed that could grow into something spectacular.
Stellaris builds a foundation that will hopefully yield something wonderful within the next few years of patches and expansions. For now, this is a good game that I recommend for both the newcomer and the hardened veteran that probably already has this game.
Stellaris isn't astounding yet, but in time, it may just get there
While overall a good, captivating 4X/Grand Strategy hybrid, Stellaris does have sections that could benefit from improvement. Certainly there are flaws and things that could, and perhaps should, have been in the game. That’s why Stellaris isn’t a stellar (heh, heh) title right now, instead, being just a good 4x/grand strategy hybrid.
An accessible mix between Grand Strategy and 4X with a narrative-driven focus that, despite small annoyances, makes a great entry point to the world of strategy.
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Not for me, though. I sunk more than 24 hours of gameplay into my first week with Stellaris. An entire day! With more than 500 hours clocked on CKII, I'm clearly susceptible to this sort of thing – but the fact is, Paradox have done it again. Stellaris is already a deep, compelling and hugely atmospheric game of strategy on a galactic scale. It'll only get better as time goes on – and I'm thrilled to see where it'll go next.
Stellaris isn't perfect, but it can easily improve in its problematic areas. For the dozens of hours you'll sink into first establishing your empire, it's a fun experience even if it doesn't quite unseat the likes of Master of Orion or Civilization.
Stellaris is not a perfect game and there are aspects that Paradox could (and, judging by their track record, probably will) improve, including an unexciting range of technologies, a potentially plodding mid-game and timid enemy AI.
Stellaris is great. Maybe not Crusader Kings II great yet—give it a few expansions to fill out—but it's a compelling bit of player-directed science fiction. Freed from the chains of history Paradox has created something creative and bold and inspiring, something that illuminates just how vast and unknowable space is and how tiny our place in it.
All the galactic flavour and themes of a 4X space title, married to the mechanics of Paradox's recent grand strategy offerings. Stellaris has a space opera tale of gene manipulation, Federation politics, or colonial slavery for everyone.
Stellaris combines watertight strategic gameplay with a wonderful sense of exploration to create a thrilling and engrossing spacefaring grand strategy title.
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.
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.
_____________________________ Exploration and empire expansion are genuinely captivating.