You have to make hard choices as a commander. Depending on how you solve problems on each planet, the political climate on future climates will change. Even resource management is simple other than the standard food, production, knowledge, and energy units, there is only one resource, a material called cosmite, that is used for units and mods.Įach choice has future consequences, too. Buildings in your city unlock better units or provide more resources to build your army. Having good relationships with NPC factions is most useful for getting them to give you units or resources. All of the hallmarks of the genre are there – diplomacy, city building, resource management – but they are limited. Despite the fact that half of the technology tree is social policies, most of the game is based around supporting your military. It’s a good thing that the battles are fun and engaging, because they take up a large part of the game. Besides, the battles are easily the most fun parts of the game. For anyone with a decent grasp of the battle system, auto-combat is significantly worse.

For those that want to skip getting down in the trenches, there is an auto-combat option, but it is not recommended. As one might expect, this makes combat take much longer, but it is much more engaging than most other games. You then control your troops directly, making them throw grenades, fire lasers, and take cover when the enemy fires back. Whenever two armies clash, instead of watching the sprites damage each other in a scripted animation, the game takes the player into the battlefield itself, which changes based on the terrain that you fight in. It replaces much of the traditional 4X strategy with battlefield tactics. You don’t have to worry about troop movements, whether artillery is better against cities, or having to manufacture pikemen to guard against enemy cavalry. For one thing, it has less strategy than most. This game is not your average 4X strategy game.

Age wonders planetfall review ign