Endless Space 2 (PC) Preview

By Eric Ace 27.12.2016

Endless Space 2 is a long-awaited sequel to the original that was released in 2012 by Amplitude Studios. The first title had some very serious problems, which led to a massive amount of mixed reviews, but had some interesting ideas, such as using entire systems as a 'single production unit' to reduce micro-managing. The sequel, currently in Early Access state, has players taking the role of a leader of a fledging space empire and must guide them to victory in the stars.

Endless Space 2 is looking so much better than the first game was. Very much the same as a typical 4X title, players start with a single planet, and they must decide what to research, what to build, where to explore and what to do. On the surface, it seems similar to most 4X games, and superficially similar to the original game.

This is a much-needed overhaul. Endless Space descended into repetition very fast, and had a load of really annoying and bad issues, such as not being able to go through a system unless completely allied or completely at war.

Screenshot for Endless Space 2 on PC

This time around, each race is completely different, and a great feature Amplitude has added is a 'quest' system that follows specific stories about the races, such as tracking down ruins or putting down a rebellion; it is a cool way to increase immersion.

One thing that is notable about the series is that the entire planetary system is viewed as 'one unit,' so a building affects the whole system, and the production is from the entire planets. This has the effect of reducing the stuff to manage by one entire factor, and is a great step for larger empires.

The original title had what could be a good base of a game, but was largely lacking. Endless Space 2 goes to the extent the first game should have. From the quests, to increased decisions about little things that pop up, the choices and variety is much higher than the first game ever was. Overall, this is looking like a pretty good game for 4X fans to keep an eye on.

Screenshot for Endless Space 2 on PC

Final Thoughts

Fans of the first one will likely deeply enjoy what Endless Space 2 is shaping up to be. For those that did not like the original, this is still worth checking out, as many of the flaws have been addressed. At this point, there are still a lot of things missing, but what is out there is looking pretty good, and it is already much more fun in ways the first title never was.