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It’s a bit of a misnomer to call Gladius a true 4X grand strategy experience, as it’s so combat-focused and streamlined compared to Civilization that it comes across more like a turn-based version of a classic RTS that just resembles Firaxis’ title structurally. For all the wide variety of Warhammer licensed games, grand strategy has been the least explored, despite the massive potential, meaning that Gladius – Relics of War gets extra kudos for being the first and most prominent. Where oh where are the Warhammer 40K grand strategy games? Clearly lost in the Warp. Warhammer 40000: Gladius – Relics of War Warhammer 40000 Master of the Arcane definitely fills that smaller-scale indie grand strategy niche with a great interpretation and implementation of fantasy-inspired systems.ħ. Warlock’s UI doesn’t do the game any favors and might make it somewhat harder for new players to get into, but it has little effect on the clever gameplay and design choices. In addition, Warlock is one of the few grand strategy games that includes multiple maps representing different worlds that players can hop to and tame for their own benefit, letting players essentially play a kind of three dimensional chess. The fantasy setting provides a lot of room for experimentation and clever twists on familiar mechanics, for example technology research is replaced with spell research and the ability to cast various spells on the strategic map, on top of commanding armies of fantasy creatures and troops. But Warlock does more than just parade as a fantasy reskin of its counterpart. Warlock: Master of the Arcane Warlock: Master of the Arcaneįrom mysteries of the far future to magical planes of existence, Warlock: Master of the Arcane is the quintessential fantasy cousin of the Civilization series. For that planetary exploration fix and struggling against the unknown, look no further than Alpha Centauri.Ĩ. In Civilization, except in a few circumstances, the developers treat the Earth simply as a platform to be exploited for resources and victory with only minimal consequence and development, yet in Alpha Centauri the planet and the environment will actively respond as if it’s an extra player forcing players to stay sharp.Īlpha Centauri is quite a dated game at this point with clunky controls and UI, but the gameplay is still oh so compelling. If you’re already familiar with Civilization then you will feel right at home with Alpha Centauri as it acts as a kind of loose sequel to Civilization’s narrative and many of the mechanics and sensibilities come straight from the designers of that series.Īlpha Centauri’s biggest contribution and area of differentiation is the active involvement of the environment in player decision-making. Publisher: Electronic Arts, Aspyr Media, Loki Softwareįor something funkier and futuristic while still retaining the same planetary scale of Civilization’s gameplay, Firaxis’ own sci-fi 4X game Alpha Centauri will definitely scratch that itch. Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauriĭeveloper: Firaxis Games, Westlake Interactive Oriental Empires is also worth checking out as it’s one of the few strategy games that steps away from the more commonly modeled Chinese Three Kingdoms period and instead looks at East Asian history more broadly.ĩ. The lack of a budget does hamper Oriental Empires’ UI and combat and can make the experience more frustrating than it needs to be, but luckily the game as a whole works and still retains the familiar dynamic and rhythm found in Civilization. Specifically, the construction, unit recruitment, and hands-off army command systems give players additional meaningful ways of interacting with their cities and armed forces. Of course the choice of history and region does most of the heavy lifting in setting the game apart from Civilization, but there are a number of mechanics that are worth checking out. Oriental Empires does just that by setting the action squarely in East Asia, covering 3000 years of history starting in the Bronze Age and going all the way up to the Late Middle Ages.
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Sometimes all you need is an underrepresented setting and some creative systems to differentiate your game from the classic.