We will be placed in a random spot with a random home planet and get to work on our plan of galaxy domination, annihilation or peaceful expansion. The galaxy we play in is equally randomized (there is the option to play in our known solar system), creating a new playing field every single time we play. If that's too much, you can choose from existing creations or opt for a randomized pick to make things interesting. When starting a new game, you may face off against your own creations from previous games. The best part of the creation process is that everything you create is saved. Our race may be highly adaptable or not, reproduce faster or slower, and so on. On top of that, we also have to set philosophies, tendencies and traits that define our strengths and weaknesses. You can even create your own race and nation by mixing an extensive preset of assets until everything - from your banner to your leader - is to your liking.

There is no linear campaign or tutorial, and every game starts the same way: choosing or creating your faction. What's surprising is that it plays surprisingly well on a console with a controller in hand.īefore diving deeper into the actual port and how a strategy game on console can work without making too many sacrifices, let's break down what Stellaris is and how it plays.

Stellaris: Console Edition is a fully featured release, with some exceptions. If you have played Stellaris on the PC, that may not come as a surprise. The game features planet and fleet management, space exploration and combat, full diplomacy systems, and other traits that make every playthrough unique.

It belongs to the 4X genre (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) and combines the joys of deeply strategic gameplay systems with science fiction and space exploration. That alone makes ports of strategy or simulation titles to consoles an almost impossible task that only gets more strenuous as the game's complexity rises. The sometimes convoluted nature of the interfaces and navigation grids often required precise mouse movements and keyboard shortcuts to navigate successfully. For example, simulation and strategy games have never had a firm place on consoles, mostly due to a lack of input options. Some genres and platforms don't mix well.

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