This is a laughably great game, especially for the $11 that I paid for it on sale. However, this is just my opinion, so please check my profile to get an idea of the kind of games I own. Also, there is a demo, which is highly recommended.

I usually don't do tutorials - not because I am smart - but because I often lack the patience to trudge through them. But I played the tutorial in this demo three times with no issues. This should convince most people if the game is for them or not.

It is sort of like a scaled-down Crusader Kings III in space. And is in some ways, more complex and sophisticated than Paradox's mega game. This game is so tool-tip friendly, I can hardly believe it. There is almost nothing in the UI that doesn't have a tool-tip explanation. And for a dullard like me, this is a great help.

As the game states up-front, this is not a paint-the-map, grand strategic combat sim, but is chock full of detail nonetheless. Being me, what I love the most about this game is the ability to call up a dev mode and play with the simulation. Almost anything goes here, and I would also recommend the DLC, as it allows one great freedom in creating a new game, plus other nice options.

Truth is that I'm an old man and a wargamer at heart, and a stingy one, no less. But because this game offers unlimited replayability, even a cheapo like me would consider paying full price.

Distant Worlds 2 is certainly a step up from this game (and has an awesome, in-game editor), but good luck picking that one up for less than $20. This game is more bare-bones - or should I say "streamlined" - with much less focus on combat than empire management. But it will run on a potato, takes up 1 gig or so, and I haven't run across any bugs myself.

I'm really impressed overall, and it's one of the better games this reviewer has picked up in quite a while.

Best wishes!

It's good - but it is definitely a stripped down Sci-fi version of CK2.

basically imagine if CK2 was abandoned right after release (even though there's still a DLC for basic features lol) and there was ~no modding support
it's bad