Recent reviews by Tiny Friend

So I'm going to assume that you've played CIV V in the past. Endless Legend's another 4x game like it, but in my opinion, it's so much better. And here's why:

1) I know this is the advantage of being in a fantasy setting as opposed to the "Real world" (You get what I mean, I know Civ 5 isn't historically accurate, but it tries to stay in the world of realism), but all the factions feel genuinly different and exciting from one another. Both in style and aesthetics, the difference between Wild Walkers and Ardent Mages is far, far greater than say The Netherlands and Japan.

2) I like the way that influence is a resource. I know it kinda takes the place of culture in that it's used for policies, but having to save up a resource that's more than just troops for wars and the like makes diplomacy far more meaningful, I find.

3) The way strategic and luxury resources are done. Instead of "This deposit has 8 iron", it says "This deposit has titanium", and just gives you 1 per turn. It let's you build things that require a lot of that resource even if you only have 1 source, just slower than other people who have more. It makes a lot more sense to me. the fact that each luxury item is different from one another and have different effects is a lot more interesting than just giving +Happiness, and the booster system means that having 5 dye deposits (I wish) is more useful than it is in civ, where you have to desperatly try and peddle it off or it's a huge waste.

4) This is a personal thing, but I like the fact that technology is seperated by era rather than previous tech. I find it a far nicer system to work with as it lets me get what I want when I want it, instead of having to research bloody sailing even though I'm completely land locked.

5) I know this is locked away in Tempest, but naval warfare is so bloody interesting now. With ocean based citadels and bloody weather effects that you have to wrstle with, I've never been happier to play on ocean-heavy maps. The ocean's not just an awkward land, it's its own living breathing world.

6) The living breathing world that is Auriga. The lore I'm uncovering from quests and gameplay is ridiculous, and it really brings the world to life. It makes me sympathise and despise each faction for their motives and executions, and I love it. Plus, I'm learning the more and more I play that this is Sci-Fi, not high fantasy. It's amazing.

7) Minor Factions are a far better method of doing barbarian encampments and city states. They're a great blend of the two, spawning enemy units like barbs, and giving meaningful bonuses like city states. Plus, your opponents can't just take them over and use them as a base of operations against you.

8) I know this is a controversial one, but I love winter. 1-30 turns where I'm surviving rather than thriving? I'm amazed with how much I love the double edged sword of dread and gratitude depending on whether or not I'm being invaded at the time

9) I love the region system. There's X regions, this is their shape and size, and there's one city for each. I think it makes placing cities a lot more important than in civ where you can fart them around all over the place, and I get a lot less worried about having my neighbours settle all over me (Like the bloody shoshone). Plus, I think it makes zooming out and gazing upon your empire more satisfying. They're something nice about having all those rough edges instead of clean hexagons. Losing a city means losing a huge chuck of territory, and taking a citygains a huge chunk. The wars I've been in have been far more exciting as a result.

10) Populations gets you citizens, like in Civ. I like just yelling at them to make more cabinets, sell more cabinets, or research new and exciting cabinets rather than making them work tiles. The fact that all the tiles get worked on automatically fits into this, as does the fact that your 20 population city is probably going to take up a hell of a lot more space than 1 tile. The fact that you can actually expand cities is something I love

11) The way wars are fought. it;s not just blankets of single units, but a few core armies with 6-8 units in each. It makes it a HECK of a lot quicker and cleaner, while still having a grand scale. The fact that you can hands on rather than auto is something that I like to do if the odds are against my favor, but I can think of a clever stretegy to turn the tide in my favour.

12) The hero system is something I like far more than the great person system. Instead of getting four bloody musicians I can't do anything with until the bloody modern era, you just get heros who you can use as spies, governers or generals, each able to be upgraded into whatever you want them to be or do. It's a super nice system I find, as I can just always get exactly the hero I need when I need them, which leads me nicely onto...

13) The marketplace system is one I like. "Oh I have no adamantium and noone will trade it with me!". Well little Billy, you don't just have to resort to war anymore, you can just buy some. At a high price so it shouldn't be your first option, but it's nice to always be able to get what you need. Plus you can play the stock market in case you want to play Offworld Trading Company while you play Endless Legend.It's a nice way to get extra troops and great people too.


tl;dr: It's a good game.

Get it.