Endless Legend Review

Designing multiple complexities in games is a significant risk because the more intricacies there are, the harder they become to handle for users and the more challenging they are to balance for programmers.

As a grand-scale strategy title in the 4X conquest genre, Endless Legend matches its management design, chess-like combat, and role-playing game (RPG) elements beautifully. Each layer links seamlessly with the next in a gorgeously smoothed-out tabletop art style, with diversity as the clincher to a truly unique experience.

On a hex grid of sparkling plains, icy fields, and jagged mountains, several factions fight for their own ideals on the tumultuous planet of Auriga, filled with life and mystery. Monster lairs may spring up from the slick expanses and spawn wandering foes. Winter can engulf the world in a slow veil of snow.

There's a sense of minimalism that makes it feel like a giant board game, while fluid animations bring this charming environment to life. Sweeping orchestrated pieces further an undulating atmosphere that carries this game forward effortlessly, turn after turn. An empire will need to grow to reach total domination.

Cities need to be built to claim one of the map's segmented regions, luxuries have to be collected, and smaller tribes can be assimilated into the cause; anything in range is game. Each faction is completely unique in its play style. The Cultists, for instance, govern their domain from a single central city.

Not being able to expand leads to an entirely different approach and will require another view on research priorities. City management stands and falls on the fine balance between industrial production, renewing technologies, and the ability to leverage costs. In contrast, Broken Lords only require Dust, the world's currency.

They relinquish all food and live only through coins for boosts, making their armies and cities a lot more expensive. That, again, forces another perspective into play. There are a few similarities in nations, making each playthrough a whole different game.

Cultists provide a unique challenge of fitting everything within one city.

Additionally, an empire can utilize its influence to enhance its scientific capabilities, reduce construction costs, or strengthen its military forces. In turn, units can be fitted with new equipment for their own special abilities, while generals even get a leveling system that can focus on either conquest or city order.

Luxuries can temporarily infuse the nation with incentives. Resources found around the land can be used to craft stronger gear. Tribes provide their own specific mercenaries that can be recruited. There's even a marketplace where supply and demand can provide shortcuts for most of these auxiliary items, for those who can handle the cost.

In the latter example, there's even the possibility of branching out into other factions, as heroes from all over Auriga can provide their skills for the proper payment. That's a ton of RPG flair already, but Endless Legend has even more in store. Random discoveries in mysterious ruins can open up new quests of their own.

Monsters can plague the nearby fields, ancient artifacts need exploring, or some objectives call for distinct groups of heroes to come calling. If management becomes too tedious, there is always adventure to be had on the borders of the empire.

Of course, no banner can survive without some diplomatic prowess. Here, the standout feature is that the screen offers exceptional clarity in 4X titles. Factions barter with their built-up influence as coin. Adding more demands will show up on a balanced bar to know exactly if a lord is likely to accept a deal.

Hardship in negotiations doesn't come from obscurity. Instead, running a solid camp to provide the proper clout is its own natural challenge, and opening new channels is a rarity that is often provided by excellence in research.

Info can be a beautiful thing. Endless Legend's diplomacy is a breeze.

Should all else fail, there's always a surefire way to decide which nation is better. Combat takes place on a sectioned part of the same hex grid, where squads engage in turn-based combat.

This comes in different phases. First, units need to be set up, then orders need to be issued for either offensive, defensive, or supportive actions. After that, the battle ensues automatically. This creates a tactical layer, where moves have to be thought out ahead of time, anticipating enemy counters, to ensure the costly armies stay standing.

There's no shortage of options here either, even though Empire soldiers are extremely limited. With the proper hero at the helm, tribesmen with alternate attacks and a good balance between support and assault, there's a ton of customization possible. Characters can have traits to make them deadly against infantry.

At the same time, backlines can cripple the stats of opponents, or agile warriors can overcome mountains quickly to catch up with the enemy's ranged support. Some even unleash blasts that carry over to other foes, while the most foolhardy dive headfirst into a pack and strike all around them.

Here, however, it's important to stay alert to the opposing side's skills as well. Tooltips provide info on a unit's capability, but they're not in immediate sight, which can lead to a few sticky situations.

If Endless Legend has one problem, it's that the barrage of multi-layered content can never provide enough clarity on the fly, everywhere, and at all times, as valiantly as it tries. Luckily, this is just a slight blip in comparison to how intuitive the game's many aspects are: management, growth, and combat. It only means that beginnings may hold more losses. Battles are won in blood, after all.

Be sure to bolster armies with different troops.

Not even a rare glitch here or there can ruin the play, as load times between turns are minimal, even on the largest maps. A frequently saved game should wipe away anything that goes wrong in a flash. The world's sleek finish also ensures that the game can be played in higher detail on even more moderate setups, while scaling down doesn't look like a giant loss. Multiplayer allows for either just friends or anyone to join in and experience this elaborate adventure together.

There is a mountain of excellence in Endless Legend. From its alluring tabletop universe to its synergy of many different aspects, it's a pinnacle in game design. Unique empire choices, deep and intuitive management, tactical and effortless combat, and diversifying RPG content; there is enough here to last ages, and it all runs wonderfully. What a truly beautiful world it is to get lost in.