Endless Space

About

Endless Space is a turn-based 4X strategy game set in space. Players choose one of several unique civilizations, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and victory conditions. Explore the galaxy, build and upgrade your empire, research new technologies, and engage in tactical space combat in this expansive and engaging game. With deep customization options and a variety of ways to win, Endless Space offers nearly limitless replayability.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,208 reviews

gameplay191 positive mentions

grinding56 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a variety of factions and unique playstyles.
Beautiful graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the experience.
Customizable ships and a detailed tech tree provide depth and replayability.

gameplay
661 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay of Endless Space is characterized by its blend of familiar 4X mechanics and unique features, appealing to both newcomers and veterans of the genre. While the game offers a rich strategic experience with customizable factions and a detailed tech tree, many players find the combat mechanics overly simplistic and the tutorial insufficient, leading to a steep learning curve. Overall, the game provides engaging gameplay with a mix of depth and accessibility, though some aspects may feel repetitive or lacking in complexity compared to other titles in the genre.
- “The strategic depth and complexity of managing an entire spacefaring civilization provide countless hours of engaging gameplay.”
- “The customizable factions and varied gameplay mechanics offer diverse strategies and replayability.”
- “It's simple compared to Endless Space 2 or Endless Legend, yet it has the very satisfying gameplay loop the Endless series started with and it is as good in 2023 as it was on the release day.”
- “Overly complicated, but ultimately shallow space 4X with confusing combat mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is simplistic and straightforward.”
- “The combat mechanics are disappointing as well.”
graphics
413 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
36%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful visuals, particularly in space battles and planet designs, while others criticize the overall aesthetic as simplistic or outdated. Players appreciate the clean user interface and the immersive atmosphere created by the graphics and soundtrack, although some note that the visuals can feel repetitive or lack depth in certain areas. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing for its genre, especially given its age, but there are calls for more variety and polish in certain graphical elements.
- “With its stunning visuals, immersive soundtrack, and deep lore, the game creates a sense of wonder and exploration.”
- “The graphics are great for a strategy game; the interface is slick and modern, and it runs perfectly on modern PCs.”
- “Beautiful graphics, amazing, deep music, interesting races.”
- “The graphics are rubbish and unimaginative; the icons are oversimplified color blobs that mean nothing, the research is gibberish that makes no logical sense, and basically, I just shift-clicked on all the low-cost research.”
- “The graphics are outdated, the gameplay is hard to comprehend, and is counterintuitive, and the tutorial is seriously lacking.”
- “The graphics were boring; just looking at those planets and ships flying around wasn't interesting. There was nothing beautiful or surprising; it was just... boring.”
music
253 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
29%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, with many reviewers highlighting its relaxing and ambient electronic style that enhances the overall gameplay experience. While some tracks are noted as particularly memorable, others feel repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic and emotional depth.
- “The music is probably the best thing about Endless Space.”
- “With its stunning visuals, immersive soundtrack, and deep lore, the game creates a sense of wonder and exploration.”
- “The soundtrack is beautifully sublime as well, consisting of slow-paced electronic music with middle-eastern instruments mixed in, all composed by Flybyno.”
- “The music in this game is nothing to write home about; it's very spacey.”
- “The combat camera might be tricky at some points, and the soundtrack might seem to loop the same three songs all over, which might get on your nerves at some point in the game.”
- “The music loops, and within the first 30 minutes, I turned the sound to mute.”
story
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The story aspect of "Endless Space" is largely minimal, with no traditional campaign or linear narrative; instead, players create their own stories through gameplay interactions and random events. While each faction has a unique backstory and lore, many reviewers feel that the game lacks depth in storytelling, leading to a repetitive experience over time. Overall, the game is appreciated for its atmospheric elements and the potential for emergent storytelling, but it would benefit from more structured narrative content to enhance immersion.
- “While there is no real story mode in the game, each campaign somehow tells its own story thanks to a series of random events that happen as the game progresses.”
- “The plot is quite absent, but Endless Space does offer unique lore to each of the civilizations. This lore is delivered through a little cinematic that sets the right mood and mindset for understanding that species' backstory and playstyle.”
- “The art, story, and music all make you feel like you're in the middle of something big, and the choices you must make keep the game compelling.”
- “The complete lack of a campaign, the lack of a meaningful story, the fact you have no reason to get into the game just killed it for me.”
- “While there isn't a whole lot of story on its own, which may disappoint some, it makes a great template of a game if you enjoy creating your own story about your empire.”
- “The story felt too shallow, the worlds too impersonal, and the interactions with the AI too simple.”
replayability
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The reviews for "replayability" in this game present a mixed picture. While many players appreciate the customizable factions, diverse gameplay mechanics, and extensive tech trees that contribute to high replay value, others criticize the game for its limited replayability due to a lack of significant differences between races and repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game offers a range of experiences that can lead to enjoyable replayability, but it may not satisfy those seeking deep strategic variety found in other 4X titles.
- “The customizable factions and varied gameplay mechanics offer diverse strategies and replayability.”
- “With a diversity of factions, random events, and ever-increasing polish through developer improvements/patches, this game will provide plenty of replayability.”
- “Add all of this to a wealth of options when setting up a new game, and Endless Space allows for literally 'endless' replayability for hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of deep strategic gameplay.”
- “Strictly speaking, this doesn't qualify for thumbs up or thumbs down, but as it's a 4X game that completely lacks replay value and mechanics, I'm going to go with a thumbs down.”
- “And finally, the only replayability I found is that I just wanted to win a game; the differences in maps and races are hardly noticeable, barring the one race that can't be at peace. Their AI behavior is hardly differentiated.”
- “I enjoyed it at first and got sucked in pretty good, but this game has almost no replay value.”
grinding
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where managing large empires and engaging in combat can feel like busywork. Many reviews highlight the cumbersome UI and lack of strategic depth, leading to a monotonous experience that detracts from enjoyment. While some players suggest that playing with friends can alleviate the tedium, the consensus is that the game suffers from classic 4X genre pitfalls, making it hard to recommend for those averse to grinding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is full of tedious tasks and busywork, and dealing with a UI that could have been more ergonomic.”
- “It's so hard and tedious to get started that I simply can't recommend this game.”
- “The basic complaint that I have is that Endless Space gets tedious late in the game.”
stability
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
The stability of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, crashes, and glitches that severely impact gameplay. Many players describe the game as "buggy" and "unplayable," particularly in multiplayer modes, while others note frustrating issues like freezing and unresponsive AI. Although some users mention improvements over time, the consensus is that the game still suffers from critical stability problems that detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “I found out it's a strategy game, which happens to be one of my favorite genres, and it runs great on my toaster of a PC.”
- “It runs great on lower-end computers, so if Stellaris scares you off because of the system specs and MOO is still too expensive, get this game.”
- “It's stable and not buggy.”
- “I wasted so much time in this buggy and broken 4X.”
- “It's a buggy mess.”
- “The game glitches and has to be restarted every couple of hours.”
atmosphere
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
21%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring fantastic music, solid design, and a visually appealing presentation that enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the game's unique, relaxed, and story-driven environment, likening it to classics in the genre while noting that it successfully creates a rich, atmospheric backdrop for strategic gameplay. However, some reviews mention that bugs can detract from the otherwise enjoyable ambiance, and there are calls for more engaging elements to further enhance the atmosphere.
- “Chill, extremely atmospheric, solid design, fantastic presentation (art, UI, music, sound).”
- “The music is wonderful, helping to create an incredibly immersive atmosphere, and some of its tracks can still be found today in many fan-made sci-fi/4x music packs for various games.”
- “Very polished and highly atmospheric '4x' space game.”
- “They seem actually intrinsically incoherent and, at least for me, utterly ruin the atmosphere.”
- “There is basically nothing besides the respective faction intro to evoke some atmosphere in the game.”
- “The atmosphere of the game changes every time you play because you can customize your own faction and no two universes are ever the same, making for some intense fights for domination.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
10%
The humor in the game is described as quirky and often hilarious, with moments that provide a light-hearted contrast to its complex mechanics. While some players find the AI's responses and the game's backstory amusing, others criticize the humor for being inconsistent or overshadowed by gameplay frustrations. Overall, the game offers a mix of clever sci-fi references and comedic elements, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate its unique sense of humor.
- “The humor is quirky and funny, without trying too hard.”
- “This game can be quite hilarious at times.”
- “Furthermore, the humor in some texts, or the way the AI replies to your offers, is just great.”
- “You end up doing the same two things until the middle of the game - building and researching - but it's not funny at all.”
- “The jokes feel forced and fall flat, making the humor feel more like a chore than a source of enjoyment.”
- “I expected some clever wit, but instead, the humor is stale and lacks any real punch.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on older PCs and offers a stable experience with minimal graphics, some users report performance issues and memory leaks, particularly on updated Macs. The game features a customizable hero system and strategic options that enhance gameplay, but the lack of external performance benchmarks can be frustrating. Despite these concerns, many players appreciate the balance between visuals and performance, allowing for enjoyable fleet battles and high replayability.
- “Each weapon type on a ship can be optimized for a specific range.”
- “The game itself is pretty stable and runs smoothly even on the largest scenarios, thanks to its minimalist graphics and the system of movement I described above.”
- “Easy interface, intricate options to allow optimization in your strategies and a very lean resource-friendly engine.”
- “Not optimized won't run on updated Macs.”
- “-poorly optimized”
- “(---) performance problems and potential memory leaks”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling a personal investment in their successes and failures due to the ability to customize their ships and systems. However, the experience is marred by significant bugs in the DLC, leading to frustration and heartbreak when progress is lost. Overall, the game evokes deep feelings of attachment and nostalgia, reminiscent of classic titles.
- “The ability to personalize every part of your ships' systems and loadouts really adds a personal touch to your empire, and made me feel (rightly or wrongly) that any combat failures were my fault, that any overwhelming/surprising successes were my doing, and not some unfairness of the game.”
- “Very fun to play...but the Disharmony DLC is so buggy you can rarely finish a game without the game crashing and your save being unloadable. It’s heartbreaking when you are about to own all of a huge galaxy and then you lose it all.”
- “The first game since GalCiv2 that really made me feel like I was playing a sequel to MOO.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The monetization of the game has received negative feedback, with users expressing regret over their purchase due to perceived cheapness from the company, including reliance on ad-funded external hosting for community resources. Despite its nostalgic value and atmospheric enhancements, the monetization strategy detracts from the overall experience.
- “I hate it, and it still ranks as one of my biggest regrets in game purchases.”
- “The company is so cheap that they don't even host this wiki themselves; it's hosted on Wikia and funded by ads.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
While the game features visually appealing character and ship designs, reviewers suggest that character development is overshadowed by a stronger focus on empire development, which they find more rewarding.
- “Overall, this game is very visually appealing with interesting character designs and stunning ship designs.”
- “The character development is deep and engaging, allowing players to form meaningful connections with the characters.”
- “Each character has a unique backstory that unfolds beautifully throughout the game, making every interaction feel significant.”
- “Character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving me wanting more depth and complexity.”
- “The characters lack meaningful growth throughout the game, making it hard to connect with them.”
- “I was disappointed by the limited choices in character development, which made my decisions feel inconsequential.”