Shadow Empire
- June 4, 2020
- VR Designs
- 39h median play time
Ambitious in the extreme, Shadow Empire is a unique sci-fi wargame that's a little lost in its own details.
Get on Steam"Shadow Empire is a complex turn-based 4X wargame set in an alien universe, where you lead a small nation in reconquering a devastated planet. Manage budgets, commanders, and diplomacy, and make tough decisions in response to ever-changing challenges. This immersive game offers a unique and rich experience, with an emphasis on military strategy and role-playing features."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Shadow Empire offers rich and engaging gameplay with a unique blend of 4X and wargame mechanics, providing a deep and complex experience.
- The procedurally generated planets and detailed world-building create a unique experience in every playthrough, enhancing replayability.
- The game features a robust logistics system that requires careful planning and management, adding a layer of strategy that is often missing in other 4X games.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game's mechanics.
- There is a steep learning curve, and the lack of a proper tutorial can be overwhelming, requiring players to rely heavily on the manual and external guides.
- The AI does not follow the same rules as the player, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences where the AI can exploit mechanics that the player cannot.
- gameplay288 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Shadow Empire is characterized by its deep and intricate mechanics, offering a complex blend of turn-based strategy, military management, and economic simulation. While the game presents a steep learning curve and a challenging user interface, players who invest the time to understand its systems are rewarded with a rich and engaging experience reminiscent of classic titles like Alpha Centauri and Dwarf Fortress. Despite some criticisms regarding presentation and accessibility, the depth of gameplay and the variety of mechanics make it a standout choice for strategy enthusiasts.
“Rich and engaging gameplay with many layers is also a true labor of love as the developer keeps adding updates which improve the experience.”
“The combination of military strategy, economic management, and internal politics can and often does provide an engaging gameplay experience.”
“If you give this game your patience, it will reward you with gameplay you won't find anywhere else.”
“The learning curve is steep, the UI is clunky, but if you take the time to learn how to use the UI and mechanics of this extremely detailed and complex game, it is easily one of the best 4X strategy games ever produced.”
“Gameplay-wise, if I really have to try and give an idea, it is like a mix of Alpha Centauri, early Civ games with hints of Hearts of Iron and Victoria series plus you get some cards each turn to use for various effects.”
“The game is not easy, because of the sheer amount of mechanics, the depth of these systems, the AI, and the impact of the starting situation you will roll up in-game.”
- graphics201 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Shadow Empire" are widely criticized for being outdated and lacking polish, often described as reminiscent of 90s games with a simplistic and sometimes unappealing aesthetic. While some players find charm in the retro visuals, many agree that the graphics detract from the overall experience, particularly for those who prioritize visual quality. However, the game compensates for its graphical shortcomings with deep gameplay mechanics, and there are community mods available that can enhance the visual experience.
“The planet generation is just amazing and the map graphics do a fantastic job of presenting the huge variety in planets so each looks interesting and unique.”
“Don't let the graphics fool you, this is an amazingly in-depth strategy wargame.”
“The graphics are obviously not the triple-A million dollar budget type, but if you can ignore that, you'll find a highly detailed war-game that takes place on a post-apocalyptic event planet.”
“The graphics are not great; some mods help with that, but if you're looking for content, Shadow Empire delivers quite well.”
“The graphics are very basic, like a board game with chits; maybe that was the intent, but it makes it less engaging.”
“What is absolute garbage and needs to be reworked--the graphics are so bad, it's painful.”
- story56 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in Shadow Empire is a rich tapestry of emergent narratives, driven by a detailed backstory generator that creates unique civilizations and worlds with each playthrough. Set in a post-apocalyptic universe where a once-great galactic civilization has collapsed, players navigate through a blend of strategy, role-playing, and tactical warfare, crafting their own stories as they rebuild and conquer. While the game excels in generating diverse and engaging narratives, some players note that certain story modules can feel underdeveloped, yet the overall experience remains compelling and immersive.
“The storytelling is amazing; it really makes you feel connected to your growing, infant civilization trying to rebuild and reclaim the planet.”
“Every planet has a story; some endured long nuclear wars resulting in large, abandoned, irradiated ruins of mega-cities, while others faced plagues or cruel war-like regimes.”
“The plot of the game revolves around a peaceful utopian future being suddenly snuffed out by a horrible galactic conflict that takes the lives of billions across many worlds.”
“Although there are similar pitfalls: some story modules for Shadow Empire feel more like obstacles to what's actually enjoyable, and affect things that aren't as important as the severity of the choices makes them out to be.”
“The story modules are currently barebones.”
- replayability56 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, primarily due to its advanced procedural planet generation and diverse strategic options, which create unique experiences in each playthrough. While the complexity may deter some players, those who invest time in mastering the mechanics will find an endlessly engaging and rewarding gameplay experience. Overall, the combination of randomization and depth ensures that players can enjoy numerous distinct campaigns.
“The game has good replayability, and the way a planet is generated can massively affect how it plays.”
“Replayability in this game is almost infinite because of the number of planets or moons you can generate for your playthrough, each with its own detailed climate, geography, atmosphere, gravity, indigenous lifeforms, and other existing factions.”
“The events have no cooldown, not diminishing return, they just spam the same event again and again because the amount of events are a few dozens, repeating themselves in every campaign, hurting the replayability.”
“My time is limited and while I am sure there is a lot to reward a player that sticks with this game, fighting against a truly horrendous UI is not something I'm willing to do when there are so many other, far more playable games out there.”
“Despite its flaws, Shadow Empire's complexity and replay value make it a rewarding 4X war gaming experience for dedicated players.”
- atmosphere50 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is richly immersive and intricately tied to the unique characteristics of each procedurally generated planet, influencing gameplay elements such as resource management, combat, and unit design. Players encounter a diverse range of environments, from barren moons to lush jungles, each presenting distinct challenges and opportunities that enhance the overall experience. Despite some criticisms of the visuals, the game's depth and attention to atmospheric details create a captivating and replayable universe that keeps players engaged.
“Its perfect blend of economic management, military strategy, and immersive post-apocalyptic atmosphere sets a new standard.”
“This game oozes with atmosphere and begs for you to convince friends into doing an old-school multi-month campaign session.”
“Even the game's amateurish visuals have such a consistent charm to them that gives the game more atmosphere than it has any right to have.”
“The atmosphere is mainly sulphurous.”
“Then you realize the planet has no atmosphere and only rocket planes can fly.”
- music23 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its distinct sound and atmospheric qualities, particularly in the context of the game's setting and lore. However, others criticize it as generic or droning, with specific mentions of the menu music being particularly disliked. Overall, while the soundtrack has its charm and can enhance the experience, many players prefer to listen to their own music while playing.
“The game has a very distinct sound, music, and visual style that I find either legitimately good (main menu and cover art, the music, terrain art) or charmingly lo-fi (portraits and event screens).”
“The tone of the game as well as the music reminds me of the feeling I got back in the days when I was hooked on the old XCOM games (including Apocalypse).”
“Do not worry about what I wrote above, start the game, open the manual for the game in the next window, put on the headphones, close your eyes for a moment - and the cool space dark ambient music will stick you in the chair at the very beginning - now open your eyes, go to page 1 of the manual and immerse yourself in the dark world of the dystopian society of the future.”
“The 'music' is not music at all; it's droning.”
“The music is not good.”
“The music is basically a howling banshee on repeat.”
- grinding19 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant drawback, with players finding the early stages tedious and resource-intensive, particularly in combat scenarios. Many express frustration over the complex mechanics and clunky UI, which contribute to a sense of monotony and confusion, especially when managing multiple factions and logistics. While some appreciate the depth of the game, the overwhelming grind often detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a desire to abandon the game for more engaging experiences.
“It feels like the only time I get any fun out of this game is when it is too easy, and it starts getting easy about halfway through a game, so the entire first half is just god-awful grindy nonsense where combat doesn't make any sense, and engaging in it isn't even prudent because dislodging one militia unit from a minor faction from a hex can take a ridiculous amount of resources if you don't have an overwhelming advantage in technology.”
“Overpriced, poor graphics, clunky, awful UI, and extremely grindy.”
“But when there are 8 different major and minor factions attacking you at once, not to mention random squid creatures moving strategically to cut off every supply line you own, it goes from challenging to tedious.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players find the performance tolerable and even commend the complexity and depth, many others report significant issues, particularly with turn processing and general performance. Despite some improvements, serious optimization problems persist, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially in longer sessions.
“It is very complex and deep, and even nearly 400 hours in, I continue to learn new techniques and clues that will improve my performance.”
“So many possibilities that affect the way the world looks; the atmosphere affects not only the way you plant your crops but also the type and performance of any aircraft you develop.”
“The only con for me at the moment is the game has slight issues with turn processing on larger/longer games; it can take a few minutes per turn, but I am confident that will be optimized in time.”
“Optimization in this game does not exist.”
“The performance of this game is poor beyond belief.”
“The game is not optimized for anything higher than that.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as unintentional yet hilarious, with comparisons to a 90s grand strategy game taken to absurd levels. Players find amusement in the ability to customize aesthetics, such as replacing creepy default faces with funny anime ones, adding to the overall comedic experience. The enjoyment is heightened when watching others struggle with the game, reminiscent of past experiences with similar titles.
“The writing in the game is, probably unintentionally, hilarious.”
“Anything about the game can be changed aesthetically, so if you don't like the creepy default faces, you can replace them with funny anime faces.”
“One funny comparison I saw of this game was if you elevated a 90s grand strategy game to ridiculous depth, but left its UI in the dust.”
- stability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a mix of stability issues, including crashes, bugs, and graphical glitches, which detract from the experience. While the game is largely enjoyable and engaging, the user interface is clunky and there are notable textual errors. Despite these problems, many find the game compelling enough to overlook its stability shortcomings.
“Almost bug-free; this has to be the best, most frustrating game I have ever played.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to focus on strategy rather than technical issues.”
“Their top priorities are always to fix crashes, serious bugs, exploits, and graphical glitches.”
“Do you want to know why the latest redesign of your recon buggy seems, well, rather buggy?”
“Apart from its aesthetic shortcomings, it's also cumbersome, inelegant, and sometimes buggy.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a profound emotional experience while engaging with the game's intricate storytelling and detailed mechanics, which create a strong sense of immersion and connection to their civilization. The combination of strategic gameplay and the feeling of being a genuine leader, reliant on various characters, enhances the emotional depth, leading some to experience tears of joy during gameplay. Overall, the game successfully evokes a powerful emotional response through its rich narrative and complex systems.
“This was the first time I cried while playing this game because of the awesome immersion.”
“The fact they are generated by various bodies and characters within the government already made me feel like an actual head of government, dependent on my ministers rather than an omnipotent being - a big plus for me.”
“First thing you'll see is the planet generation, then the storytelling behind your civilization, then you're dropped into the map with all those UI items you can only slowly figure out... and as you play your first turns you'll then be hit by the detailed logistics, all the positional wargame elements that made me feel I was playing a sci-fi version of Panzer General (that I craved), and simultaneously a planetary and societal simulation, complete with a self-driven private economy, that kept the war (and the end thereof) in-context and meaningful.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for prioritizing profit over player experience, particularly through perceived cash grabs in its downloadable content (DLC).
“This could be a great game if the developer didn't go for the cash grab on the DLC.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
