Sins of a Solar Empire 2
- September 21, 2022
- Stardock Entertainment
- 14h median play time
Get on SteamBattle for galactic dominance in this real-time 4X strategy game with unrivaled scale! You’ll explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate through military force, diplomacy, trade, culture, influence, and other underhanded tactics.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Improves on the original in almost every way, with better graphics and performance.
- New mechanics like planet orbits and customizable capital ships add depth to gameplay.
- Quality of life improvements streamline fleet and planet management, making the game more accessible.
- AI-generated art feels cheap and lacks coherence, making it hard to identify tech upgrades.
- The game lacks a campaign mode at launch, with significant content locked behind a premium edition.
- AI behavior can be frustrating, often making poor decisions in battles and not effectively defending their territory.
- gameplay1,136 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Sins of a Solar Empire II" retains the core mechanics of its predecessor while introducing several new features and quality-of-life improvements. Players appreciate the enhanced graphics and streamlined gameplay, with notable additions like orbital mechanics and unique faction abilities that add depth and strategic variety. However, some critics feel the game remains too similar to the original, lacking significant innovation and occasionally suffering from repetitive gameplay loops.
“Factions have had their unique mechanics improved and made much more relevant.”
“The gameplay is familiar enough to allow an old player to jump in and feel at home, and streamlined enough for a new player to easily understand where they are, and what they need to do.”
“The new phase lanes shifting mechanic is interesting and genuinely makes players consider where they will place orbital structures.”
“The whole gameplay loop is order ships, conquer new planet in the line, order mines and/or defensive structures, order more ships, conquer... rinse and repeat, becoming extremely repetitive and tedious even at first playthrough.”
“Sure, the game runs better than the 'first' game, but the minor changes have done nothing to truly add to the gameplay.”
“Gameplay mechanics and strategies are still pretty much the same (hold your ground until you amass a gigantic fleet and go conquer the galaxy), AI behavior pretty much untouched as well (super dumb on easy/medium and cheaty on hard and above), tech tree is still a mess for new players and monotonous for advanced players (you'll almost always follow the same tech path with slight changes here and there).”
- graphics962 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Sins of a Solar Empire II" have received widespread acclaim for their significant improvements over the original game, showcasing stunning visuals, detailed ship models, and impressive space battle effects. However, many players have expressed frustration over the lack of customizable graphics settings, which limits their ability to adjust the visual experience to their preferences. While the overall aesthetic is praised, some critiques focus on the use of AI-generated artwork, which has been perceived as inconsistent and lacking the charm of traditional art styles.
“The visuals of the combat scenarios look amazing!”
“The graphics are phenomenal.”
“Gorgeous graphics, infinite strategies, and unique factions all come together in a beautiful symphony of endless hours of engaging entertainment!”
“However, if you already own Sins 1 and all DLC, you may be asking what did I pay for besides a graphics update?”
“They launched with almost no graphical options, and what options there were were shoved into a developer console with a million bizarre options nobody would ever touch.”
“The settings menu is barebones - there is no adjusting the aspect ratio, graphics settings, or even the resolution.”
- optimization316 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The optimization of "Sins of a Solar Empire II" has received widespread acclaim, with players noting its smooth performance across various hardware configurations, including older systems. The game effectively utilizes multi-core CPUs, allowing for large-scale battles without significant lag or crashes, even in late-game scenarios. While some users mention minor stuttering during zoomed-in views of massive battles, overall, the game is praised for its robust engine, improved graphics, and quality of life enhancements that streamline gameplay.
“The performance is stunning and the optimization is amazing.”
“Sins of Solar Empire II is a fantastic, well-optimized RTS that has a vast amount of depth in its tech trees, and some slight customization in its capital warships and star bases changing how you build and play.”
“The game is optimized, runs smoothly, and is said to be scalable with future tech.”
“However, there is stuttering and performance drops when zooming into larger battles.”
“Unfortunately this is still a half-baked product, lots of early access woes still annoy the player; from things like 'the game runs in fullscreen at desktop resolution and nothing else' to UX annoyances like not having a 'load game' option while in-game, to performance issues, sprinkled with the odd bug here and there.”
“While the core gameplay and engine performance are solid, the game is marred by incomplete features, repetitive music, and an AI that needs significant improvements.”
- story164 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being virtually non-existent, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a campaign or meaningful narrative elements. While some anticipate future DLCs that may introduce a storyline, the current focus on multiplayer skirmishes leaves the single-player experience feeling bland and soulless. Overall, players feel that the absence of a compelling story detracts significantly from the game's potential enjoyment and depth.
“If the game had a story that explained why the races are expanding into a wider universe, that would make the gameplay far more enjoyable.”
“'Times of War' campaign expansion: a full single-player story-driven campaign that relates the tragic story of the TEC, Vasari, and Advent.”
“I'm really excited for a single-player story and more lore in this universe along with the eventual fourth race.”
“There is no story.”
“My greatest beef is that there is no campaign or storyline.”
“The game's story, if you can even call it that, is practically non-existent.”
- music120 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it feels repetitive and lacks the memorable quality of the original soundtrack from the first game. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and sound design, others express disappointment over the perceived downgrade in musical variety and emotional impact. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a step down, with calls for a toggle to access the original music and concerns about the absence of promised additional content at launch.
“First off, the visuals are excellent all across the board and the soundtrack is compelling and cinematic.”
“Absolutely beautiful music.”
“The game is absolutely beautiful, the soundtrack is just as high quality as the original, the new additions add depth that the original lacked.”
“The music, while initially fitting and atmospheric, quickly becomes repetitive due to the lack of variety or we turn into a pirate adventure mid-way through galaxy battles.”
“It feels like they ran out of budget for a soundtrack, because there is far less music in this game, and the music in it is of a much more generic style and quality compared to the incredible scores we got in the first.”
“The only thing I'm not a fan of is the music; it gets repetitive very quickly, at least if you're playing as the TEC, the human faction.”
- stability64 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 34 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report that it runs smoothly and looks great, there are notable issues such as crashes, freezes, and various bugs, particularly related to pirate interactions and ship commands. Some users experienced no problems at all, praising its polished launch and performance even during large battles, while others encountered significant stability issues that detracted from their experience. Despite these concerns, the game is generally seen as a solid upgrade over its predecessor, with hopes for future patches to address the existing bugs.
“Polished and bug free during launch.”
“The game runs great and looks amazing, and has no problem simulating war on a large scale.”
“It looks gorgeous, it runs great, the changes made feel good, the UI is more clear, it even has a built-in mod browser, which is incredibly promising.”
“But of course there are some downsides such as formation jump glitches that can permanently block capital ships into a gravity well unless you keep an eye on them, infinite alignment loops, ships that keep 'remembering' previous commands and ignoring current jump orders, the lack of a toggle to disable auto wreck looting, bugged pirate spawn rates... and what I mean by that is that pirates tend to spawn indefinitely with no cap.”
“I am plagued with freezes and crashes every around ever 15 minutes.”
“Buggy as hell with constant crashes.”
- grinding40 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious and repetitive, with many describing the gameplay loop as a monotonous cycle of ordering ships and conquering planets. While some appreciate the efforts to minimize micromanagement, the late-game pacing and the necessity for extensive grinding can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it feel like a time-consuming chore. Despite these criticisms, there are elements that some players enjoy, such as the graphics and automation features, which help alleviate some of the tedium.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Whole gameplay loop is order ships, conquer new planet in the line, order mines and/or defensive structures, order more ships, conquer... rinse and repeat, becoming extremely repetitive and tedious even at first playthrough.”
“It's a tedious process, and very annoying in game when you can't pause in multiplayer and you're struggling to try to figure things out while multitasking.”
“However, I don't like the hard cap on military units you can field as it makes late game extremely tedious as you need a massive force to attack as everyone is leveled up with good defenses.”
- replayability30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, with players appreciating the diverse factions, strategic options, and modding support that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some users noted the absence of a map editor and Steam achievements as missed opportunities, the game's flexibility and engaging mechanics contribute to its replay value. Many players report spending extensive hours replaying the game, highlighting its addictive nature and variety of setups.
“For its price, you get hours of replayability, which is sometimes an unfortunately rare commodity in today's gaming industry.”
“There are intentionally more good options than you can use, which makes for excellent replay value as you try them all if the six factions were not enough.”
“Sins II builds on the foundation of the original and creates an addicting RTS game that offers tons of replayability.”
“Furthermore, the absence of Steam achievements is a missed opportunity for rewarding players and encouraging replayability.”
“These changes and more have added a level of flexibility and customizability for the player that will dramatically increase the replayability of this game.”
“Modding support and a map editor ensure that this game has a high degree of replayability.”
- monetization28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 64 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players feeling it is a cynical cash grab that relies on nostalgia, while others appreciate the absence of microtransactions and DLCs, viewing it as a refreshing return to form. Despite criticisms regarding certain design choices that feel cheap, many still recommend the game for its solid gameplay and improvements over its predecessor. Overall, it stands out in a market often plagued by exploitative monetization practices.
“A full game with no issues or microtransactions, it's like I'm in the olden times.”
“In a world of marketing focus groups, microtransactions, and e-sports chasing, Soase2 steps away from the pack.”
“This is the exact baseline for how a sequel should launch: vast improvements with all the previous content available, at a reasonable price.”
“It's a cash grab on the nostalgia of the original at this point.”
“The fact that it was not feels very cynical, uninspired, and cash grabby.”
“It's clear that this was a cash grab rather than a true successor.”
- humor14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by quirky voiceovers, including a voice actor's lisp that adds an unexpected comedic element, and repetitive puns that can become tiresome. Players find amusement in the game's serious tone juxtaposed with its absurdities, such as the lack of graphics options and the default unbound controls, which contribute to a lighthearted multiplayer experience. Overall, while some aspects of the humor are appreciated, others may not resonate with all players.
“My fault, still laughing about the voices in this game... are you serious about your seriousness level.”
“The voiceover actor for the TEC has a lisp in some of the announcements that is a bit hilarious, as he nails the pronunciation in other announcements using the same word.”
“"Can be easily re-bound" is funny considering the vast majority of functions are unbound by default.”
“While I appreciate the pun about debris, it loses its charm when the capital ship repeats it every single time.”
“While I appreciate the pun about debris, it loses its charm when the capital ship repeats it every single time.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its detailed visuals, including ships, structures, and planetary environments, which enhance the overall experience. While the music initially contributes to the immersive atmosphere, it becomes repetitive over time, detracting from the experience. Overall, the artwork significantly enriches the game's ambiance, despite some concerns about audio variety.
“Expands on Sins 1 beautifully down to each small detail from each ship and structure to the planets and atmosphere itself... not only visually, but the UI has been greatly improved, tech tree better fleshed out with many QoL improvements!”
“The artwork is great and really adds to the atmosphere of the game in general.”
“The music, while initially fitting and atmospheric, quickly becomes repetitive due to the lack of variety.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by users who appreciate the developers' efforts to refine and enhance the original experience, suggesting a deep connection to the nostalgia of the first game while also addressing past shortcomings. This thoughtful approach resonates with players, evoking a sense of appreciation and emotional investment in the game's evolution.
