Stellar Monarch
- December 4, 2016
- Silver Lemur Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Stellar Monarch" is a single-player, turn-based 4X strategy game where you step into the role of the Emperor, focusing on grand strategic decisions rather than micromanagement. As the Emperor, you'll deal with court factions, imperial officials, and rebellions, while setting production quotas and priorities. The game promises unique mechanics, a lack of tedious micromanagement, and a relatively fast-paced experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game provides a unique and refreshing take on the 4X genre, allowing players to feel like an emperor making high-level decisions without the burden of micromanagement.
- The audience mechanic adds an interesting layer of strategy, requiring players to balance the loyalty and competence of their courtiers while responding to various events.
- The game has a strong 'one more turn' appeal, with engaging gameplay that encourages players to keep progressing through their empire-building efforts.
- The user interface and overall graphics are considered clunky and unattractive, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Many players find the game repetitive, with limited depth in gameplay mechanics and a lack of meaningful decisions as the game progresses.
- The absence of a proper tutorial and unclear mechanics can lead to confusion, making it difficult for new players to fully grasp the game's systems.
- gameplay48 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and tedious execution, leading to a repetitive experience that lacks depth. While the game offers interesting systems like audience mechanics and faction management, many players find the core gameplay loop unengaging and overly reliant on menu navigation. Despite its potential and unique features, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, making it a mixed bag for strategy enthusiasts.
“The game is single player only and that allows for asymmetrical gameplay in both races and goals.”
“Gameplay is pretty simple yet challenging on higher difficulty levels.”
“The gameplay is fun, and the music and artwork style fits it well.”
“Gameplay quickly devolves into pressing conquer orders on every enemy planet nearby.”
“Sadly, it suffers from flawed execution that results in tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating gameplay.”
“This part is barely worked out as your gameplay as an emperor has no depth; you will be clicking the same few meaningless event pop-ups.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as rudimentary and simplistic, with many reviewers noting that they are not state-of-the-art and may even be considered an eyesore. However, some appreciate the charming and atmospheric art style, which complements the gameplay rather than detracting from it. Overall, the focus is more on solid game mechanics and strategic depth than on visual fidelity, making it suitable for players who prioritize gameplay over graphics.
“The artwork and UI are good; oddly enough, in games like these, you don't expect a good UI or art.”
“The drawn graphics actually make the game more charming and immersive, unlike other titles that have opted for soulless 3D assets.”
“Art & graphics: simple but effective.”
“Graphically, it is a bit of an eyesore.”
“Graphics are laughable, but the interface is well done with plenty of tooltips and explanations.”
“Graphics are rudimentary.”
- story20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and originality, with players noting repetitive audience messages and a simplistic plot involving a cyclical invasion. Many reviewers express a desire for more diverse storylines and deeper narrative choices, as the current content feels limited and slow-paced. While some appreciate the event-driven elements that add a layer to the gameplay, overall, the storytelling is seen as underdeveloped and in need of significant expansion.
“Speaking of role playing, the game's storylines (which are event-driven) add an extra dimension to traditionally flat and lifeless pure strategy games.”
“A solid 4X game with some decent writing and story, and a well-executed design.”
“If you like sci-fi and strategy games with some storytelling, buy Stellaris.”
“After you read the audience messages the first time, you have experienced all of the content they have to offer, and every single audience after that (which happens every 12 clicks of 'end turn') you end up just replying to the story messages and ignoring what anybody else has to say since they just repeat the same choices every time.”
“The storyline is non-existent even though it should be there for the direction the developer was going in.”
“The diplomacy between races is non-existent and the story decisions that are made aren't very deep... rather feel to take ages for things to start to happen.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of tedious and repetitive tasks that can detract from the overall experience, despite some innovative mechanics. While players appreciate the simplification of certain systems, many find the gameplay becomes monotonous and frustrating, leading to low replay value. Overall, the game offers a fresh perspective on 4x titles but suffers from execution flaws that make it feel more like a chore than an engaging strategy experience.
“Sadly, it suffers from flawed execution that results in tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating gameplay.”
“The fleet system takes a game that promised to focus on high-level strategy and instead turns it into a meaningless series of tedious and monotonous low-level chores.”
“Worth the 10€ for the couple of hours of fun it provides, but not worth the full cost or the tens of hours of tedious unit moving it provides after the fun but confusing beginning.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it fitting and atmospheric, others criticize it for being repetitive and uninspired. A few users suggest that the soundtrack could benefit from more variety or classical influences, while others feel it simply serves its purpose without standing out.
“The gameplay is fun, and the music and artwork style fits it well.”
“Very nice atmosphere to the game, aided by nice background music.”
“Put the music, some Mahler, Dvorak, or the anime behind as fond music, and get ready to roll out hahaha.”
“The graphics, sound effects, and music get the job done, but that's about it.”
“Graphics suck, music sucks, gameplay sucks.”
“You are always playing the same stupid mix of Warhammer 40k God-Emperor and Palpatine; all the aliens in this galaxy are utter dicks, and this one annoying music track seems to repeat every five minutes.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers a unique take on the 4x genre, making it an interesting experience for fans, but its replayability is limited, with many players feeling that after one or two playthroughs, the content becomes repetitive. While ongoing updates may enhance the game over time, current feedback suggests that it lacks depth and customization options, leading to a lower overall replay value.
“An interesting passion project that rethinks the 4X genre and puts a unique spin on the concept. If you're a fan of 4X games and want to try something different, I would recommend it. It's still receiving updates, so it's a good investment. My biggest complaint would be that the ideas in this game sometimes feel like a skeleton, and if worked on, could add an enormous amount of replayability and customization. After a game or two, you’ve probably done everything you want to do and will just be stuck waiting until the next update.”
“Highly recommended for one or two playthroughs - probably no more, as replayability is somewhat limited.”
“Highly recommended for one or two playthroughs - probably no more as replayability is somewhat limited.”
“As a result of these tedious elements, you should expect the replay value to be low.”
“I enjoyed it, though it perhaps lacks a little in replayability.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization in the game is criticized for requiring players to accept significant drawbacks to their empire's performance when enabling ironman mode, which can lead to a frustrating experience. Additionally, the incompetence of political officers can negatively impact the effectiveness of admirals, further complicating gameplay.
“To even turn on Ironman mode, you have to accept a substantial injury to your empire's performance, or a substantial increase to the opposition it faces.”
“Note that political officers tend to not be so competent, so the performance of the admiral might fall.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by charming graphics and pleasant background music, creating an engaging environment that enhances the overall experience, despite not being cutting-edge.
“Very nice atmosphere to the game, aided by nice background music.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game lacks emotional engagement, with players feeling detached from the narrative and primarily focused on strategic elements like territory and resource management rather than any meaningful emotional connections or storylines.
