Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords

Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords is the second entry in a great strategy game series developed by Stardock Corporation.

Plot

The second game takes place shortly after events of the original Galactic Civilizations’ add-on titled Altarian Prophecy. We play as a leader of a United Earth in the 23rd century, when a Drengin Empire slowly, but steadily conquers the galaxy. At one point, it accidentally discovers a true fate of Precursors, a race of “super beings” who lived in space in ancient times. As a result of this discovery, Precursors become known as Dread Lords and are now the biggest threat to all civilizations. Drengin Empire and its allies challenge Dread Lords, while humanity must unite and get ready to face whoever wins the war.

Game mechanics

Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords uses the same formula as the first Galactic Civilizations, being a turn-based strategy game from the 4X subgenre. We manage finances, researches and cultural development, while also interacting with other factions, be it through peaceful diplomacy or war. It features a world as big as in its predecessor; 10 civilizations fight for dominance over it, each different from others not only visually (like in the first game) but also in terms of unique features. What’s more, we can create our own civilizations and ships. Each of the latter has three kinds of weapons (beam weapons, mass drivers, missile weapons) and three defensive measures (shields, armors, point defense). As for science, there are over 200 technologies to research.

The biggest novelty comes with planets. Like in Galactic Civilizations, each of them is assigned a class (from 1 to 16), but unlike in the first game, it does correspond with their building space. This forces us to carefully plan development of every planet, wisely placing all buildings. Some places might also hide something, like ruins or natural resources, which can be useful to us as long as we build a specific structure.

Game modes

Like the first game, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords doesn’t offer any form of multiplayer experience. It focuses on a single player campaign which is quite non-linear. Even if we fail a mission, the story will continue in a new, alternative task.

Technical aspect

Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords uses a completely new engine, introducing three-dimensional visuals to the series. All models are in 3D now, and we can zoom in and out and choose from several viewpoints.

Last updated on June 22, 2018