14 DAY TRIAL // Sins of a Solar Empire was first launched in early 2008, and it’s a testament to the solidity of its core mechanics and the quality of its engine that the game is still being played by a solid if dwindling community and is still getting new content more than six years later.
The title from Ironclad Games encourages players to try out the six factions, and there are plenty of maps, ranging from small to large, shipped with the title, which means that the game offers excellent replayability and can be enjoyed for tens of hours.
The structure of Sins of a Solar Empire also means that a match, especially when a lot of sides are involved, can last for hours, with a complex back and forth before a breakthrough takes place and one faction manages to become the victor.
But I love the smaller sessions, which allow a player to focus on smaller battles, the ones that tend to take place in the early game, with just one Capital ship involved and a number of escorts.
As a match of Sins of a Solar Empire starts, gamers need to explore as fast as possible and decide which worlds they want to settle first, and the initial focus tends to be on those that have the smallest garrison.
After the first land grab is over, factions tend to meet for the first time and some natural alliances and rivalries tend to develop, which leads to bigger fights and higher stakes.
I tend to play defensively during this stage of the game, building up my economy in order to sustain a surge of military activity at a later date, and that means I often see enemy fleets trying to breach my defenses and lay waste to at least one of my major production centers.
Because the number of ships involved in these engagements is limited, it’s easy to focus on how to best use an ability in order to effectively cripple the enemy assault and how to focus fleet fire on the weakest elements of their forces.
The slower pace also offers a great occasion to just zoom in and look at the ships as they fly around and fire, engaged in a beautiful and deadly dance that is worthy of a space opera and shows that Ironclad Games has done a great job keeping Sins of a Solar Empire looking great since it was first launched.