Supernova 2: Spacewar Demo

Games like Galactic Civilizations and Masters of Orion popularized the 4X strategy genre and they certainly managed to remain relevant to this day, given the fact that there are still plenty of games released under the same umbrella. However, most of these games to do not seem pay attention to what made the classics so great, because they end up being very repetitive and boring, with nothing to keep you excited for longer periods of time.

Supernova 2: Spacewar is a 4X strategy game set in space, which allows you to nurture a civilization as it tries to take over the galaxy, by eliminating the other faction and controlling the resources. Right from the bat, the fact that there are only two factions is severely disappointing, because a lot of fun is removed from the formula if there are only two civilizations to choose from.

Things get worse, however, because you soon find out that there’s actually only one faction to talk about, given the fact that the two civilizations are identical in everything but the color of their clothes. Hence, technology, units and everything else is the same, which makes the entire choice thingie pointless to begin with. If you can get past these flaws, there’s nothing good waiting for you anyway, because the gameplay is just as dull and uninteresting.

The interface is almost entirely text-based, with the occasional picture when it comes to the ships you can build. The population, your ratings, and various other data is displayed in the form of simple text, with no artwork or 3D models whatsoever, which might make it difficult to get into the proper atmosphere. Thankfully, the ship design part and the battles are have a visual component as well, which is a welcomed sight, even if they look quite awful.

You can research new technology to advance your civilization, but most of it is military-related, which makes the matches very linear. Since you can only destroy the other faction in order to win, given the fact that there are no diplomatic or religious options, every scenario is very liable to play out the same, especially after you find a winning strategy.

Overall, Supernova 2: Spacewar could have used a lot more polish and imagination, because nothing about it is original, nor enjoyable in the slightest. The mechanics are stiff and repetitive, the matches are linear and there is no variety to speak of. Hence, unless you truly are a huge 4X fan with nothing better to do, the game is not a very good choice for anyone else.