Sword of the Stars Demo

Whenever movies or video games have to approach the subject of space travel, they always bring up almost the same explanation when it comes to giving a plausible explanation as to why are the humans capable of interacting with other advanced species around the galaxy. In short, it turns out that people happen to discover the technology required to travel faster than light exactly when it is the most convenient, which is always beneficial for the story.

Sword of the Stars is a turn-based strategy game set in space that allows you to experience the race for technology and the colonization of the galaxy, as the human race competes against three other races in order to survive the harsh realities of space. Naturally, a lot of war is involved as well, since most of the economy you manage to build up over the course of the match is usually used to purchase more powerful ships and weapons.

In case you are not familiar with the 4X sub-genre in strategy games, then you should know that there is never a dull moment in them, despite the fact that the turn-based nature might allow you to relax from time to time. However, you always have to be doing something, otherwise the other civilizations get ahead and your technology becomes too weak and old to compete with theirs, resulting in a bitter defeat.

The singleplayer mode allows you to play a slightly more advanced type of game, by giving you the possibility to customize almost every aspect of the match and even alter the starting conditions and the rules. Hence, it is possible to choose from a variety of map shapes, as well as define the starting budget for every civilization and adjust the difficulty level according to your preferences.

If this is not the first 4X game you happen to try out, then the graphics should not be at all surprising, considering the fact that it borrows a lot of elements from titles such as Galactic Civilizations. On the other hand, that does not mean the title looks in any way bad, although it certainly does not feature any kind of new-age special effects. The advantage to this, however, is that even older computers can run it without problems, which should make a lot of people very happy.

In the end, Sword of the Stars is definitely worthy of your time, especially if you enjoy this type of games and you do not mind losing a few hours with a single match. The multitude of gameplay variables, match customizations and technologies available make every session different, which should keep you entertained for a very long time.