Just as recently as a couple of weeks ago, Matrix and Slitherine soft announced that Distant Worlds 2 would indeed launch in 2021, with a beta build just weeks away from seeing reality. We’ve been waiting a long, long time to be able to say that the sequel to one of the most popular and well-liked 4X games of all time is finally around the proverbial corner.
ENDLESS SPACE 2 UNFALLEN STRATEGY SERIES
To see more of it, check out our recent Let’s eXplore series on Humankind’s “Lucy” OpenDev: Our (very educated) guess is that they’ll be creating some serious competition for the Civilization series and become a genuine contender for the 4X throne. As the studio head, Romain du Waubert, said in our podcast interview with him, the studio was created with the intent of making this game one day, and so we’re eager to see how well they can pull it off come April 22. This leads to an often strange, and fun, amalgamation of cultures that will combine over time to become your culture.Īltogether, things are really looking great for Amplitude Studio’s take on the historical 4X genre. Speaking of culture, another huge departure from other historical 4X games is Humankind’s culture mechanic, wherein you’ll choose between ten separate cultures each time you progress into a new era. The most obvious of which is fully-controllable turn-based combat along with a territory system borrowed from Endless Legend, diplomacy that allows for unique and dynamic interactions between faction leaders, options for fully customizing your avatar and changing attire based on the culture you choose, and much more. They are still almost four months out from their Aprelease date, after all.Īnd what’s not to like about what we’ve seen and played? First, it’s absolutely gorgeous:īut beyond its beauty, Amplitude are trying many new mechanics. First, it’s being developed by a veteran 4X developer, Amplitude Studios, who are responsible for the modern classic, Endless Legend and the Endless Space games: both solid titles, if not quite as excellent as Endless Legend.įurthermore, while we were a bit nervous after the first couple OpenDev scenarios (these were limited early access scenarios that Amplitude has been conducting), the latest iteration, dubbed “Lucy”, is a significant leap forward in both usability and fun.Īll of the sudden, many of the folks that have been following Humankind are all abuzz with anticipation and excitement, as many of the issues from the second OpenDev scenario have been addressed, with more fixes and balancing adjustments to come and with plenty of time to do it.
It’s hard not to get really excited about Humankind. Instead, let’s look at the four confirmed 4X games, a couple of confirmed 4X-adjacent games and a 4X game we’ll go out on a limb and say might be out in some form or another in 2021.
We’re only aware of four pure 4X games incoming in 2021, so this time around our list will be a little different. As the end of the year draws in, it is tradition for the staff here at eXplorminate to pick a list of our most anticipated 4X titles due for release over the following twelve months.