Recent reviews by Dguywhobeatu

The game, once you figure it out, is incredible. I've had it for a week and sunk 40 hours into it already (I was home sick). Somethings to note are that the tutorial is still being fleshed out, and I found youtubes videos significantly more helpful. There is a steep learning curve at the start of the game, and honestly once you get to new parts of the game (i.e. when you first build ships, first go into combat, first control a nation, etc. It is also difficult to tell how well you are doing often. Certain parts of the game can also feel like a slog and like not too much is happening. Also, I am not convinced many people have managed to finish the game as it takes a lot of time and you definitely can lose.

To learn it I started by watching a few youtube videos then hopped into playing as the resistance. I played about 5 years (~5 hours) and restarted after learning quite a few features, where I went wrong and right and incorporated that into my next play through. Unfortunately, there are some wikis and guide on the internet but many features/questions you might have will be unanswered as of now (in part because the game is quite complex and people are still figuring stuff out). Some things can also be frustrating, such as when alien flora destroy your country or spaceships destroy you space base with no time to prepare, but perhaps with more experience I would've been more prepared. (your councilors who you grow attached to can also be assassinated for a similar feeling as when you lose a colonel in xcom)

If you like xcom, especially long war, or stellaris I would highly recommend the game. It starts off with a sort of stellaris-like and has large space battles at the end (but they are more involved than stellaris, I just haven't figured them out yet). What's also exciting is they are still developing the game (roadmap here https://www.pavonisinteractive.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=29475)

Overall, a great pickup, worth $40 now and I feel confident it will continue to improve. Not for those who want a quick or easy to learn game, however.

who gives a f*ck about soldier cutomization