Kerberos has done it again, bringing the Sword of the Stars series to the next level
Its difficult to tell a story with a 4X game while keeping it completely open ended, but thats exactly what Kerberos has done with Sword of the Stars. You really get the feeling of the growth and expansion of the universe as you follow through the expansions, culminating in the release of A Murder of Crows.
As the apparent final expansion in the original SotS series, A Murder of Crows brings you a maximum of options, representing the advances the races have made over time. Diplomacy is more complex now, and we have an entirely new branch of research with Xenotechnology. Managing planets becomes a little more detailed with the introduction of Civilian populations and morale issues. And trade becomes more developed with new classes of trading vessel and trade stations.
As usual, we're presented with an array of new technologies and weapons, all of which blend in well with the game's overall theme, some representing significant leaps forward in technology, including the brand new Drone technologies, allowing those who wanted to see fightercraft in the game have a plausible alternative.
Perhaps most importantly, a new race is introduced, the Morrigi. Their status as an elder race is well represented in the look of their ships, which all appear to be extremely high-tech. Even the look of their weapons turrets differs from the usual appearance of those same weapons on other races' ships, looking for more advanced then the younger races' equivalents.
The usual care and detail for backstory and overall character that Kerberos puts into their selection of races is present in the Morrigi as well, including the dramatic opening cinematic. And interesting to fans of the story, the Morrigi's history provides a few more important glimpses of the mystery behind the Zuul's Master-race and the mortal enemies of the Liir, perhaps setting things up for the future game's story...
Gameplay wise, the core concepts remain the same, with more options and little more to manage. Civilian populations coupled with Xenotech represent opportunities for clever leaders to maximise their empire's profits and production, so long as you can balance the needs of your civilians and keep them happy. For the first time ever in game, we have the opportunity for multiple races to live on the game planet. By pursuing Xenotech advances, you can attract members of other races to immigrate to your worlds, or even conquer an enemy world with its civilian population intact, incorporating them into your empire!
Spacestations are now available for all races, providing new options for expanding your infrastructure or supporting your fleet's operations.
There are now also new frightening encounters for those who like to add a little spice to their game with random encounters. Not for the faint of heart, these encounters can also dramatically increase the difficulty of your game, so be prepared when choosing to face them.
More options is always good, and for further tweaking your games, Kerberos has introduced the ability to tweak settings for each individual AI empire in your game. Finding you can't get off to a good start? you can give yourself extra planets or money to start off while leaving the AI at the defaults. Ever wish you could face AI empires of differing skill levels? Now you can adjust each AI's difficulty level individually. All of these options allow you to choose the absolute perfect game settings for maximum enjoyment.
If there are negatives about the game, it can be said that the empire management may not be as detailed as some 4X games in the past, although AMoC certainly increases the detail level compared to previous releases. There are a number of bugs, but Kerberos is a very dedicated company who are committed to the quality of their games and are already working on a patch to address those issues the community has raised. It can also be said that our selection of ships is relatively small with the same 3 size classes, but the sheer variety of customization available for each class does make up for that significantly.
A Murder of Crows is the apex of the current generation of Sword of the Stars, and if you have played the others, or were waiting for more options or complexity to the game, then it is a must-buy. If you have been waiting for a good 4X game and never heard of Sword of the Stars, for the love of gaming, buy the series and prepare to be wowed by the greatest 4X game you can get today.