Sins Of A Solar Empire 2 will release on Steam this summer
After launching in technical preview on Epic Games Store
4X-meets-real-time-strategy game Sins Of A Solar Empire 2 will finally launch on Steam this summer, Stardock and Ironclad Games have announced, a couple of years after going into technical early access on Epic Games Store. I loved the first Sins and so did Kieron Gillen (RPS in peace) whose 16-year-old review dwells appreciatively on the spectacle of cruisers and frigates bouncing to hyperspace on the very edge of a solar system. We don't seem to have written about the second one - time to change that, I guess. Here's the Steam release announcement trailer.
The original Sins shone for the slick balance it struck between the micro and macro, the sonorous rhythms of solar system management and the staccato frenzy of real-time fleet engagements, its secret sauce being a powerful zoom feature. It stands proudly at 46th on the RPS reader list of the 50 best strategy games of all time, ahead of Age Of Empires 3 but behind Civ 2, which I consider to be an acceptable running order, though it'll be a cold day in Hell before I acknowledge XCOM 2 at fourth.
Sins 2 - Steam page here - sees the return of the first game's three factions - the Trader Emergency Coalition, the Vasari Empire and the Advent Unity, who I would very tentatively summarise as money-making all-rounders, tanky alien colonisers and evangelical glass cannons, based on my, again, 16-year-old memories of the original. It looks to handle much the same in key respects - the zoom is once again your greatest weapon - but there are a lot of new or new-ish flourishes.
For one thing, planets now orbit stars in real-time, which has tactical ramifications, and the factions have subfactions with different ideologies and accompanying features - the TEC: Primacy, for example, are a bunch of xenophobes, while the Vasari: Exodus regard planets as disposable. There's an Intelligent Construction system that "will queue up the entire chain of prerequisites to fulfil any item, research, or unit build request". Fleets can now request reinforcements on the fly, which get built automatically at the nearest factory - a convenience that reminds me of context-sensitive retreat orders in Warzone 2100.
Capital ships, titans and starbases are more customisable, the diplomacy system has more options - including time-locked ceasefires to stop supposed allies backstabbing you - and there are new minor factions to woo, trade with or bully. The real-time fleet combat has been treated to such tune-ups as the ability to shoot down missiles or have fragile ships take cover behind tougher varieties.
Each faction also has a themed Empire System that defines them as a whole. I don't fully understand the moving parts without playing the thing, but here's a hopefully evocative excerpt from the press release.
TEC Trade: The new TEC trade system enables them to dynamically adapt their economy by adjusting the allocation of traded resources on demand.
Vasari Phase Resonance: Strategically placed structures collect Phase Resonance allowing the Vasari to customize their global phase mastery effects.
Advent Unity: Enables the Advent to harness the collective will of their population, unlocking the full potential of the Unity's global abilities.
For those who like Sinning in company - no, not like that, please try to keep your mind on the videogames - there's multiplayer support for up to 10 players, with a choice of join codes or lobbies. Players will be able to rejoin games in progress and take over from AI rulers if they arrive to a session late, while custom maps will be automatically shared between participants.
I think all this sounds pretty excellent. The game faces stiff competition from other space-strategisers this year, mind you - the looming behemoth that is Homeworld 3, to say nothing of the unspeakably in-depth Nebulous: Fleet Command, which (going by its own Steam page) is very vaguely scheduled to hit 1.0 before 2024 is out. What do you think? Does Sins 2 have a shot at making the next reader-chosen strategy game top 50, whenever the cruel gods that are Alice B and Graham decide to host one?