78
Terrible interface, micromanagement hell, but also one of the deepest strategy games on the market.
75
Ambitious in the extreme, Shadow Empire is a unique sci-fi wargame that's a little lost in its own details.
60
In this situation, my diplomatic standing with a neighboring regime, the loyalty of some of my leaders, my regime’s profile, the units I can use in my army, the stratagem cards I’ll be able to draw, and global bonuses for diplomacy, food income, and combat are all connected. I hope it’s not a spoiler to tell you that a war with Tiefmark — an avoidable war — broke out a few turns later.
9
Amazing blend of 4X and wargame. Deep and complex with basic fundemental rules make it quite approachable. There are mods for the UI and Terrain that adda little more fidelity.
9
The game is best described as a fusion between a wargame and 4X all in very hard sci-fi universe. From 4X's developer took overall concept, from wargames units, order of battle, logistics and more. Planet generation deserves special mention. It's very deep but relatively easy to grasp (as long as you check relevant info) and allows immense freedom in what planet you want to play on. Moon? Jungle full of aggressive aliens? Tiny planet with atmosphere dense and oxygen rich enough to populate it all with mega-fauna? Earth-like? Mars 2.0? All of that and more is possible. Any thing related to war is immensely deep. You can design tanks, units they appear in, and formations they belong in all while the commanders that lead them must be carefully chosen paying attention if their dozens diffrent statistics work well with the unit. And it's like that for everything - not only tanks but also aircraft, APC's, humble soldiers etc. In it I can find game's only real flaw: it is soo deep and complex that it's extremely hard to get into. I play a lot of hard strategy games but bounced off this game good 5 times before breaking the entry barrier. If you like wargames, 4X's and are able to withstand steep learning curve then it is a game for you.
10
The ingredients Wargame, Alpha-Centauri-4X and Crusader Kings mix up to a real unique but graphically also unsavory meal.
Shadow Empire
Released On:
Dec 3, 2020
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78
75% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jun 4, 2020
100
It's not an especially pretty game - this is kind of 'indie' project that old-timer wargame studios tend to put out. You'll have to get past the aged graphics and masses of UI menus and tiny buttons, but for those that try, a rewarding world of wonder awaits you.
Jul 28, 2020
78
Terrible interface, micromanagement hell, but also one of the deepest strategy games on the market.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
75% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
8% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
17% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Apr 3, 2021
10
The ingredients Wargame, Alpha-Centauri-4X and Crusader Kings mix up to a real unique but graphically also unsavory meal.
Dec 10, 2020
10
It's extremely complex, tough to the point of brutal. But, it's a GREAT GAME! Advice: 1) Read the manual (yes, all 350 pages; yes, even in this day and age). 2) Watch some YT videos - done by 'pros'... esp DasTactic's series. 3) Expect to sink Hours into it... just to kind of learn what's going on. :D This NOT an entry-level game for 4X, Sci-Fi, and/or wargames. It's not going to hold your hand and tell you every, leetle thing. You learn by (the aforementioned) time (again), trial and error. Once you finally start to get the smallest grasp of things, it's both a Blast and always full of surprises. As a grog: even for me, this is Hard-Core. :) Even if you don't own this on Steam, read the Steam Guides... they'll help.
Jul 8, 2020
75
Ambitious in the extreme, Shadow Empire is a unique sci-fi wargame that's a little lost in its own details.
Jul 5, 2020
60
In this situation, my diplomatic standing with a neighboring regime, the loyalty of some of my leaders, my regime’s profile, the units I can use in my army, the stratagem cards I’ll be able to draw, and global bonuses for diplomacy, food income, and combat are all connected. I hope it’s not a spoiler to tell you that a war with Tiefmark — an avoidable war — broke out a few turns later.
Nov 5, 2023
9
Amazing blend of 4X and wargame. Deep and complex with basic fundemental rules make it quite approachable. There are mods for the UI and Terrain that adda little more fidelity.
Jul 12, 2023
9
The game is best described as a fusion between a wargame and 4X all in very hard sci-fi universe. From 4X's developer took overall concept, from wargames units, order of battle, logistics and more. Planet generation deserves special mention. It's very deep but relatively easy to grasp (as long as you check relevant info) and allows immense freedom in what planet you want to play on. Moon? Jungle full of aggressive aliens? Tiny planet with atmosphere dense and oxygen rich enough to populate it all with mega-fauna? Earth-like? Mars 2.0? All of that and more is possible. Any thing related to war is immensely deep. You can design tanks, units they appear in, and formations they belong in all while the commanders that lead them must be carefully chosen paying attention if their dozens diffrent statistics work well with the unit. And it's like that for everything - not only tanks but also aircraft, APC's, humble soldiers etc. In it I can find game's only real flaw: it is soo deep and complex that it's extremely hard to get into. I play a lot of hard strategy games but bounced off this game good 5 times before breaking the entry barrier. If you like wargames, 4X's and are able to withstand steep learning curve then it is a game for you.
SummaryShadow Empire is an immersive and rather complex turn-based wargame with a unique mix of military focus, 4X elements, procedural generation and role-playing features.
