In a remote galaxy, far from the familiar tendrils of the Milky Way, lies the planet of Auriga. Many thousands of years ago, a race of creatures called the Endless colonized their entire galaxy, relying on a substance known as Dust to help them create whatever they could imagine. From food to interstellar ships, Dust was used to control and create. Then the Endless turned on one another, ripping their own galaxy apart in a massive cataclysm. Dust was scattered across the remains of their empire, throughout the ruins of their now barren worlds. On Auriga, some creatures survived. After centuries of barely eking out an existence, life began to flourish and discover Dust once more. As the ruler of one of the eight races that survived in the wake of the Endless’ desertion of Auriga, players must guide their faction to supremacy by any means necessary.  

Endless Legend is a tactical, grid-based 4X game developed by Amplitude Studios. Coined by Alan Emrich in a 1994 preview of the original Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World, 4X is a shorthand term for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. As has become typical of this type of strategy game, players of Endless Legend choose a faction and proceed to explore the secrets of their particular randomly generated map, expand into neutral territories, fight monsters and other factions, and use diplomacy to further their own goals.

There are currently eight races to choose from, each with their own goals, motivations, and unique attributes. For example, the Wild Walkers are a race of elven creatures that try to live in harmony with nature, but are always tempted by the brutal aspects of the wild. They receive bonuses for building their cities in forested areas. Contrast that with the Broken Lords, former humans who had their bodies ripped from them and now exist as spirits wrapped in armor. Though The Broken Lords champion honor and virtue, they survive only by draining the Dust from the world and creatures around themselves. The choice of faction matters more than just the passive bonuses. Each faction has a unique quest that will reward players with new technology, resources, and lore. It lends the experience a bit more of a narrative than comparable 4X strategy titles.

The first part of each game will consist of exploring and expanding. The world of Auriga is littered with ruins and temples begging to be explored by intrepid heroes. A ruin could contain resources, a rare weapon, unfriendly creatures, or an entire side quest. As players search out more ruins and follow their initial main quest goal, they would be wise to expand their influence by building cities in the neutral territories that they move through. Each territory may have only one city built in it at any given time, so building a new city locks down the entire territory’s resources for the player’s empire. Expansions mean more resources, more units, more everything. They’re handy to have. Expanding is important early on because Endless Legend’s AI factions are all too happy to rapidly expand.

Even after several ages, Auriga continues to feel the effects of the cataclysm. As turns progress, seasonal changes will come into play. Summer is a wonderful time for most of the empires. They can find plentiful amounts of food and Dust and their armies can move freely across the land. In the bottom left of the screen a tentative forecast counts down the turns until the next seasonal shift. When the season shifts into winter, all units are slowed to a crawl while food and Dust production are dramatically reduced. Players will need to turn these seasonal changes to their advantage if they hope to claim victory.