Endless Legend 2 arrives today, and Amplitude Studios has once again found a way to make a 4X game feel both familiar and fresh. The sequel to the 2014 hit brings back the sci-fantasy setting of crashed starship survivors, robotic golems, and magic that might be nanotechnology, set on a dying world named Saiadha.
Saiadha’s Dying World
The planet was terraformed by an ancient race called the Endless, who sealed something beneath its surface. That seal is failing. The oceans are draining into the planet’s core, and every few dozen turns a monsoon shrouds the world in storms before the shoreline recedes in Tidefall, revealing sunken landscapes and ancient technologies ripe for colonization.
It is a perfect setup for a game about expansion and building.
Familiar Territory
Fans of the first game will recognize the pattern. Like Auriga in the original Endless Legend, Saiadha is dying. The difference is the cause: the Endless sealed something beneath it, and now that something is returning. The setting remains the same kind of science fantasy, with evolved desert lizards, coral robots, and sand spirit genies replacing dragons and elf stand-ins.
The Look of Saiadha
The art direction continues the first game’s painterly style, with matte and glossy textures used across terrain and units. Different areas of the world and the new biomes emerging from the ocean are distinct, which helps sell the world’s scale.
The lighting, however, is flat. It only changes during monsoons, and something more dynamic might have helped highlight the models and environments. Better to have simple lighting than effects that muddy the visual environment, though.
Soundtrack and Interface
The soundtrack, composed by Arnaud Roy, is another standout. It is ethereal, subdued, and ambient, with extensive use of a crystal organ. The music changes dynamically based on what is happening on screen, avoiding repetitive loops. Opening a diplomacy screen softens the bass so faction leaders can speak clearly.
The UI is a mixed bag. The redesigned resource displays, menus, and action wheels are good, but the map symbols for cities, armies, and resource locations are less clear than text labels would be. Players have to learn where each symbol sits, which creates friction.
A System That Works
The signature Amplitude resource system is present in full: FIDSI for Food, Industry, Dust, Science, and Influence, with tradeable luxury resource stockpiles for upgrades. Some players might be bored of it, but it works really well, and the reviewer does not think you should mess with a good system.
Faction Rules and Neutral Territories
Amplitude wants every faction to break the rules in some way, repeating only a few tricks from Endless Legend or Endless Space. The receding oceans play into the genre tropes of a 4X in a fresh way.
The genre is at its best during two phases:
- Initial exploration and expansion
- The secondary squabble over who controls resources
Endless Legend’s system of neutral territories is perfect for this, letting players stake claims by building camps while wary of enemies or marauding minor factions who can burn them down without declaring war.
The Price and Where to Play
Endless Legend 2 costs $50/£45 on PC. It is published by Hooded Horse, and PC Gamer’s review was conducted on a Radeon RX 6800 XT, Ryzen 9 5900, and 32GB RAM.
Our Verdict
Endless Legend 2 is a magnificent example of why Amplitude is so loved by 4X fans. It delivers the studio’s trademark creativity and standout visual design in a modernized package, even as many of its innovations have become standards in the genre. The setting, the art, and the soundtrack all justify the return trip.
The UI friction is a temporary annoyance, and the flat lighting is a missed opportunity, but neither takes away from the joy of exploring Saiadha’s dying world. If you enjoyed the original, you will enjoy this.
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