Yet another entry in the long run series of Ys games from Falcom. As usual, there is no continuity from previous entry so new players can jump in this one without losing anything but few references or easter eggs from other adventures. Gameplay and graphics wise, should feel familiar for those who have already played Lacrimosa of Dana (VIII) or Monstrum Nox (IX) with few improvements and refinements in the gameplay mechanics. I like that Falcon continues to innovate and try new things with every new entry while not completely departing from what proves to work well with the players, be it general fighting mechanics, mini-games, story and character development, soundtrack vibes. Is it a contender for GOTY? Maybe not, but it is a lot of FUN and continues to bring back that magic and escapism we need in our busy lifes every now and then. Speaking of that, in terms of accessibility you have a wide range of options for difficulty (5) which should suit different players. On technical side, so far this plays perfect on Steamdeck with Proton 9.0, game being managed through Heroic launcher. This is another confirmation of the great work done by Durante and his team from PH3 in optimising this PC port. Co-op is technically possible but experimental, won't be able to test that one anytime soon. Is it worth the asking price? The base game I would definitely say so for an existing YS fan, if you are a new comer you may want to start with an older and cheaper title to get a similar taste of it, or just wait for a deep sale. Either way, I am happy this showed up on GOG on the same day like every other PC store and I wanted to support the developer for doing that by buying it on the release day. Nihon, please keep them coming! :D
Oh boy, I can not believe this little gem is finally here,on GOG! I bought this game some 7 or 8 years ago,while I was doing my master studies. It was on sale, I remember that it was an impulse buy and until now,these are the most wise 2EUR ever spent. For a start, I should mention that I had no clue what the game was all about, except that it would be similar with Civilization, this time in space . Truly,this was my first experience ever in the 4x universe and the game was so addictive,that I was hooked up in gameplay sessions of 8-12 hours, always hoping for “one more turn”,before going to sleep ,sometimes at 5:00 AM. The graphics may be outdated by today’s standards,but the gameplay and the diplomacy system used by the AI is where this masterpiece really shines IMHO. If you are a SF fan,you will most likely love the highly different setup ,with 7 factions, each with its own characteristics,in terms of political agenda and organized society. You may want to play the Gaians,sort of ecological friendly faction,or the Spartan, the warriors who want to rule the wolrd,maybe the Believers,more religion oriented or perhaps The University,a faction which is focused most on advanced science development. Each faction has some sympathies and some antipathies among the rest of them,this is best shown by their leaders. I remember at times, I had the felling I am not playing against AI,but actually against real human opponents, as decisions I made were treated different by faction leaders, according with their own agenda. You can win the game in several ways, by conquer/defeat the rest of the players, be elected as supreme ruler or by achieving transcendence. Besides other factions,you must fight indigen life forms, sometimes passive like fungus, sometimes aggressive, like mind worms. Every new step you advance in your city/society development will have an impact on the planet,if you do harm,the planet will fight back. What I enjoyed most was the diplomacy system and the black ops operations you could do : stealing info,capture a base (if you have enough money),disrupt systems.You can even blame someone else for your actions . In the planetary elections you can even bribe some faction ;eaders,to win their votes so you could impose measures o fyour like.You can be mean with someone or everyone, but some day,this might cost you later in the game. . Let’s not forget the great interludes,with messages from the planet,or the whole alien atmosphere,underlined by the fine musical score. There are so many great things to tell about this game,but I would never end my review,not soon anyway! :D. If there is one 4X game I would recommend for a newbie,then SMAC would be the one. Start with easy settings,play everything on automated and once you understand the game mechanism, turn the assistants off,one by one.You patience will be highly repaid with countless hours of fun! Even if the CrossFire expansion is not included (not yet perhaps), SMAC is a great game on its own merit, and should be tried by every SF fan in this world, gamer or not. Do yourself a favor and buy this game! It’s a steal!
