Dawn of andromeda review tro choi

Real Time Strategy in space has always been a tough proposition. Mainly because space is big, and the early game of any such endeavour can, done “realistically”, have all the fun of watching paint dry, while the mid to late game can be plagued with doing a thing wrong, then not realising for a good hour (or until it’s too late, whichever comes sooner.) Dawn of Andromeda, sadly, is no different in this, despite a potentially interesting main campaign.

Pictured: an interesting *description*

Let’s talk about that campaign narrative a little, because honestly, it’s a feature I see very little of in the old 4X (eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate) genre these days, and one involving multiple alien races in a grand tapestry of war, tragedy, and shenanigans? Sign me u-

Oh. Oh wait. I can’t find that mercenary I just hired and sent to kill a bounty for my current best friends, the Sython (Who the Terran Empire totally isn’t going to go to a long, expensive war with several times over the next few millennia before somebody else screws it all up.) Wait, I found him again, and… Wait, I lost a survey ship? When did I? Oh, while I was watching this guy half a galaxy away. Meanwhile, I’m debating which of the more far flung colony worlds I should try expanding to, in the hope I can actually defend them.

Space is not only big, but also rather sparse. This is something I’m not actually that fond of being reminded of in space opera games, for some reason.

What I’m getting at here, folks, is that Dawn of Andromeda is not the friendliest of games. There are three game speeds (not counting pause), and while they’re marked “Slow”, “Normal”, and “Fast”, I have different names for them: “Can actually see a fight happening”, “Can watch bars slowly tick up”, and “The speed I go at while I’m waiting for things to happen.” Pause is pretty much my default state while I try to work out what the hell is going on with my scouts and survey ships and, in one particular case, watching a bounty slowly, but surely, escape the guy I’d just hired to take it.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot to take in, adding to the “A lot of the time you will be paused.” Understanding an alien race enough to talk to them is a research project, taking time away from your research. Adding to a world’s power requires an infrastructure investment, which will cost you some money a turn until it’s done. You have an approval rating, which will cause rebellions if it’s low, and goes up and down based on… Factors. Decent living conditions help, as does an assigned councillor who isn’t an asshole. It’s not very colour blind friendly, to the point where, zoomed in to a point where I have two ships chasing each other in my field of view, I can’t actually see the things without straining my eyes (Drag selecting will only select the ship I directly control.)

It tries to help, really it does. It has “Zoom in here” icons in the planet tables, fleet tables, anomaly tables… But the main screen is a mess. The UI isn’t the friendliest. Ships can chase each other for a long time without fights happening, and ships attacking from the front will move toward said fast ship, then tail along behind it, losing it like the other poor bastards chasing it in the first place. Providing you have the foresight (and opportunity) to pull such a maneuver off in the first place.

Gripping [YAWN] Space combat. [YAWN] Honest!

I’m sure the game has some interesting things in it. I’m sure it has something, some potential. But I’m finding frustration in even the easiest of scenarios (Where I am informed, and tentatively agree, that even finding the alien worlds may well eat up the whole 2 years allotted for “survival”), boredom from the sparse universe, and quickly realising that it amounts to “Build lots of ships, point them at whatever enemy while holding your own worlds safe”, despite its other trappings. As I am occasionally forced to say, the game resists being played.

Dawn of Andromeda, however, makes you play the long game: enemies are virtually unable to rush you in combat as they are hindered by the same tech tree you are and this means the biggest rewards come later in the game.

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With smooth gameplay, a well constructed narrative, and AI that is sufficiently intelligent; Dawn of Andromeda offers enough to overcome its learning curve and keep replays fresh. There will be a learning curve because much of the nitty-gritty of managing settlements never really grace the tutorial or hints, but after a few matches, likely leading to a few annihilations, much of the game management, must-do's, and politics fall into place. It errs a little heavy on the necessity for a strong early military, but I guess that's just the proof that it exists in the space of a hostile galaxy.

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Dawn of Andromeda is a thinking man's space simulator, with a complex network of systems that give you control over your expanding galactic empire. Though the level of control and and minutiae might be a turnoff for some, once you understand the systems it becomes a satisfying foray into space bureaucracy.

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I don’t really see Dawn of Andromeda having much in the way of longevity. They’re late to the market, don’t offer enough true innovation to stand out in any way, and happen to be releasing while several other really good options in the same genre are being actively updated. About the only people that I would expect to see picking it up would be those few like me that play pretty much every 4X, but I’d still have to advise my fellow strategists to give this one a pass.

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The game has plenty of potential, but the beautiful exterior hides a lacking, simple foundation cobbled together from other, superior games. One or two unique systems don't make up for pale echoes of so many others.

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Dawn of Andromeda is a promising 4X strategy game that lovers of Civ-like games and science fiction should definitely consider adding to their collection.

Is there going to be a Mass Effect: Andromeda 2?

While players may be disappointed that a sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda may never see the light of day, they can take solace in the fact that a new instalment is currently in the works. While details about the game are scarce, it remains a promising prospect for fans of the series.

How long to beat Andromeda?

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