Summary
The strategy genre has always occupied a soft spot in the hearts of most gamers who love what this genre has to offer in the right hands. From real-time strategy games that promote a sense of urgency to turn-based titles where players have time to think their moves through, the variation in this genre is endless.Some games find a middle ground here too, letting players pause the game to get an idea of what’s going on before resuming the action.
It can be pretty daunting for new developers to tackle this genre and come out with an excellent game. However, it might encourage people to know that several fledgling studios and aspiring developers took on this genre during their infancy, and become major players in the industry as a result.
Age of Empiresisone of the most popular series of strategy gamesof all time. The first game hit the ground running, and the franchise has never looked back since. Ensemble Studios may be defunct now, but there was a time when this developer was at the very top of their game. And that was the moment they released the firstAge of Empiresgame as their debut title.
Featuring some amazing strategy gameplay that lets players progress through the ages and beat their enemies, many believe that the series peaked with the second entry, the sequel to this gem. Even now, there are many players who love the deceptive simplicity of the firstAge of Empirestitle. Everything from its multiplayer gameplay to the compelling single-player scenarios are a blast to engage with to this day. Rick Goodman, the man behind this amazing franchise, left Ensemble Studios and applied everything he learned to developEmpire Earth, a game that is essentiallyAge of Empireson steroids.
4Endless Space
The First Game By Amplitude Studios
4X strategy games need to execute all their concepts flawlessly to help invest players in the core gameplay loop. It’s easy for a title to lose track of its vision and end up failing to reach acceptable quality standards. So, the fact that Amplitude Studios managed to wow fans with its very first title is truly impressive, attracting many new fans to their 4X strategy game.
Most people would argue thatEndless Spaceis a pretty niche game. Still, there’s no denying that the developers concocted a special formula that has been replicated in their other titles as well. Strategy genre fans who want to sink their teeth into Amplitude Studios' games can start with this amazing title before moving on to their other projects.
The roguelike genre is extremely popular nowadays, but it wasn’t until many titles combined this progression system with other genres that it truly gained steam. Such was the case withFTL: Faster than Light.In this game, players have to deliver critical information to an allied fleet while being pursued by rebels who can obliterate them in little to no time if they aren’t fast enough.
Players need to strategize their approach to the allied fleet while dealing with several unique randomized scenarios along the way. This is easier said than done, andplayers will fail over and over again before finally accomplishing their goal. It’s one of the most engaging and strategic gameplay loops that players can reward themselves with, and the prospect of unlocking more ships is always a bonus.
Ironclad Games may not have developed too many strategy games, but one could argue that they didn’t really need to after their first foray into the genre was such a success.Sins of a Solar Empireis an excellent 4X real-time strategy game that lets players control one of three factions in their quest for intergalactic dominance. Despite the lack of a single-player campaign,Sins of the Solar Empiremore than makes for it with its unique sci-fi strategy gameplay.
Numerous expansions have been released for the gameto let players access more content in the form of new playable races, units, planet types, and everything else along the same lines. Players will love hoarding Credits, Metal, and Crystal to bolster the strength of their intergalactic empire and become a faction that other players will fear for all the right reasons.
TheHomeworldseries is still going strong to this day, with a third title available. Its longevity is a testament to the amazing work done by Relic Entertainment toestablish a new IP set in space with RTS gameplay that was challenging yet fair. The game’s unique worldbuilding and compelling gameplay loop made it addictive. Players gathered resources in space to create an armada of battle-ready ships to duke it out in the vastness of space, and fans can’t get enough of it to this day.
Relic Entertainment hit the ground running and is still operating to this day, despite some issues that have cropped up in that time. The fact that they developedAge of Empires 4is a testament to their experience in the genre, letting them continue to carve out a legacy in this niche that is respected by many strategy video game veterans.
