Endless Legends 2, a highly anticipated sequel from Amplitude Studios, is a fantasy turn-based 4X strategy game that reinvents the genre by fueling more fun and creative elements to tweak, offering surprising depth.
As someone who has only played a few 4X games like Stellaris and Sid Meier’s Civilization (Civilization V being my personal favorite), here are my thoughts on Endless Legends 2. Does it hold up as one of the best 4X games in this generation? Are you going to enjoy it as a new player in the genre?
Keep in mind that this review is based on the current Early Access build.
The Good, the Bad, and the Magic
In the turn-based 4X genre, one of the biggest factors that makes a game great is the UI/UX design. I tend to get overloaded and can have trouble finding my rhythm when first starting a new game, and I suspect many players feel this way. This feeling most often comes from the UI/UX design.
Endless Legends 2 has a lot of things going on, and I did indeed feel overwhelmed, but the UI made things easier to grasp. You are slowly but easily brought into all the mechanics Endless Legends 2 has to offer through the tutorial.
What stood out the most was the ability to hold the Shift button to keep the display or tooltip showing when hovering over an icon you want to learn. Holding the Shift button will also retain the next tooltip on the screen, helping you grasp information more easily.
This is such a small but useful feature that I didn’t know would have so much impact. For a game that makes you read a lot of text for almost the first two hours, this feature was a godsend.
The game is definitely a great starting point for 4X turn-based beginners, especially when compared to its competition.
Even if the user experience is slightly better than average – maybe because the last 4X game I played was Civilization VII, and its UI was atrocious – I’m not a fan of having 30 or more interactable buttons and icons on the screen all the time.
The fantasy theme introduces numerous exciting features, including unpredictable and unique environmental changes, faction archetypes, military forces, and diverse resources, among others.
Overall, it introduces the core principles of a 4X game really well, so when you get introduced to controlling and customizing a hero, appointing council members, making diplomatic plans, or navigating through real-time event choices, everything feels streamlined.
The first playthrough will be the hardest, but once you get the hang of the game, you’ll want to try out every other faction and really get experimenting to make every playthrough different.
How Does Endless Legends 2 Hold Up Against the Competition?
While the turn-based 4X genre is extremely niche, Amplitude Studios is by no means a stranger to making great 4X games. They’ve made games like Endless Legends, Endless Space, and Humankind.
However, when it comes to this genre, there’s one big elephant in the room – Sid Meier’s Civilization. This franchise is so iconic that some players even call 4X games “Civ-like” and even popularized the term “one more turn.”
Endless Legends 2 evokes the same feeling, but it’s even better. The combat features felt more dynamic with a combination of heroes, equipment, and unique factions. You have the choice of strategically planning out warfare or letting it automatically finish – another amazing feature for those who just want to manage and skip the battles, especially the incredibly one-sided and dull ones.
If you have to duke it out, you can carefully plan the placement of your units by merging them into regiments, making battles more thought-provoking and large-scale. Endless Legends 2 has the most exciting combat mechanics in the genre, and it isn’t even close when compared to Civilization.
The balancing could be a sticking point for some, since it can make the game too easy at times. The Monsoon and Tidefall weather adds an interesting twist to mechanics, sparking reactions from other factions and revealing new lands after the oceans recede, making the map continuously grow and change.
Endless Legends 2 is unique on its own and is definitely a must-play for turn-based strategy fans. And this is just the beginning, having launched into Early Access on Sep. 22, 2025. Definitely watch this space!
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- Replayability is off the charts.
- Compelling factions to explore.
- Amazing combat mechanics.
- Easy-to-grasp UI.
- Balancing could be a potential issue, teetering on fun vs. challenging.
Published: Sep 23, 2025 05:28 am