Stellaris is Paradox Interactive’s entry into the science fiction 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) genre. Now almost four years old and after many patches and DLCs, I decided to revisit it.

The Paradox Interactive formula combines multiple simple but faithful systems into a challenging whole. For example, historic Paradox Interactive games like Europa Universalis IV or Hearts of Iron IV deal with decisions and challenges appropriate for their periods. You can recreate historical events, experiencing similar pressures and choices to historical figures, or rewrite history.

Science fiction lacks historical references. Some science fiction-based 4X games substitute a particular narrative or setting. Instead, Stellaris creates a stage with elements drawn from many and varied science fictions settings, not to mention a plethora of lesser-known, seminal science fiction authors.

For example, you can build a “Death Star” from Star Wars. You can play out the clash of ancient empires, taking sides or uniting the younger races against them, like in Babylon 5. You can try to assimilate the galaxy like Star Trek’s “Borg”. You can build a ringworld, like in Halo, or an ecumenopolis (cover a planet with a single metropolis), like “Coruscant” from Star Wars. You can defend the galaxy from Warhammer: 40,000’s Tyranid-like scourge. You can form a Star Trek-like federation, defending more peaceful empires from militaristic ones while taking advantage from cooperation.

However, the choices do not end there. You can play as a corporation and build branch offices on other empire’s worlds. You can play as a robotic empire that keeps its biological creators as pampered trophies. You can play as lithovores (rock eaters) that colonize planets by hurling asteroids at them. You can unearth remnants of precursor empires. If you conquer another race, you can shower them with utopian wealth, evict them, kill them, chemically sedate them, enslave them, eat them or calmly welcome them as fellow citizens. The choice is yours!

All 4X games are about telling stories, whether they be faithful recreations or your own. However, Stellaris enables a breadth and depth of stories rarely seen in 4X games. Stellaris also tells stores at the grandest scale, showing an evident love for galaxy-spanning science fiction. Some games are triumphant victories, with grandiose achievements emerging from in-game decades of planning. Some games are tragedies, succumbing to your enemies’ fleets or backstabbing politics.

Like many Paradox Interactive games, Stellaris requires a significant time investment, both to learn the mechanics and run a game (20 hours or more). Despite recent improvements, it also noticeably slows towards the end of a game. However, if you have the time and desire to climb the learning curve and write new stories amongst the stars, Stellaris is a game for you. Consider investing in DLCs, too, which have improved the game markedly over the years since its release.