The early access version of the 4X game Stellaris Nexus (in the user article) I introduced you to it shortly after launch in a user article, which is still quite current apart from a few elements such as espionage. After renaming to Nexus 5X (we reported) the finished version of the promising science fiction strategy has now been published.
In addition to the four well-known words with an X that gave the 4X genre its name, the fifth X stands for “Express”. The special thing about Nexus 5X is that you can finish a game in around an hour. The perfect game for lunch break tacticians! In the check I will give you a clearer overview and go into the changes since the early access launch.
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| The story missions are fun, but not that easy. |
Game principle
The most important game mode is Succession, which you can play in skirmish or against people with up to eight parties each. By default, the goal is to be the first to reach 100 Succession Points at an Alliance Council meeting. It meets every eight years and every year is a round. At the meetings you can also vote on how additional points can be earned in the following legislative period, for example by owning as many fringe systems as possible or by spreading your culture. Points are also awarded for alliances with other empires. Bonus points are earned by whoever controls the Planet Nexus in the center of the map at the time of the encounter.
In terms of game mechanics, you pursue your goals like in a card-based board game. You choose one of ten races, each with a different set of cards and special properties. You also have several leaders at your disposal, which you gradually unlock and level up over the course of the game – they also come with two cards each. They allow you to fine-tune your people, so to speak.
Of course, you can't play cards and move fleets indefinitely, but you usually have to spend influence to do so, which you earn, for example, by building on the planet. Maintaining planets costs influence. You build space stations, fleets and (but only using cards) your different categories of planets with appropriate buildings. Research is also being carried out. And if you don't trade technologies, you'll soon find yourself lagging behind the field, as you can only unlock one technology per category and level. Espionage, anomaly research and the very important diplomacy are also key elements. You can even win without ever firing a shot.
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The games are very exciting and varied thanks to the different peoples. The promise that games only last around 60 minutes is kept. When I once had a disconnect in multiplayer, I was able to rejoin the game after restarting the game. What's also great is that you can undo actions. Also in multiplayer, because the parties act simultaneously and diplomatic actions with neighbors and fleet movements take place together at the end of the round. Unfortunately, matchmaking doesn't really work due to the low playerbase. In the custom games, leaders are first banned, then each player chooses a leader in a (seemingly random) order. So you might not be playing with your favorite people.
In addition to the succession mode, there are eight story missions that present you with different, partly optional, challenges. If you create a scenario, you can tackle the next mission. A tutorial makes it easier to get started, but practice and an understanding of the respective people and systems make perfect.
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| Two new races have been added: the Keepers of Ave'Brenn and the Kilik Cooperative. |
Changes since early access launch
A lot has happened on the way to the full release, here are some highlights: There are two new factions and the number of story missions has been increased to eight. Ranked matchmaking is suffering from the currently manageable number of players. Dedicated and local servers are also new. Players can even join after the game has started. There is now also a global chat. The UI is now scalable. There were a variety of balancing changes and bug fixes.
Some mechanics, such as culture and espionage, have been revised. With the spy card you now actually place a spy on a planet instead of just a “plot”. You can activate it if it has not been discovered. The different actions require different lengths of preparation. You can no longer start a coup that sets a planet back to neutral on Nexus. Only two pacts are possible with each other empire, each worth one succession point. Breaking a pact costs you two points. Despite all the changes, additions and optimizations, the good core gameplay remains. It is now simply better balanced and also a little more extensive.
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| The multiplayer is a lot of fun. To have a chance, you should practice diligently and come up with a good strategy. A bit of luck also helps. |
Conclusion
Nexus 5X is an excellent little strategy game. On the one hand, it offers you fun in between, but on the other hand, it also allows you to devise sophisticated strategies – and even requires this at a certain level. The renaming makes sense, because the name Stellaris is well known, but also raises false expectations, for example about a DLC for Stellaris or with regard to the gameplay. Because this is more reminiscent of the board game Twilight Empire 4th Edition, which, with 6-8 hours of playing time, takes significantly more time than the Nexus 5X, which earns its fifth X. Unfortunately, from a Google perspective, the name is suboptimal.
The story missions are pretty tough and in many cases you will probably need several attempts to crack them with a strategy that is at least somewhat optimal. In this way you learn a lot about the respective people, but unfortunately not about everyone, and you can prepare yourself perfectly for the succession mode. It's fun against the AI, which can't even begin to keep up with humans. And here lies a problem: As mentioned, the player base is too low, so your chances of matchmaking, whether for fun or in ranked mode, tend to be zero. You can find teammates in the custom games and games are also organized in the official Discord.
Unfortunately, it's currently difficult to play a quick game in multiplayer at the moment, so you have to organize yourself a little. Once you get hooked on the game, it's a solvable task with a little effort. And Nexus 5X already offers so much fun in the single player that you, those interested in the genre, can access it and grow the player base.
- Single and multiplayer
- 5X strategy
- For advanced to professionals
- Available since April 18, 2024 for 14.99 euros
- In one sentence: exciting 5X strategy for the lunch break with an unfortunately small player base at the moment.