Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
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It could be just a coincidence that three years after the launch of the third game in the Galactic Civilizations series, developer Stardock brings to all fans of the franchise the third major expansion – Intrigue.

Each of the previous expansions adds new layers of gameplay mechanics and new features meant to further enhance Galactic Civilizations III's already complex management systems.

For example, Mercenaries added two new alien races, Arceans and Torians, as well as new ships and a brand new campaign. Also, Stardock added the Galactic Bazaar, a place where players can hire mercenaries and send them in various missions. All of these in addition to the usual UI improvements and polish.

The Crusade is the name of the second expansion available for Galactic Civilizations III, which is mostly known for overhauling the invasion system and adding espionage along with Galactic Citizens. Three new factions were added to the game with the Crusade expansion: Terran Resistance, The Onyx Hive and The Slyne.

The third and last major Galactic Civilizations III expansion, Intrigue is also the biggest and, I dare say, the most important. While each of the previous two expansions treats various aspects of the game, Intrigue is in charge with the most important one – politics. Along with patch 3.0, the expansion completely changes the way you play Galactic Civilizations III not just because of the many new features added, but also due to the sheer of improvements and tweaks Stardock added.

Creating new galaxies happens in a blink of an eye
Creating new galaxies happens in a blink of an eye

What's new and improved

Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue introduces Government, a new politic option that allows players to choose from 20 different forms of government, which offer special bonuses for your civilization. Each government style has its own requirements, which are related to ideologies. Unfortunately, you won't be able to juggle between government styles too often since ideologies are very expansive to unlock as you progress into the game.

Stardock's decision to tie government styles to ideologies makes perfect sense, but the cost of these ideologies should be considerably lowered to make the game more fun and government styles more accessible.

Another important game mechanic that Intrigue brings into play is Commonwealth, which, just like Governments, has its advantages and weaknesses. But what exactly Commonwealth means and how does it add to Galactic Civilizations III's gameplay mechanics?

Ideologies need to be unlocked to choose new government styles
Ideologies need to be unlocked to choose new government styles

Well, it's pretty simple, you get to turn your colonies into independent factions that are managed by their own AIs. It's a very useful gameplay feature that comes in handy in late game when you have so many planets colonized that your population's approval rating starts dropping.

The problem is after you turn these colonies intro commonwealths, they start taking your resources and even get into war with other factions totally unprepared. Luckily, they will forever remain your allies, so that's one thing that the new gameplay mechanic does well.

The random factor in Intrigue is represented by the so-called Crisis. These are special events that randomly pop up throughout the game and can be handled via consecutive decisions that influence the rewards you'll receive. Solving these crisis opens up new opportunities and options that you otherwise don't get during a normal playthrough.

Another interesting new addition to Galactic Civilizations III is the Galactic News Network (GNN), which is the game's own TV station transmitting to all corners of the universe the latest happenings. The catch is that many times your faction can be influenced by the news transmitted by the GNN, so you'll be getting unexpected bonuses or rewards.

Choose the way you want to govern your colony
Choose the way you want to govern your colony

Finally, there's a new Galactic Market available that allows you to purchase much needed resources, as well as set your taxes that will affect the morale of you population. It's one the ways to directly influence the amount of money filling up your coffers. Also, the new and improved Galactic Bazaar will now sell various resources, in addition to the mercs added in the first Galactic Civilizations III major expansion – Mercenaries.

As far as the multiplayer aspect goes, you won't be able to play with your friends unless they own the latest Intrigue expansion, which is quite sad. However, I believe Galactic Civilizations III is a single-player game first, even though the multiplayer aspect is extremely important these days.


The Good

  • Meaningful government styles
  • Crisis events are a lot of fun
  • Race-specific colonization options
  • More planets available for colonization
  • GNN breaks the monotony

The Bad

  • Government styles need some tweaking
  • Commonwealth has too many drawbacks
  • Multiplayer shouldn't be restricted to expansions owned

Conclusion

Of the three major Galactic Civilizations III expansions Stardock launched until now, Intrigue is by far the more impactful and feature-rich. If you didn't purchase any of the previous expansions, you can't miss this one if you're into Galactic Civilizations III. The only problem is that it requires the base game and if you want to play with your friends, they should get it as well.

Mingling in galactic politics and providing your people with various government styles suddenly becomes one of the more important aspects of game, while the unexpected Crisis are in charge with the fun and … unexpected parts of Galactic Civilizations III.

Obviously, Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue is not without its flaws, but it appears that Stardock managed to considerably reduce the number to just a few. Although almost every aspect of the base game has been improved, I feel that some of the newly added features need a bit of balancing or tweaking.

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 7
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue screenshots (8 Images)

headerIdeologies need to be unlocked to choose new government stylesGalactic Civilizations: IntrigueGalactic Civilizations: IntrigueChoose the way you want to govern your colony
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