Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Review (PC)

The mid-game is over. All the good planets in this galaxy have been claimed and, in my quadrant, even the bad ones are colonized. The Navigators have secured some impressive space real estate, and the question now is whether we want to expand it significantly or only target a few areas where nice planets and important resources can be found.

We might be unable to enter complex treaties with our neighbors, but we have a few strong fleets that can probably stop any individual enemy. The Arceans declared war but obtained no victories. Their fleets are depleted, and I might be tempted to launch an invasion of their worlds, although it requires a big investment of resources and shipyard time.

Our starbases are mining durantium and antimatter and we can use our edge in research to trade tech for plenty of other exotic goods. I have three construction ships ready to put down starbases and our civilization has plenty of modules to expand them fast. One of them is designated for mining, while the other two will focus on communication, to expand our influence and even borders. Let’s hope that the Torians and the Contaminant don’t react violently to the starbase deployment.

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is developed and published by Stardock Entertainment. I played on the PC using Steam (the game has been until now only offered via the Epic Store). The title features classic turn-based strategy mechanics set in a science-fiction universe.

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24 bespoke civilizations are featured, both series regulars and newcomers. Each of them has a unique style and approach, including events and mechanics. Gamers can also create a custom civilization, choosing its strengths and weak points, to suit their own playstyle. There’s a lot of variety here, even if the game’s universe plays its science-fiction ideas a little safe.

Supernova also introduces a system Stardock calls AlienGPT. Basically, it’s designed to take input in text form from the player, say “cheese knights with sausage horses” and turn that into a fully playable custom civilization, complete with interactions and other content. It works well, uses images from the company’s library, and will generate plenty of weird civs for players to add to their games.

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is a turn-based 4X that improves all the series' mechanics without revolutionizing them. As is customary, gamers start out with a home planet and a small complement of ships. Initially, it’s all about exploration, mostly via probe, to reveal the contours of the galactic neighborhood, and careful expansion using colony ships to get new planets and construction ships to put up starbases.

Players can direct development only on the high-quality planets that have governors, while other worlds direct resources to them. Buildings generate production, research, food, culture, credits, and influence. It’s important to place them on the right tiles and to make good use of the significant boosts delivered by special buildings, like a planetary mainframe, or by a unique project.

Each planet also supports orbitals but, in space, starbases are crucial infrastructure. The mining version produces the many resources that can boost a civilization, while military ones protect systems and can deal with significant enemy fleets. I find communications starbases to be the most important, able to boost influence and even win worlds over without a shot being fired.

As a Supernova campaign progresses, players will conduct research, engage in trade and espionage with other civilizations, and design and build powerful fleets to guard their territory and expand it. I tend to play tall, managing under ten core worlds, while focusing on tech and influence. It makes it easier to defend while creating alliances.

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Flipping worlds without any killing is the best way to approach late-game expansion. But I also had fun creating big fleets to defend against invasion forces. Computer opponents mount decent assaults of their own, but they tend to spread out their forces thin at times, giving humans strategic openings. Going for Terror Stars and blowing up their systems is also weirdly satisfying, despite the genocidal element.

Supernova also asks gamers to assign leaders to ministerial positions, factions, and flagships, while engaging with event chains linked to them. Anomalies will be investigated, some yielding artifacts that can be stored or tuned into resources. Finally, policies and cultural traditions will shape how a civ develops and the path it can take to victory. Galactic Civilizations IV activates the “one more turn” impulse and has kept me up past my bedtime a few times.

There are some elements, like anomalies, that could use extra variety. There are moments when the temptation to min-max is stronger than the elements that encourage role-playing. But the core mechanics are polished and it’s fun to explore, expand, and maybe exterminate with a variety of factions for hundreds of turns.

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is a good-looking strategy game. It uses its science-fiction theme well, delivering plenty of visual variety for each race and some solid short cinematics for important moments. When players zoom in, they can see the unique designs of their spaceships and fully built-up solar systems. And the game is easily readable at all times, allowing players to take in a lot of information as they plan expansion, starbase construction, or war.

The soundtrack is good and unobtrusive, allowing players to think about the state of the universe and their moves. The rest of the sound design is also decent but there are some effects, like the one that accompanies a starbase upgrade, that can become somewhat annoying.

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The Good

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