If there’s one genre of game that fits right at home on an iPad it’s Real-Time Strategy, and Digital Reality knows it, seeing as how their 1999 PC classic has gotten a face-lift and found a home in the iTunes app store. While Sim-conquest games like Imperium Galactica 2 are as niche as the app store market can get, fans of Master of Orion now have another reason to be happy they have a tablet.
Imperium Galactica 2′s campaign is actually three campaigns in one; the player chooses which of the three races campaigns to attack first; All three campaigns much different from the next in context and objective. When you’re not eyeballs deep in slightly dated, sci-fi action cutscenes, the scenarios make for some additional fun, twisting the gameplay conventions through increasingly difficult objectives. One things for sure, if you’re a grub for content in your games, I’m not sure there’s anything quite this chubby anywhere else on the app store.
The only thing simple about Imperium Galactica 2 is interactivity, and the touch controls work without a hitch or complication. Grasping the dozens of systems that compose the game, micro-managing a space empire, and everything in between – not so much. Newbies to the genre should expect a decent learning curve; it’ll be a few hours before you’re comfortably in control of the empire at your disposal. It’s not that the mechanics are difficult to understand, but rather stems from remembering which screen to perform a desired action on, an entry-level issue for all games in its league.
Imperium Galactica 2 can be quite scary, and I’m not talking about visuals – the visuals are on par with my expectations. When this game gets rolling, the amount of attention to every micro-managed detail required is nerve-wrecking. You’re not simply defending your fleets through strategic space combat, but also defending your colonies from invasion on the ground level in RTS fashion. When you have a second to breathe, the politics, civilian needs, research facilities, spy investments, and trading posts will be sure to keep you on your feet, doing what it takes to keep your empire together and wealthy.
Digital Reality gave one to the “core” audience, and made sure it wouldn’t disappoint. Imperium Galactica 2 is yet another game aiming in the right direction for the iOS market; where touch controls benefit the gameplay and games are more than a toilet-break toss away. If you’ve been straddling the line between diving into a sim-conquest game, the $3.99 barrier of entry for Imperium Galactica 2 is barely worth a second opinion. If you’re a frequenter to the genre, don’t hesitate to pick up this classic, it’s worth every penny plus some.
