Two notable full releases, and three expansion packs!
Game Releases and Updates
Shadow Empire, legendary for it’s depth, and almost as well known for it’s skill floor, releases a new expansion today, called Republica. The great DasTactic is a fan, and you can read more about it here. There is some, imho unfair, backlash against the developer for allowing the option of using AI art.
Old World: Empires of the Indus, is another expansion that has recently release (30th March). More information here. Beware the Elephants!
Our last expansion pack in this edition is none other than Field of Glory: Kingdoms -Burghers and Bombards. Field of Glory Kingdoms is, imho, under discussed. It is, to my mind, everything I wanted in Medieval: Total War 2, and I hope that with eyeballs on the upcoming Medieval 3, some of that attention can get redirected onto this gem of a game.
Moving from the terrestial and historical, our next game, a full release, takes us into an imagined future, with aliens! I am talking, ofcourse, about Xenonauts 2. PC Gamer has a glowing review, and eXplorminater Vaaish is also positive. If you are new to Xenonauts, think of it as X-Com but deeper.
Sticking with the interstellar theme, out last game today is Stellar Tactics. Think of this as a Mercenary simulator, so along the lines of Battle Brothers, but in space.
In other gaming news, Olden Era announces an early access date of 30th April. We covered this a while back, still looking forward to it.
Crown of Greed popped into our collective awareness, as it attempts a new version of indirect control. You may recall this mechanic as it was made famous by Majesty.
Industry News
Stormgate, which made a splash a few years ago, as a game created by ex-Starcraft 2 developers, is losing multiplayer functionality – because of AI. Read more about it here.
Whilst on the subject of AI, the Guardian (UK news outlet) has an interesting article on why gaming is becoming more expensive. Worth the read.
eXplorminate News & Discussion
We have just released our latest podcast, jumping into the subject of eXploration in 4X games. You can find:
Coming soon – an interview with the great Zeikko, about Astro Protocol, and a cozy chat with Vaaish and DasTactic, about the strategy game genre in 2026 so far.
Every month, the intent is to play a game properly, and produce an informed review. This month, it is Elemental: Reforged. Recently released, or re-released? Is it any good? Find out at the end of April.
Every month, we would like to celebrate the community, which is full of lovely people, and highlight a community member we feel embodies what makes eXplorminate such a great place. This month, our eXplorminator of the month is Emergent, for showing us how to play Old World with less war, and services towards defining the 4X genre.
Questions to ponder:
- Are 4X games suffering from the paradox of choice?
- Where do you stand on AI? Lazy slop generator or potential enabler of genius?
Did we miss anything? Be sure to let us know in the comments below if weâve missed an important news item!
Want to write for us? Have a game or two that you love to keep tabs on? Let us know! eXplorminate@gmail.com
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