STRATEGY: THE HARDEST GENRE OF THEM ALL PT2

So, you have made it to Part 2? Truly excellent!
I have a slight feeling you like strategy games. Well, tune in then because we are diving into different subgenres this time, which will keep you locked in. Not literally, just strategically.

Starring in this article, we got Tactical Strategy, & 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate).
Be warned, though, subgenres like these are spicy. I may or may not have been addicted to a few games within these categories, and it has

been a hell of a fun ride! These subgenres are ready to challenge your intellect and wit about all things strategy.

Date: 01/12/2025
Time to read: 12 mins

Writer: Xaros
Designer: AJ

What’s actually more challenging than building an entire empire? Because that’s exactly what you do in 4X Strategy.

As the acronym suggests, the usual 4X game revolves around exploration of the game map & environment, expansion of your civilization, exploitation of resources & advantages,
and the extermination of your opponents.

Now, whether that’s done in space or on
land is a different story. 

Stellaris is mainly a 4X game, but it also heavily incorporates grand strategy elements towards the endgame. Stellaris allows you to discover
a whole galaxy and lead your empire through struggles to survive.

However, through survival comes real growth, and through growth comes a thriving people, utilizing technology. You start by expanding and facing conflicts and crises. and even get involved in “real” political situations through
a galactic senate. Sounds cool, right?
That’s because it is!

This is essentially a custom-built sci-fi universe, in which you take society to incredible heights and achievements, witnessing superb scenarios and affecting the whole universe with your every tiny decision.

Unlike Stellaris, not all war is fought in space.
Unless, of course.. Ok yeah, that’d be a spoiler.
Nevertheless, I am referring to the legendary 4X series Civilization. One of the oldest of its kind, CIV is the embodiment of 4X elements.

You helm a powerful civilization that aims to dominate the world, whether through might, wits, religion, or diplomacy. When you really
sit down and research the volume of ideas
and the inspirations this series has, it is really remarkable how everything is put together. From real historical figures, to real societal 

shifts, to crucial technological advancements, this incredible series just doesn’t fail to deliver. Everything you can imagine, even CIV politics, and weather conditions, is depicted in detail and affects the way you play and interact. 

To not go too deep, the main takeaway from this series is that it has everything you can envision when it comes to leading a society. Through this series, you can quite literally create “fictional history” with the leader you choose to control, and everything feels like actual history brought to life from your POV.

No, not really. Sounds harsher than it actually is. Rule is a strong word. Lead is the better way to put it. And that’s what 4X games really are about. Which brings us to this game’s goal.

Leading “Humankind” into a greater future. Growing an empire through careful resource management and expansion, utilizing science, culture, and military excursions. You can easily spot the similarities of the game to the CIV series, hence why it was heavily compared to it.

Unfortunately, the main comparisons between the games were carried out with ill intentions for the most part, as some people were calling it the “CIV killer”. People like competitiveness and drama, and as such, the similarities they share, both through gameplay and feeling, stirred up these discussions on rivalry.

These games both have loads of replayability, beautiful maps, cool gameplay, and similar but different systems, all of which align with fans’ desires in a 4X game.

Whilst Humankind came into the picture much later than CIV6 and a few years prior to CIV7,
it was sort of poorly received. 

When released, Humankind came with bugs, balance issues, and a confusing user interface. However, its reception improved since then, although there is still one gameplay feature that is present in both Humankind and CIV7, which fans are divided on, which is the era advancement system.

In Humankind, it nudges you, and in CIV7,
it forces you to change civilization to proceed to the next era. In fact, CIV7 began testing same-civ progression after the backlash.

Humankind is no “CIV killer”, but it sure has its own merit and beauty. It is a strong, engaging, and enjoyable competitor to CIV.

Tactical Strategy is a different beast. It doesn’t concern itself with the long-term benefits or drawbacks of a battle or objective. It only deals with short-term actions or steps that will affect the situation at hand.

Whilst most games contain elements of both short-term and long-term strategy, in this case, tactical strategy operates in the form of “raids” or missions that we navigate and interact with in the heat of the moment.

Therefore, completely shifting the topic to Tactical Strategy, we are going to look into XCOM, followed by an unlikely contender.

Although I haven’t truly played much of XCOM, the series has a great reputation and is very beloved by the community. It has that unique immersive feeling, with a deep strategy mesh and tactical combat that feels awesome. 
And that’s an understatement.

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to which iteration of the series is the most notable, but two of them are most mentioned.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is considered to be
a slower and more cautious game, 

where you have to wander through the fog of war to locate the hostile units. XCOM 2 does its best to hurry you in missions, often running on some sort of timer depending on the nature of the mission, so you have to move fast to execute your mission.

These two games are very highly regarded in
the community and are incredible Tactical Strategy games, both of them still with
an active player base to this day.

Okay, hold on, wait, before you get all upset. Yes, the game is Clash of Clans. Yes, CoC is on mobile, not on PC (mostly). Are mobile games not allowed to be Tactical Strategy games?
I myself do not game on mobile at all.

But you cannot ignore that CoC truly does command some respect. What’s great about it? Well, it offers steady, persistent progress that never really gets lost. 

It offers asynchronous battles, so you are not pressured in the slightest. Okay, maybe just to prepare. But all strategy games obviously have real planning involved. Apparently, there’s also Clan Wars in which 

“Today’s tactical victory does not guarantee tomorrow’s strategic success.” – General Peter Pace

Clans can spend hours planning their attacks. And before you say it, we all know the meme about mobile games such as CoC and others being always sponsored. So, catching that to say, no, this is not sponsored.

Nor should it be. Nor is this a “you guys all have phones, right?” fling; it is just a solid tactical strategy game.

You are probably thinking, wow, this guy yaps too much. Where’s the rest of it? Not your cup of tea yet? That’s all the strategy subgenres out there. KIDDING! Obviously Grand Strategy is next. Where are my hardcore Total War fans at? If you know, you know.

If you do not, you will in the next episode of yours truly! Will you MANAGE to be patient? Get it? Let’s just say, there is some strategy involved in Management.

There is some strategy involved in everything. UNIVERSALLY. Even when it comes to real life. Daily life. On what day do you truly recall not strategizing? Even the way you talk to your family, friends, and colleagues has a strategy behind it. 

We strategize universally, and we also do that in Europa Universalis. Pun intended, of course. To be continued..

Do not forget to leave your comments below to roast my opinions! Till next time, everyone!