A Bold Step Forward, With Room for More: Endless Legend 2’s Early Access Launch is a Triumph of Asymmetrical 4X Design

For fans of the 4X strategy genre, Amplitude Studios’ original Endless Legend was a breath of fresh, fantastical air. Its most celebrated feature was its truly asymmetrical factions, each playing by its own set of rules, completely upending the traditional “pick your flavor of humans” approach of a game like Civilization. The recent Early Access launch of the sequel, Endless Legend 2, has proven that this design philosophy is still a central pillar and a triumphant one at that. However, even with the new game’s unique factions and its beautifully evolving flooded world, there’s a lingering feeling that it could—and perhaps should—be even stranger.

The Triumph of Asymmetry

In a world of 4X games that often feel like a race to the finish on the same track, Endless Legend 2 is an exercise in creative divergence. The game, set on the ocean-covered world of Saiadha, introduces a number of factions that are so distinct in their mechanics that playing them feels like playing a different game entirely. The initial Early Access version features five factions, each tailored to one of the generic 4X victory types, but with a unique twist that completely changes the way you approach the game. For example, one faction is a hivemind of “megamaggots” and giant insects that don’t build cities in other regions. Instead, they create “sneaky burrows” for fast travel that can be expanded into nests. These nests, in turn, extend the reach of their core city. Another faction, the Necrophage, can transform other races into their own. This design is the game’s greatest strength, as it forces players to learn and adapt to each faction’s unique rhythm. It’s a bold rejection of the “one-size-fits-all” design that plagues many other strategy games.

The game’s world, which changes as the tides recede and expose new continents, is also a fascinating and novel idea. This dynamic map, full of “sunken treasures” and fresh villages of minor factions, ensures that the exploration phase—often the most compelling part of a 4X game—remains exciting and relevant throughout a campaign. This, combined with a progression structure that feels more concise and stately than other games in the genre, makes for an incredibly rewarding and compelling early experience.

A Call for More Weirdness

Despite these strengths, there’s a sense that the game, in its current Early Access state, is still holding back. The factions, while unique, feel a bit more conventional than some of the wilder, more experimental factions from the original game. Fans of the first Endless Legend will remember the Cultists of the Eternal End, a faction that could only have one city and had to “convert” minor factions to expand its influence, or the Vaulters, a nomadic, spacefaring faction that had a teleportation system. The current Early Access factions are excellent, but they hew a bit closer to familiar archetypes. The “bug” faction is still, at its core, a military expansionist. The other factions, while interesting, don’t have the same level of mind-bending strangeness that made the first game such a revelation. It’s a testament to the original’s creativity that its successor feels, at times, a little too safe.

There are also some gameplay elements that feel a bit too conventional. The diplomacy system, for example, has been noted by some critics as being “underwhelming” and “perfunctory,” a far cry from the narrative richness of the factions themselves. This is a common issue for many 4X games, but in a game that places such a high value on narrative and asymmetry, it feels like a missed opportunity. The game’s development team, having regained their independence from Sega, has stated their commitment to “community-driven development,” so there is hope that this and other elements will be improved with player feedback. The developers have also promised a sixth faction and additional content before the 1.0 release, which may introduce the level of strangeness that many fans are hoping for.

Conclusion: The Future is Wild, and it’s Almost Here

Endless Legend 2, even in its current state, is a triumph. It’s a 4X game that is actively trying to challenge its own genre, and its beautifully asymmetric design is a powerful rebuttal to the idea that all strategy games must follow the same formula. It’s a visually stunning, mechanically deep, and narratively rich game that is a must-play for any fan of the genre. While the game may not be as “strange” as some players might have hoped, it’s still in Early Access, and there is plenty of room for it to grow. The foundation is strong, the world is compelling, and the factions are a joy to discover. Now, it’s up to Amplitude to take that foundation and build something truly and wonderfully weird. The past has proven they have the creativity to do it, and the future is waiting to be built.