Endless Legends 2 Demo Preview - A strong successor with improved gameplay mechanics 

Endless Legends 2 is being developed by Amplitude Studios and published by Hooded Horse. This is a fantasy turn-based strategy game set in the ENDLESS™ Universe and is the successor to Endless Legends. The game puts you in the hot seat, in command of your civilization. From there, it's up to you to navigate the perils and pitfalls, to rise above others.

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Endless Legends 2: First impressions and gameplay

This is not my first rodeo with the Endless franchise, but getting started did require a bit of reading and understanding. Thankfully, there's enough in the tutorial to get you started and hold your hand while you learn to navigate different aspects of the game.

I tried out both playable factions: Kin of Sheredyn and Aspects, and I'm delighted to say that it took me back to my days of playing Endless Space 2. Each faction is unique in terms of mechanics, objectives, units, buffs, bonuses, and everything in between.

Kin of Sheredyn are amazing at defense (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Kin of Sheredyn are amazing at holding their ground, utilizing massive defensive buffs and shields. Aspects, on the other hand, are great at movement. Once Coral spreads far and wide, I could move units across vast distances in a single turn.

Of course, this also means that both factions play differently, so the same tactics won't work, but I suppose that's part of the fun. Having to adapt and experiment with different playstyles keeps things interesting.

Understanding the resources at hand is vital (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Coming to the core mechanics of the game, you start by establishing a City, which you then improve upon. Build different Districts that allow you to produce Food, Industry, Dust, Science, and Influence. These are the five basic resources and will be the foundation of your empire, so to speak.

There are six advanced resources. I've only been able to discover four thus far: Titanium, Glassteel, Lazualin, and Hyperium. These allow you to upgrade Districts, Units, and also have a few other utilities. While they are not too difficult to find, it does take a few Turns.

My City seems to be doing rather well (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Moving on from resources, I want to talk about the Tidefall mechanic. To me, personally, this is the best part of the game. During Sunny Days, you can explore your chunk of the island. Find Curiosities, and other knick-knacks. However, before long, you will run out of space to explore. This is when you dig in and wait for the Start of The Monsoon.

There are a few buffs that you get during this time. Units can move farther, and you can pick up a few Curiosities as well. The real fun begins once the Monsoon ends. This is when Tidefall begins, and you gain access to new lands to explore and conquer.

Monsoon is the start of an interesting timeline in Endless Legends 2 (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Truth be told, there is a lot of downtime between these events, especially if you have a strong army or limited landmass to explore. This is not a bad thing, however, as you can build up your strength and prepare for expansion. In the last playthrough, I only encountered another AI (Aspects) after turn 110. But having said that, the Tidefall mechanic is incredible.

It opens up new regions to explore, Minor Factions to pacify, and access to more resources. Arguably, the first time this happened, I was rather confused, but by my second playthrough, I got the hang of everything.

Tidefall is a brilliant mechanic in Endless Legends 2 (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

That said, there's a lot to learn in Endless Legends 2. Understanding Unit types, their abilities, Diplomacy, which Tiles are most beneficial to you, Research, and everything in-between means the game has a steep learning curve. However, if you've played any of the Endless games, you know that this is all part and parcel of it. And I, for one, loved every moment.

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Performance and sound

I played my copy of Endless Legends 2, provided by Hooded Horse, on a system having the following configuration:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
• RAM: 32 GB

In terms of performance and sound, despite this being the demo, it works as intended. Aside from a few minor bugs, everything worked like a charm. There was no stuttering or lag, or performance issues.

Coming to the sound, from Unit interaction to background score, it is amazing.

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In conclusion

125 Turns of sheer bliss in Endless Legends 2 (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Between building, defending what's yours, expanding, and learning the ropes, Endless Legends 2 has a lot to offer. Perhaps my only gripe is that I got to play till Turn 125 before my session came to an end. However, in the time I have been able to play, I can confidently say that this sequel is shaping up rather well.

There's much work to be done before everything is complete, but as it stands, the game works well. There are a few bugs, but that's nothing to worry about as of now. The demo is completely functional, which is a good sign for fans who've waited all these years for Endless Legends 2. I, for one, cannot wait to play the final version and sink a couple of 100 Turns into the game.

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Endless Legends 2

A still from Endless Legends 2 (Image via Amplitude Studios || Sportskeeda Gaming)

Reviewed on: PC

Platform: Microsoft Windows

Developer: Amplitude Studios

Publisher: Hooded Horse

Release: TBA