Deal | Even more tactical than Civilization: China-set 4X strategy game drops below $5 on Steam for the first time

In Oriental Empires, players take command of a faction in ancient China and gradually turn it into a powerful empire. They found new cities, construct buildings, secure resources and establish trade routes by land and water. At the same time, they advance technology, culture, religion and laws. The campaign spans the period from the Bronze Age to the introduction of gunpowder. Much of this should feel familiar to 4X fans – especially the empire management and city-building, which are clearly reminiscent of the Civilization series.

Warfare, however, works quite differently. Although Oriental Empires is also turn-based, turns are resolved simultaneously, unlike in Civilization. At the end of each round, all movement commands are carried out in parallel. This makes tactical planning much more engaging, as players have to anticipate their opponents’ moves as accurately as possible. It also makes thorough reconnaissance especially important before sending an army into battle – after all, it is frustrating when a second enemy force suddenly turns out to be lying in ambush. Players can also stack their own units on individual hexes to form larger armies instead of placing each unit on a separate tile. Formations and tactical orders further influence the outcome of the automatically resolved battles.

German gaming magazine 4Players reviewed Oriental Empires when it was released in September 2017 and praised Shining Pixel Studio’s 4X strategy game particularly for its fresh setting, well-executed 4X mechanics and clever AI. However, the game was not without criticism: according to the editorial team, the combat system feels somewhat underdeveloped in places and gives players only limited influence over battles once they are underway. The outdated presentation also failed to impress. In the end, 4Players nevertheless awarded the game a strong score of 80 out of 100 points.

The Steam community largely shares this view: 80% of more than 2,900 user reviews are positive. On Metacritic, the picture is slightly weaker but still solid, with a Metascore of 74 and a User Score of 7.5. On the Steam Deck, the title is rated “Playable.”

85% off on Steam for the first time

Oriental Empires normally costs just under $30 on Steam. As part of the Steam Summer Sale, however, the strategy game is 85% off through July 9 and is available for $4.49. According to SteamDB, discounts of up to 83% had been common until now. The current deal only slightly undercuts the previous lowest price, but it does bring Oriental Empires below the $5 mark for the first time.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.