The player competes with alien factions to explore and settle nearby star systems, develop colonies, build fleets to defend against rivals, negot iate with them and conquer them, when necessary. The game is won by unifying the galaxy, either through diplomacy or by force.

Stars in Shadow features everything you’d expect from a 4X game. Begin with a single, humble, planet. Expand your influence and colonize new worlds. Research new technologies and upgrade your cities and ships. Discover and interact with strange alien empires, eventually becoming the greatest of them all. SiS doesn’t end with just the basics though!

The biggest item fans of 4X games will notice is the emphasis placed on combat. In each combat you have the option of taking control of your fleet and fighting it out on a tactical grid in true turn based strategy style. In addition to this deep tactical option, Stars in Shadow has streamlined planet building. No more will you have to repeat the exact same build chain on every planet, but rather the tactical planet colonization decision is more about which races you believe should be inhabiting it. SiS has gone away from the “Superior Race” mentality, and much of the game becomes about assimilating strange alien cultures into your own.

Time well-spent in the Early Access program has secured much useful feedback and advice from the 4X community, and has ensured that the game is now packed with tons of new features. Two brand new factions have been implemented, strategic zoom is added, as well as the Galactic Council. Moreover, various new minor races can be discovered and the option to use slaves for scientific experiments is now made available to all players.

Sven Olsen, lead developer of Ashdar Games says: “It’s the achievement of a goal that we’ve been working towards for more than six years, so we’re pretty excited about it. On the other hand, there’s still a lot we want to add to the game, so it doesn't feel as if the project is coming to an end but rather a new chapter in which we plan to work on many new additions to the Stars in Shadow universe..."

Stars in Shadow is available on Steam and other digital platforms for $24.99 with a 25% discount for the duration of the launch week.

Key Features

• A distinctive comic-book art style and an original, detailed universe backstory draw you into an immersive game world. Interact with a unique cast of alien characters, make friends and influence people, or crush your enemies and see them driven before you.
• Turn based 4X space strategy featuring turn based fleet combat. The tactical system allows starships to do battle using a wide range of different weapons and abilities.
• 7 Playable factions comprising six alien races. Choice of faction will determine tech and research opportunities initially available. Forming alliances, conquering neighboring species, or discovering ancient artifacts may open up additional avenues of research.
• A vast range of different planet types, each with their own lore. The most prized worlds are those that hold artifacts from civilizations that vanished long ago.
• Manage a growing empire. Balance the competing priorities of research, growth, and ship building and decide the fate of those alien species that come under your control.A multi-species empire allows taking advantage of the aptitudes of each race, but will prove challenging.
• Galactic politics: Of the playable alien species, three are "young races", reaching out into the galaxy for the first time. The remaining three are "old races", survivors of a terrible war fought in the distant past, they still hold to their ancient grudges.
• Choose your race wisely as it impacts which worlds will suit you, what trades or alliances may be offered, and whether or not your neighbors are inclined to trust you.
• A successful attack against an enemy planet gives you the option of bombarding and/or invading that planet by means of ground combat.
• Three difficulty settings.
• Map sizes up to 85 star systems. Each star can have up to 10 planets.
• Advanced settings such as Random events and NPC factions, including pirates and marauders.