There are many board games that might feel insurmountably complex, but none come close, in popular opinion, to Twilight Imperium.
First released in 1997, there have been multiple editions of the game, much like Dungeons and Dragons has received newer iterations to its ruleset. This has allowed the game to evolve over the years and now it’s expected to evolve again, this time digitally – arriving on Steam through developers Red Square Games at an unspecified date.
Twilight Imperium Digital
Naturally, adaptation of any kind is going to require someone developers to prioritise the most important aspects of the original. A board game is different to a video game, even if many of the same systems can be replicated.
Twilight Imperium Digital is a full adaptation of the board game’s 4th Edition rules, featuring all 17 factions and their associated features.
This has the opportunity to be both a blessing and a curse. For players who are enamoured with the board game format, the loss of tokens, cards and a physical board might diminish interest in the game, but for those who were putting off playing for that very reason, a digital version is likely very welcome.
Will it Be Single Player or Multiplayer?
Another aspect of the format that might be off-putting t people looking to play the game for the first time is having willing friends who can commit their afternoon(s) to a game that requires pre-knowledge.
The upcoming Steam version of the game, however, has made it clear that it will enable players to play opposite AI opponents, meaning that they can either play by themselves, or with friends and AI filling in the blanks
A New Competitive Environment
Of course, while fans of Twilight Imperium will likely be very interested in the game, others might feel as though it’s entering a very crowded and competitive environment.
Those who are unfamiliar with the game might feel as though it’s too close to something like Stellaris to forge its own identity. Despite the Civilization developers struggling, popular strategy games are already occupying the space in that genre, and a game like this might have some difficulty drawing widespread attention.
