FreeOrion is a turn-based strategy game belonging to the 4X subgenre, completely free and open source, where players can lead an empire and try to dominate the entire galaxy. The game, as you may have guessed from its name, is inspired by the Master of Orion saga, which in turn takes inspiration from the Civilization saga, but adding many interesting concepts and novelties to draw a thick line between the two franchises.
As is common in the vast majority of 4X, players will have total freedom to create the universe in which they want to play. The number of options you will find when creating a game is overwhelming. You can customize the number of systems, the size of the universe, the shape of the universe, the planetary density, the density of monsters in the galaxy, the number of enemy empires, or the maximum aggressiveness of these empires. And, of course, you can also choose from more than a dozen different races, with which you will have to try to subdue your rivals.
Learning to play FreeOrion is not exactly easy. A common theme in the 4X genre is high complexity. And precisely for this reason, the game has an ingame guide, which will allow you to consult all the important concepts and mechanics of the game, directly from the game interface itself. This way you will not have to look at a Wiki in the browser or consult the instruction manual. If you do not know how to do something, simply search directly in the game itself.
The ultimate goal in FreeOrion, regardless of your style of play, is always total domination. Now, this does not mean that you necessarily have to launch your fleet of spaceships against all the empires you encounter while exploring the galaxy. It is possible to be victorious in any game without having to drop a single bomb on your enemies. Sometimes, diplomacy and a soft touch will allow you to win games without spilling blood.
FreeOrion is one of the best 4X you can find for Mac, especially if you take into account that the game is totally free and open source. You can play alone, against as many AI-controlled opponents as you like, but you can also play online against your friends, in massive games that can last hours and hours, if not days. An outstanding game, which is right up there with Stellaris and other referents of the genre.
