How Countless Legend 2 Raises the Tide on Flip-Based mostly Technique Video games

Countless Legend 2 is a fantasy turn-based technique sport, and the subsequent title from Amplitude Studios who beforehand made Humankind and Countless Area. At launch it’ll function 5 asymmetrical factions, tactical battles, a number of victory varieties (together with seven totally different variations of the narrative victory situation), and numerous hours of replayability as gamers discover and conquer Saiadha, a mysterious oceanic paradise going by way of cataclysmic change. Just like the studios’ earlier works, Countless Legend 2 represents a definitive step ahead within the technique style by way of brand-new mechanics, reminiscent of Tidefall.

A Tidal Downside

Countless Legend 2 represents a particular type of technique sport you’ll have seen earlier than that typically goes by one other title, 4X video games, a phrase coined some time in the past to speak in regards to the early Civilization titles. The 4 Xs symbolize distinct pillars: Discover, Broaden, Exploit, and Exterminate.

As of late, the style has developed past this moniker — however that first part, discover, stays a core design pillar of any technique sport. It’s the half that always struggles past the early parts of a marketing campaign and this is among the causes the Tidefall mechanic emerged in Countless Legend 2. It represents a momentous occasion in-game the place the oceans recede, revealing new lands, alternatives, and risks.

“Based mostly on the a long time of suggestions Amplitude has collected since their first 4X sport, we’ve discovered that gamers typically discover the exploration part to be essentially the most enjoyable,” says Countless Legend 2’s Sport Director Derek Paxton. “They might play for some time, then get bored when the total map is revealed and all of the territory is claimed. At this level your choices are to change to both a full-on warmonger, or keep inside your borders and check out taking part in ‘tall’.”

“We wished to resolve this by revealing new land as the sport went on. Introducing new exploration phases and new alternatives to assert territory and develop. The largest a part of that is Tidefall, which may make strategic chokepoint cities out of date or flip secure cities in your backlines into uncovered targets as new land bridges are shaped to different islands and empires.”

Whereas there’s much less land to discover to start with, beginning in a smaller space does provide you with loads of room to develop, discover, and modify to your faction’s strengths and weaknesses in a comparatively secure atmosphere. As soon as the primary Tidefall occurs, the map opens up, altering the strategic panorama completely.

This variation brings about new challenges – by no means thoughts that different main empires may need entry to your lands now, however the atmosphere additionally will get extra harmful. Fortresses guarded by NPC armies will want conquering, and after the third Tidefall occasion, menacing Doomwraiths will emerge from the planet’s depths, endangering areas you will have beforehand thought secure.

Using the Waves

Disrupting the state of the sport and participant momentum isn’t one thing that needs to be completed evenly, or too regularly. The Tidefall mechanic has gone by way of a number of iterations by way of impression and frequency, however by way of intensive testing Amplitude seems like they’ve discovered candy spot.

“We began with eight Tidefalls and slowly diminished them as we went by way of playtesting,” says Paxton. “The extra we had, the much less land every revealed. We opted to go for fewer with larger impacts as a substitute of extra frequent with smaller results. When Tidefall occurred, we wished the sport to alter.”

There at the moment are three Tidefall occasions per sport, and the size between them will range relying on the map measurement. On common settings, it’s between 40 – 50 turns. Nevertheless it’s not nearly pacing — the broader impression of Tidefalls was additionally examined carefully.

“We even thought-about having the expertise eras tied to Tidefall or having Tidefall be harmful (if the oceans got here again, for instance). However ultimately, we determined to maintain it solely as a reward as a result of it wasn’t enjoyable to spend money on constructing an empire, simply to have one thing outdoors of the participant’s management set again their progress”.

“The one remnant of that concept that is still is that each one tiles adjoining to water (oceans, lakes, or rivers) get a meals bonus. As Tidefall happens, the oceans go away and the rivers dry up, eradicating these bonuses. So coastal or river cities accustomed to those bonuses for progress will lose them.”

This feeds into two of the opposite pillars – Broaden and Exploit. Whereas the results of Tidefalls gained’t be sport breaking, they may add simply sufficient stress to your marketing campaign that you will want to plan round this finally, sometimes by increasing outward and trying to find new or higher sources of progress to your empire.

Turning the Tide

So long as you respect the Tidefall, it may be deliberate for and a few of the chaos that comes with the receding oceans could be managed. You’ll know, for instance, {that a} coastal metropolis at first of a sport gained’t stay as such, and that distant island can be accessible finally. There are different issues to bear in mind as properly:

“On the Strategic map it’s good to keep watch over areas of the fog of conflict which can be golden,” says Paxton. “We name this the ‘Haze’ and it signifies that that is the sting of unrevealed lands that Tidefall has uncovered, and the place new risks can come from.”

“Additionally, if gamers have river cities which can be relying on the meals bonuses from the river, constructing a Dam will make sure that the river stays after Tidefall. Or you’ll be able to construct a Dam for a river that flows into your enemy’s lands and deprive them of their meals bonuses with out ready for Tidefall to occur.”

The world of Saiadha is ready – there are different factions to subdue, and a thriller that lies within the coronary heart of the world to unravel. Whichever approach you select to strategy the sport, be sure to put together for Tidefall.

Countless Legend 2 (Sport Preview) releases for Xbox on PC, PC Sport Go, and Sport Go Final on September 22, 2025.