The Epic Games Store has grown into quite the formidable digital storefront. After some shaky first steps, the store has managed to bring back some more skeptical gamers, a few of which have been won over by the platform's constant stream of free games. After a slew of great free games this past holiday season, Epic Games is kicking off their 2022 with a free gift of Galactic Civilizations 3.

A 4X strategy game set in a sprawling sci-fi universe, Galactic Civilizations 3 first released in 2015, and has actually been given away by the Epic Games Store before, about a year ago. However, for those who are new to the game/franchise, there's plenty of neat gameplay features and a decent sci-fi narrative to dive into.

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Galactic Civilization 3's Story and Setting

Galactic Civilizations 3 Fight

Being the third instalment in a franchise that's been around for nearly twenty years, there's a lot of backstory and lore to get into before a new player can get lost in the deeper narrative of the game. To give a very, very brief history lesson: There were two ancient space-faring civilizations known as the Drengin, and the Arceans.

These civilizations eventually built stargates that allowed them to travel much farther distances in mere moments. What started as a mutually beneficial relationship soon turned into war, with the Drengin using the stargate technology to attack the Arceans. After pushing their forces back, the Arceans set about searching the galaxy for other forms of life.

The Drengin and Arceans find a synthetic species known as the Yor, who were created by the Precursor civilization, also known as the Dread Lords. Thousands of years later, in 2117, Arceans reach out to humanity on Earth, offering them stargate technology. In return, humanity used their advanced fusion power technology to create hyperdrives, which allow individual ships to fold space and travel to a specific destination within seconds.

This hyperdrive technology was quickly used by all civilizations as a means to conquer the rest of the galaxy, building colonies across all planets as fast as they could. This inevitably led to conflict between the civilizations, leading to the events of the first game.

The events of the second game see the Precursors, also known as the Dread Lords, return, bringing their genocidal philosophy to the galaxy and enforcing it where they can. After a brutal five-year war, the Dread Lords are defeated, but the Yor and Drengin see an opportunity to unite their forces, and strike out against the rest of the weakened galaxy.

Humanity is forced to split into two separate forces, and many fleets are lost in a pocket universe. The third game takes place 10 years later, with much of the galaxy having undergone some drastic changes: Civilizations have been wiped out, some have been sterilized, and the Drengin Empire rules over the galaxy with an iron first, even trapping Earth inside an orbital force field. It's up to humanity, and the player, to take back control of the galaxy.

Galactic Civilization 3's Gameplay

Galactic Civilizations 3 Main Map

Galactic Civilizations 3 is a 4X strategy game, through and through. This is a genre where players either love or hate it, but if they do love 4X strategy games, then they're sure to enjoy this game.

In Galactic Civilizations 3, players take control of one of the game's 11 impressively vast factions. Each civilization starts with just one planet, and has to build out their fleet and technology before they can set off and conquer the galaxy.

One particularly unique gameplay feature in Galactic Civilizations 3 is the ability to create and customize ships. Players can change the visual design of a ship, along with customizing what weapons and defenses it has, ensuring that every battle's specific challenges are catered for.

If players prefer a more peaceful solution to conflict, though, then Galactic Civilizations 3 has them covered. Players can weaken and take control of surrounding planets by using their own cultural influence, opening them up for indoctrination and, eventually, domination.

Galactic Civilizations 3 will be free on the Epic Games Store from January 13-January 20.

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