WARDOGS
WARDOGS
Game
Game2017
Stars in Shadow
Developer Ashdar Games
Stars in Shadow is a turn-based, 4X science-fiction computer strategy game developed by Ashdar Games and published by Iceberg Interactive for Windows PC in 2017. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 24, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
75
LovedLoved
140 positive · 46 negative
95% range 69–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 140 | 46 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
657 of 837 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Players are largely positive, praising it as a worthy Master of Orion successor.
Many players celebrate Stars in Shadow as the best spiritual successor to Master of Orion 2, with streamlined mechanics and a charming art style. They appreciate its balance of depth and accessibility, making it a joy to play. [7][27][10]
However, some players criticize the game for being too simple, lacking features like race customization, and having balance issues. Others report technical problems such as crashes and a lack of ongoing development. [28][34][32]
Praised Spiritual successor to Master of Orion · Streamlined and accessible gameplay · Charming art style
Criticised Lack of depth and customization · Balance issues · Technical problems and lack of updates
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 9, 2026. Method
Critics, per Wikipedia
Stars in Shadow received a positive reception from press. The game currently holds a 75 metascore on Metacritic. Tom Chick of Quarter to Three reviewed the game with four out of five stars, praising its ability to focus on the most important aspects of 4X games. Hooked Gamers also praised the turn-based combat and its depth.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstLet me say that if you have this game or get it on sale, it's a perfectly fine addition to a steam library. But if you're looking for that one game to play a lot of, there are a lot better games out there. There's no customization in the factions, and whatever uniqueness they have comes down to the slightest gimmicks (one faction gets carriers in the early game, another gets the ability to mount a ship with a BFG, and another gets the ability to build frigates and unique types of destroyers).…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow is so similar to the original "Master of Orion" series I'm surprised it wasn't made the same people. Fortunately that's not a bad thing. It resembles the old series for all the right reasons. Constantly expanding your empire, building up your fleet, and fine tuning your planets to give you the maximum amount of resources can be loads of fun. Unfortunately there are two crippling flaws that really make this game hard to recommend. The first is the bare-bones diplomacy…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’m very glad this game exists, but sad that it’s not being actively developed. After 50+ hours, I’ve decided that I enjoy playing this game more than the quintessential Master of Orion 2 that it’s clearly imitating. MOO2 may be a more fully realized strategic experience, but Stars in Shadow is just a more enjoyable place to spend your time. The negative reviewers point out features that are not fully realized, but I feel ignore the many unique features Stars in Shadow offers its players…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is, by far, the best 4X space game on Steam. It is a true 4X game, which means that the AI gets bonuses on higher difficulty but there is no ridiculous rule that if you colonize two planets you have to research 10 techs to overcome some stupid "happiness" shortcoming or some other arbitrary rule to prevent you from expanding. With this game you can expand as fast as you want from the first second. The AI is very good, and the tech tree is as detailed as any I have seen. What you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a good 4X. It's reasonably simple for the genre without being shallow. It has turn based combat which is always a plus for me in any game where you can customise your ships. The AI is reasonable, the graphics are clean and clear. I've had a lot of fun with it and will probably continue to play it now and again as it has something compelling. The races are all very different to play, which is also nice. Just don't play humans your first game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sorry, but as much as this game is a love letter to the titans of the space 4X genre, Master of Orion I & II, this game is just "not IT chief" as the cool kids used to say a few years ago. Stars in Shadow is just undercooked in critical ways that at best makes it a slog, and at worst feels like a painful exercise when you could be playing something better. I originally was drawn to this game because I followed the art designer who shared their concept art for a 'modern' Master of Orion…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starting balance of pirates is beyond stupid... I started a game, and literally next to my system there was a cruiser that destroyed 4 of my ships in a single combat, then attacked my home system Started new game Same ♥♥♥♥ happened Started third game Same ♥♥♥♥ happened. I have said this so, so many times. I wish developers played their own games, because something like this is beyond retarded
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was pleasantly surprised with how re-playable this game turned out to be! The game does some interesting things to reduce micromanagement (I LOVE not having to manually build hundreds of improvements across dozens of colonies) and offers an interesting mechanic to mix races with different biome preferences to maximize colony population. The combat is comparable to MOO2, which is great, although from time to time you might be tempted to automate a very large battle if you're fighting on many…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It really bums me out to give this game a thumbs down. it's not the gameplay I have an issue with, it's the crashing and completely schizophrenic error messages that the developers have yet to address. It pains me dearly that I can't give this otherwise fun game a decent score.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Easily the best and most polished Master of Orion-inspired game out there. If you're looking for MoO's spiritual successor, this is it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite enjoyable. Very Master of Orion II like. I wish it had some of the management/UI features that even the 1996 Master of Orion II had like a list of known planets. In some places the game and UI are quite barebones. The "diplomatic incident" random event system is stupid. Every few turns two sides both want me to cut off all contact with the other side at a massive negative point cost, worse than if I had actually done something bad to them. Factions will try to claim planets I just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow, a space fairing game that well and truly stole my heart a few years back. Simple, reliable and a very good reason to waste hours of your time, this is absolutely a game for those who don't want the confusion and complexity of a Paradox game, but absolutely want something a bit more in depth and personal than a bare basics empire management sim. This is a wonderful medium, for several reasons: PRO: UI/Menu's - While not particularly dripping in unique snazzy designs and what…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite the fact that I am not particularly experienced in 4X strategies, I unexpectedly liked Stars in Shadow. Usually games of this genre seem too complicated and overloaded with mechanics, where you need to spend hours understanding the interface and tables, but here everything turned out to be much clearer. After just a couple of moves, you start to get involved: you explore new systems, build a fleet, and gradually expand your empire. I especially liked the atmosphere of space adventures…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow is a beautiful game. The art is quality and distinctive, with a cohesive design that shines through. As far as 4X games go, it's rather simple. That said, it isn't lacking any core mechanics that characterize the genre. If you're a fan of Stellaris, you'll feel the weight of the absence of mechanics such as being able to exterminate primitives, or modifying your species, but there are benefits to those systems not being included. Your first decisions have a major impact on your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game I've tried to get into off and on since it's release. I feel like there's a pretty good game somewhere in there, but a bad interface and not enough in-game information really makes the game a frustrating chore to play. I wish I could give the game a more neutral review, it has some good aspects! Good: -One of the best planet habitability and population systems I've seen in any game. There are no single-biome planets in this game, instead every planet has a mix of environments that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow is, in my humble opinion, one of the best spiritual successors to Master of Orion 2. Having spent many hours on that game, I can say these two line up very well... so if you enjoyed one, you'll likely enjoy the other. Some issues: race balance is not ideal. Humans and Gremak are particularly weak compared to the rest... I love the design concept behind them but the balance is off. Gremak's main issue is that slaves are just not very good. There are some serious drawbacks to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Plus: - Ability to queue research deeply into research tree - Various races to start, each has advantages and/or disadvantages, each plays differently - Persistent diplomacy through influence points - Game can be modified by altering text scripts in lua language - Interesting concept: improvements should be manned by population in order to fully use its potential Minus: - Cannot create a customized race - Only 6-9 improvements per planet - Fleets cannot be intercepted while moving…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes. Not massive in scope but there's a lot of interesting things in it. EDIT: I've worked out what it reminds me of - Birth of the Federation. It has that sort of charm to it and a straightforward surface but a lot of depth when you dig down.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game a fair bit several years ago, and have just recently come back to it. Simply put, it strikes the perfect balance between complexity, and playability, with a slick & intuitive interface. It isn't a flashy game, but what it has serves it well. I'd welcome a sequel that maintains the same tightly focused scope, but with a little more content (re exploration & events), and more impressive visuals. For the 4X purists who value mechanics & balance over visuals & roleplay, this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Did you love Master of Orion 2? So did the devs, and this game is a love letter to it. I even dare say it's better, with a simplified and improved planet development system that hits the just right balance.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is very similar to Master of Orion 2, so if you liked that game you'll probably enjoy this game too. The game has more modern graphics and is fun to play but is not as feature rich as Master of Orion 2: you can't design your own race and there are no leaders. It's a simple game, the UI is well designed and intuitive: I was able to work out how to play the game without having to look anything up. I've been playing this for a while now and I'm enjoying it more now. The races are all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have played many 4X space strategy games. I would rate this about 7/10 for games of that genre, and about 8/10 overall. Pros: I really enjoyed the agency of the space battles and mechanics. Cons: Late game some of the techs are seem unbalanced, particularly the Temporal Aegis shields. They cause battle to drag on too long and seem to favor the AI to much. One thing this game lacks (and to be honest, almost all 4X games) is ground battle simulation. Years ago I played a space…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best successor to Master of Orion that I have encountered since playing the original games in the 90's. There is a lot more nuance in this game than you realize, even after playing several games you will discover things you didn't know were possible.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow, developed by Ashdar Games and released on Steam in 2017, is a turn-based 4X strategy game that proudly channels the spirit of the genre’s golden era — particularly the beloved Master of Orion series. Wrapped in a vibrant, comic book-style aesthetic, it presents a compelling blend of tactical depth and approachable design. While it may not have the sheer scale or production value of modern genre giants, its charm, clarity, and mechanical tightness have earned it a loyal…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i really like this one i've already bought it on gog, bought it again on steam because it was cheap and i'd buy it another 20 times if it meant we get a 2nd DLC. like a mix of moo1 and moo2 balancing / ai issues can be fixed with mods it has a nice wonder to it and fun sense of discovery with the tech tree every empire/race plays differently in my eyes, 10/10 for what it is - not a stellaris replacement, but a 4x you can comfortably start and finish a game in one evening. in what other game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great 4X game. It is a little more streamlined than some other 4X games in terms of mechanics and content, but that isn't a defect at all. Rather each game is very different due to the race traits plus starting conditions. The artwork of the game is the most immersive I've experienced with a 4X game, and the personalities of the different races in diplomacy is also very immersive. You start having carrying around grudges or good feelings in new games for the races you meet based on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first perfect achievements game in a 19 years old steam account.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm rather creative and deep, passionate story-teller and it has actually challenged me to put together the "perfect review" this game deserves. The game itself is not perfect, but it is inescapably the best 4X game I've ever had the ridiculous pleasure to play. They really thought of a lot of things here, it's neither over-thought or under-thought, it's very well balanced, with inspiration from other 4X but very much of it's own style, character, dynamic, and spirit - so much it very easily…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is a lot of fun. Just wish they didn't abandoned it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game 5 years ago before it even hit Steam. Nothing has changed in that time. It is still a very very bland MOO wannabe. Your only option in the game is war. That's it. The AI is setup to cheat instead of actually think. The races are heavily uninspired and lack any creativity. There is no option for custom races as they seem to want you to purchase any new race as DLC. Someone on the forums told me to go play Stellaris or Endless Space if I wanted more out of my 4x game. So, I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly good. If you liked Sword of the Stars but didn't like all the fiddly, half-baked systems, you'll like this. The economic and colonization systems are simultaneously streamlined and flexible. There was no need for a tutorial as almost everything is self-explanatory.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →like the game. one of the bast turn base games there is.. wish it had more content. after some hours it does get.. like any other game does, and without fresh stuff it gets less played.. 10/10 reminds me of MOO No bugs or crahses for me graphics simple but good gameplay is a turn based it is what it is tech tree is good but could be revised a little. some tech seems redundent and just leads to another tech.. combat in a large scale expecally with missles gets long, very long…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game. It has a clean UI and straight-forward gameplay. It also has control over spaceship tactical combat!Unfortunately, it is too simple. The "control" you have over combat is moving your ships and choosing when to fire, as well as a couple other options(almost exactly like Space Empires IV, if you've played that). If the rest of the game was interesting, that would be okay. But it is not. Research is basic and boring, simply newer is better. Diplomacy is simple…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Craving a galactic conquest game, I tried Endless Space and Stellaris, but found them miles more complicated than I have the time or patience for. Stars in Shadow has a throwback vibe, not only visually and aurally. It channels a time when sims didn't require six months to fully understand. I played a small map on easy a time or two and I had all the basics down. Think Master of Orion or Star Wars: Rebellion as far as difficulty to learn. I loved both of those games and like this one as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ok this is an AWESOME game, it has been easily a decade since i last played a game this immersive and this fun. Kept me up all night playing! The battles are fun, the entire developpement system is great. GET THIS ITS WORTH IT
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is easily the best Master of Orion 2 successor available. The art style is more like old saturday morning cartoons than the pixels of M002, but the colors and general feel are the same. Tactical combat is on par with MOO2, and planetary management is better in my opinion. Each race is distinct, and they have different climate preferences. You had this to some extent in MOO2, but it is expanded on greatly here. Worlds have climate regions on them, and different races can use different…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a case where I wish there was an inbetween recommendation level. The game is basically a simplified 4x game. You can finish a game a lot faster than other 4x games because a lot of the micro-managing or choices just aren't there in this game. Race: All races are premade and there's no customization. It allows each to be "more unique" but you won't really get to mix and match to your personal preference. Ships: No deciding your fleet formations, ships have slots for equipment so they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good, relatively simple 4x, relaxing, fun to play. Force of "one more turn" is strong with this one. Recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely addictive game that really brings back the feeling of playing MOO2 for me. I can not recommend this game enough. 💜
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was really fun and I loved the art style. Each faction has their strengths and weaknesses, but the Orthin were my favorite because they have the ability to ignore the harsh climates of iceball worlds that they colonize. Other factions tend to overlook these worlds so they are usually free for the taking. They also had my favorite ship types. The Orthin gunships are really strong and you can build them with devastating long range weapons that allow you to site back and wipe out the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The customisation isn't as deep as MoO II and a lot of details aren't as tight, but it's a pretty good effort. I like the ship art, even if it's pretty limited. It's missing a lot of little things, like various ship mechanics, a red line showing foreign ships approaching stars and buttons instead of actually having to click the text in some cases. For all that it lacks, I've played a lot of MoO II wannabes and this is the most successful. I recommend it to anyone who's already played MoO II…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an OK space empire-building game in the vein of Master of Orion 1/2. Maybe more 1 than 2. The issue with that kind of game is that it tries to fulfill the fantasy of both being Space Emperor as well as Captain Pickard. Diplomacy, exploration, colony management, and research are all relatively straightforward and functional. Ship design and tactical combat is where a lot of complexity lies. The tactical combat is even more necessary than it was in MoO2, because here there are so many…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels the itch for a strategy game without taking forever. I can play a game in an day. Combines the best aspect of Moo2 without taking forever.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this game a lot, it's simple in some aspects, but the one more turn, one more game feel is real. Nice thing to play when you played too much of Master of Orion 2 and wish for something different, but of the kind.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little space 4x. Very good in that there is little of the detail overkill of many 4x games. But that's also a potential problem. If you want to dig deeper there is no there to dig into. Still I have fun with this game when I need a break from micromanagement hell that the top 4x games have become. I like the art style because it is fresh compared to other games. I recommend this game for many hours of relaxing expansionism.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Making an effort to go back and review games I wanted to leave positive reviews for but never did ... anyways, game good, cool art and unique race selection, feels very much like an older 4x in a good way, UI can be a bit overwhelming tho
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game alot but be warned. First I want to say that this was a great game with a lot of cool stuff and intersting mechanics but... I feel like the game wanted to be simple and achived that but I do feel like their was a little to much of that, for example ground battles in invasionsare just a prestange bar that goes up and some explotions. Feel like theirs a missed oppertunite their. Idk but I also wanrt to note their are some balnceing issues but they don't really come up from what I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A successful reimagining and recapturing of the glory of the old Master of Orion games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This might be my favorite 4X space game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game plays a lot like Master of Orion 2. What it does better than any other 4x game in recent years is tactical combat. The one feature I missed from MOO 2 was the brilliant tactical combat. However in MOO2 you could win tactical battles even if you were hopelessly inferior by crative solutions. (boaring enemy ships to deal as much internal damage as possible or self destructing your ship to cause maximum AOE damage to all surrounding vessels.) I can only pull off moves like that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow is probably the best space 4x game I've played in recent years, but then I'm a fan of MOO2, and SiS feels very much like playing a MOO2 that's been remade from scratch and tailored for an even better single player experience. It's more streamlined (yet not lacking) in terms of building options, the diplomacy has a bit more flavor to it, and I find that the music, ambience and visuals make the universe feel quite alive. It's also nice that planets consist of different biomes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic 4x that is more relaxed and less complex than the more known ones, it still has alot of 4x to it and also has turn based combat wich is pretty unique for 4x. I Reccomend for anyone wanting more control over their space combat and a bit lighter 4x than things like Stellaris.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot easier to pick up as a new player than many other games of the 4x genre. Played as the Phidi my first time around, and won by accident when I allied with everyone but the human faction, which was promptly blown to oblivion by said allies. XD The game did have errors and had to shut down a few times, but this only made me have to load my last autosave, so it didn't really bother me. Good fun, and I enjoyed the artwork. 8/10 :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Master of Orion 2 clone, but with most systems effectively streamlined without penalizing gameplay. Some flaws: tactical combat more detailed than MOO2 but also messier - less battle space and hopeless pre-battle fleet deployment. Overall though, IMO, a much slicker game than more complex space 4X's with just as much enjoyment due to the generally transparent mechanics. No espionage though (but I personally haven't missed it). Recommended but there is room for improvement.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, this game was fun. Now the developers have made hard almost impossible to do and normal plays like hard. At least I can't tell the difference. Mid game everyone already got endgame Adamantine armor and end game artillery vortex weapons... sigh, and has 10x the units and tech as you do.... What a waste of time!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stars in Shadow is a 4x, but it's more Age of Wonders than Master of Orion. A streamlined 4x layer is combined with starship tactical combat. The artwork is beautiful, too. While I personally lean towards a more strategic than tactical approach in 4x games, Stars in Shadow does get a recommend - particularly if you do like tactical combat 4Xs. Little word of warning: Where in most space 4x games humans are a good starter faction, that's not the case here - they're really quite challenging.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple game, but scratches a strategy space game itch quickly versus spending hundreds of hours completing one of the major titles. You can finish one of these games in just a few sittings. Not hard to learn so the time investment is returned quickly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a gem, I so wish this title was kept alive. Master of Orion lovers can't go wrong here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9/10 This is a space 4X game with though AI player, it's harder and better than Civilization. The biggest pro is that it allows you to customize most space ships. It's quite fun to customize those ships. And after playing a couple of hours, I found that a horde of Orthin's gunships mounted with the interstellar surge beam was literally invincible.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The UI is a mess, the controls are a nightmare, and there just isn't much in the way of options for how to run your diplomacy ...or anything else. It's like a severely chopped down version of the original 'Space Empires' with much fewer options and better (albeit excessively cartoony) graphics.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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