So, like, Stellaris just dropped a new expansion called Biogenesis, and it’s like the ninth one they’ve put out so far. This time around, they’re letting players bio-engineer their species even more, create fleets of living ships, and interact with a hive-mind in some new story vignettes. But the real kicker is this new player start called Wilderness, which Paradox is hyping up as the most game-changing Origin they’ve ever added.
With the Wilderness start, you don’t begin the game as a regular civilization. Nope, you start off as a sapient planet with a whole new lush and green vibe, looking to spread your roots and maybe pop out a few planetary-sized offspring. It’s all about evolving mega-flora and fauna using this new resource called Biomass. Once your planet has hoarded enough of it, you can start launching terraforming spores to take over other worlds. It’s a whole new way to play, for sure.
Aside from the Wilderness, there are a couple of other player origins to check out. Evolutionary Predators lets you go wild with bioengineering, creating a super-species or just a bunch of funky little creatures. Then there’s the Starlit Citadel origin, where you’re trying to uncover why angry living ships are out to wreck your shiny Deep Space Citadel. If that’s not your jam, there’s a new Player Crisis scenario where you can raise your very own galactic leviathan and wreak havoc on the galaxy.
But hold onto your wallets, folks, because this expansion doesn’t come cheap. You’re looking at shelling out £22/$25 on Steam for Biogenesis, or you can grab it as part of the £38/$45 expansion pass. And there’s more content on the way before the year ends, including one focused on psionic weirdness and another on fiery volcano-dwelling civilizations. So, if you’re into causing trouble on a galactic scale, this is the game for you.
In case you’re not really sure why this matters, but the expansion promises to take Stellaris to new heights with its fresh gameplay mechanics and storylines. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this game is constantly evolving and keeping players on their toes. Plus, who wouldn’t want to play as a sentient planet or unleash a giant space monster on unsuspecting civilizations?
Overall, Stellaris continues to push the boundaries of the sci-fi sandbox genre, and with Biogenesis, it’s clear that there’s no stopping this game from expanding until the end of time. Or at least until we run out of genre tropes to explore. So, grab your controllers and get ready to embark on a wild intergalactic adventure like never before.
