Building an Empire in Ancient China
Oriental Empires puts players at the head of a fledgling faction in ancient China, tasking them with transforming a modest settlement into a dominating imperial power. The experience involves founding cities, raising structures, and securing critical resources, all while establishing overland and water-based trade routes. Cultural, religious, and technological progress unfolds alongside legal reforms, carrying a campaign from the early Bronze Age straight through to the advent of gunpowder. For veterans of the 4X genre, much of the city-building and macro-management will feel immediately familiar, echoing the structural depth of the Civilization series.
Simultaneous Warfare and Tactical Planning
Where Oriental Empires truly separates itself from genre conventions is on the battlefield. Although the game remains turn-based, movement and commands are not executed in a staggered sequence. Instead, every player’s orders are resolved in parallel at the conclusion of a round, creating a tense layer of prediction and counter-prediction. This system makes scouting an absolute necessity, as advancing blindly can lead an army straight into a concealed second force lying in ambush. Units can be grouped into larger armies by stacking them on individual hexes, and players may assign formations and tactical directives that shape how the ensuing automated clashes play out.
Critical Reception and Performance
When the title launched in September 2017, the German publication 4Players awarded it a score of 80 out of 100 points. Shining Pixel Studio’s work earned praise for its distinctive historical setting, polished core mechanics, and a surprisingly sharp artificial intelligence. The critique, however, pointed to a combat system that can feel slightly shallow once engagements begin, giving the player a limited sense of direct control, while the visual presentation was noted as looking somewhat dated by contemporary standards.
The broader player base appears to agree with much of that assessment. On Steam, over 2,900 user reviews have yielded an 80 percent positive rating. Aggregated critical opinion on Metacritic sits at a Metascore of 74, while the User Score rests at 7.5. Those looking to play on the go will find the title rated "Playable" on the Steam Deck.
A Historic Low in the Summer Sale
The standard asking price for Oriental Empires hovers just under $30 on Steam. During the current Steam Summer Sale, however, that figure has been slashed by 85 percent, bringing the cost down to $4.49. The promotion runs through July 9 and marks the first time the game has dipped below the $5 threshold. Prior to this event, historical tracking data shows that discounts had previously topped out at around 83 percent, making the present offer a slight but notable new low for the title.
Source: store.steampowered.com