4X What is the most innovative/boundary pushing 4x game or genre mashup in the last decade?

[Axioms]

Thea and Thea 2 I think are one of the possible options where it is a party/card based rpg 4x hybrid.
Shadow Empire is of course a wargame/4x hybrid with cool setting/worldgen.
Some people might argue for Shadow Behind The Throne 2 or Shadow Of Forbidden Gods or something.
*Some* people, trashy ones, argue for Stellaris as a 4X/GSG hybrid type thing.
I suppose Conquest Of Eo has really unique mechanics for the mage classes so I'd count that.

While Millennia and Humankind could in some sense be called innovative with mechanics and minor systems, they still generally sit well within the general Civ mold.
AoW4 might count but it is not *that* distinct from existing AoW games or MoM.

Are there many other games out there that are as divergent as Thea 2 or Shadow Empire?

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

 

[luj1]

None at all

 

[Raghar]

Vagrus.
Airships conquer the skyies.
Organ trading simulator. (Should be freeware, it's too simple to be commercial.)
Songs of Conquests
Highfleet.

 

[Axioms]

Vagrus.
Airships conquer the skyies.
Organ trading simulator. (Should be freeware, it's too simple to be commercial.)
Songs of Conquests
Highfleet.

There are a couple interesting airship games now that I think about it, but is Vagrus 4x? I mean do you build a settlement or anything? I remember reading about it a while ago and it seems like a sort of freeform mercenary roguelite thing?

 

[man-erg]

Difficult question. Innovative 4X seems to be an oxymoron. We mostly get reskinned Civ clones now. Not aware of anything as genuinely innovative as, say, Colonization or Imperialism, even MOO, recently. When a clunky old brown clone like Old World gets called "refreshing", you know 4X is in a bad way. Civ 4 had more innovative (and better) mods.

Would agree that Thea is innovative and actually quite good (though I much prefer Thea 1 to Thea 2). Though not a Civ clone, so some say not a 4X. Other than that... Civ 6 is arguably more innovative than most of the attempts by its competitors. Or is that older than 10 years now?

 

[akagifron]

Check shadow empire. Its ultimate 4x

 

[OttoQuitmarck]

4x peaked with colonization and alpha centauri

 

[Lacrymas]

Old World and Conquest of Eo, duh.

 

[Axioms]

Old World and Conquest of Eo, duh.

Eo is definitely great at least for the character classes. Very detailed and interesting magic systems.

 

[Lacrymas]

I forgot to mention Gladius as well. Easily the best PvP/combat-focused 4X.

 

[Socrates]

Thea and Thea 2 I think are one of the possible options where it is a party/card based rpg 4x hybrid.
Shadow Empire is of course a wargame/4x hybrid with cool setting/worldgen.
Some people might argue for Shadow Behind The Throne 2 or Shadow Of Forbidden Gods or something.
*Some* people, trashy ones, argue for Stellaris as a 4X/GSG hybrid type thing.
I suppose Conquest Of Eo has really unique mechanics for the mage classes so I'd count that.

While Millennia and Humankind could in some sense be called innovative with mechanics and minor systems, they still generally sit well within the general Civ mold.
AoW4 might count but it is not *that* distinct from existing AoW games or MoM.

Are there many other games out there that are as divergent as Thea 2 or Shadow Empire?

I would definitely say Songs of Conquest is the major contender currently. I wouldn't put Stellaris in the traditional 4x category as it's really in it's own weird genre.

 

[Baron Tahn]

I forgot to mention Gladius as well. Easily the best PvP/combat-focused 4X.

This is first thing that came to my mind as well. As much as I like diplomacy, noone ever does it properly.

Gladius went the other way, innovated by just cutting it from the equation.

Havent played a lot of 4x lately though, got to give the MoM remake a go.