Star General (v1.0)

Galactic conquest takes the methodical, hex-based warfare of classic turn-based strategy and pushes it across an entire solar system. Star General casts you as the commander of one of seven distinct factions, fighting to hold worlds, break hostile invasions, and turn newly taken planets into productive military assets. Its tone is firmly old-school: dense, deliberate, and willing to make every transport, research choice, and frontline position matter. Rather than treating space as a backdrop, the game makes the void and the planets beneath it equally important battlefields.

Campaigns and custom scenarios revolve around capturing territory, building infrastructure, and assembling forces capable of winning both orbital and planetary conflicts. Fleets clash in space before troops can descend, so a strong planetary army means little if enemy ships control the approach; likewise, orbital superiority alone does not secure a world. Conquered planets support cities, factories, laboratories, defensive sites, and space stations, creating the familiar 4X-style loop of expansion feeding production, production feeding conquest, and conquest opening new strategic options. A large roster of ship classes and land units supports varied army compositions, while diplomacy can bring neutral powers into your orbit or be removed entirely for a more straightforward all-out war.

The two-layer war system remains Star General’s defining idea, giving invasions a satisfying sense of scale that many simpler strategy games skip. Different planet environments force tactical adjustments, and each playable race has its own AI behavior and audiovisual personality rather than functioning as a mere cosmetic faction swap. Custom galactic battlefields let players set up conflicts involving several computer-controlled empires, adding plenty of longevity beyond the scripted wars. Fans of Panzer General-style tactical campaigning who want deeper empire management and sci-fi fleet combat should find a lot to enjoy, though newcomers should expect an interface and pace rooted in the mid-1990s rather than modern strategy conveniences.