Nexus 5X is a card-based 4X game. Work together with others to convince the universe you are the rightful ruler.
Whatboy Games has previously released Trials of Fire, a card-based Rougelite from 2021. They are now teaming up with Paradox Arc, a division of Paradox Interactive AB. Their focus is on supporting smaller studios and projects. Nexus 5X fits the bill, as it aims to condense typically massive 4X gameplay into just a few hours.
Nexus 5X is part of the Stellaris franchise of 4X games. However, the branding has been completely omitted, almost as if Paradox Arc is afraid to have any association. What makes it especially strange is the new title of Nexus 5X shares the exact name with an LG Electronics Android phone: the Nexus 5X released in 2015. This makes searching for the game nearly impossible.
The overall goal of Nexus 5X is to be elected as the leader of the “Galactic Council” by accruing Succession points. This can be achieved via Diplomacy, spreading Culture, completing Megastructures, enacting the will of the Council, and leveling up. Obviously, if a competitor is eradicated their faction is no longer in the running. This makes it possible to indirectly win via war if you wind up on top of the scoreboard.
There are two main income resources that all civilizations use: Support and Materials. Support is used for making actions including moving ships, enacting Edict policies, and starting production. Materials are used to construct various buildings and ships. There are also Credits, which can be used as Support or Materials, but at a terrible exchange rate. Each faction also has a unique currency, gained when they do something specific to them; like abandoning planets for the Yondarim or drawing cards as Kilik.
Nexus 5X makes use of deck building, similar to Friends vs Friends or Marvel’s Midnight Suns. You will begin with a deck of 13 Edicts – unless playing as Kilik who has 25 cards. Each of these can be used to enhance a planet, ship, or the entire civilization, depending on the contents. There are additional Edicts that can be unlocked during a match; there are currently 101 cards in the release version of Nexus 5X. Three Edicts are drawn per turn, and those not played are sent to the discard pile. Some example cards include Construction to increase or utilize population, and Training to improve the strength of one ship.
There are also Ultimate Edicts, extremely powerful single cards that remain in your hand between turns when unused. These can include powers like buying an upgrade for free, gaining instant currency, or extra military strength across the entire empire for two turns. Ultimates are fully unique to a particular leader, not just the overall faction.
Combat is conducted in the form of a rock-paper-scissors match-up. Raiders move extra quickly and can easily destroy Ranged units. A Ranged ship safely fires at Capital ships. And a Capital can withstand the bombardment of Raiders. Total numbers are also a factor, and a large enough fleet can beat even a bad match-up. After all enemy ships are destroyed you can attack the ground forces and bring the planet into your territory.
There are 11 faction choices in Nexus 5X, each with three possible leaders; opponents cannot choose the same faction. The United Nations of Earth is versatile, using the Politics card for fewer resources, but certain planet types have population limits. The Voor have increased Science use, but also a 15% penalty in combat.
The Kel-Azaan have a +5 to defend against hostile invaders, but their fleet can never retreat. The Turtuon Federation has increased population, +25 defense, and all Starbases gain +5 attack, but in turn must also pay double Support maintenance. The Chinorr always start with bonus Credits, but never gain Succession standing with the Galactic Council when trading.
The Ix’idar gain bonus Materials per planet in their territory, but their leader does not normally generate Support. The Yondarim Kingdom uses Culture to take over planets but has Material penalties. The Roderian Empire can gain extra Support when they allow Culture from other civilizations, but they have to pay more Materials for certain projects.
It costs extra resources to go to war against the Glebsig, but in turn, they must pay more to annex enemy planets. The Kilik can gain Technology for less Support but have a bloated size deck of Edicts making it less common to draw specific cards. Finally, the Ave’Brenn gains Materials based on the leader’s strength but it costs extra Support to move ships.
Each individual leader gains experience points based on their agenda. For example, the Visionary of the Glebsig gains four XP when using Edicts on enemy empires. The Socialite, also of the Glebsig, gains three XP for each planet adjacent to an enemy world. After acquiring enough experience, the leader can opt into perks and eventually their Ultimate Edict at level six. Leveling also gives a set amount of Succession points, making it possible to win faster.
Nexus 5X includes a starting campaign where you play the decimated Voor struggling against the Kel-Azaan. The latter isn’t given much introduction and it can be very confusing if this is your first match; only icons will be shown of the Kel-Azaan. This story scenario is a little more guided than standard matches. The voor territory is already under siege, and your player Explorer is tasked with establishing a new outpost on an uninhabited planet.
The deck will be a bit more static as you will start with a Research Edict already drawn. This will allow for eight possible starting options. This includes making a laboratory, or military school, enhancing Politics Edicts, learning more star systems when you use Explore Edicts, increasing Capital ship damage, reinforcing planet defenses, increasing Support when a fleet moves, or gaining Materials for using the Explore Edict.
You will also have a Scientific Administrator Edict, which can be used to instantly draw a second Research or a Construction. The latter has the option of making an embassy, factory, weapons plant, research lab, barracks, house, or various school campuses. However, since you do not control a planet yet, the Construction card would wind up being discarded.
It can all be a bit overwhelming as you are given dozens of options right out of the gate. There is also no confirmation of any choices you make. Instead, actions can be undone either via the UI or by pressing the left arrow key. If you opt to end your turn early fleets will remain on their course and any Support and Materials will be banked.
The story mode is simply to onboard you to the setting of Nexus 5X. The real meat of the game is the customized multiplayer. Up to eight humans or AI can complete for the universal control; the AI has five levels of difficulty. Local games are played on one device but can be saved and have the option of no time limits. Casual online matches are hosted on Paradox Arc’s dedicated servers, requiring no local host. Ranked matches attempt to find players near the same Elo and also restrict factions to a draft instead of a free-for-all.
Nexus 5X matches will tend to last anywhere from one to two hours, depending on player size and actions. Since online has no savings, it is best to allocate several hours of non-stop playtime. At the start of a session, factions will be a fair distance from each other, at least three planets apart. Everyone will have one home planet, a starbase, and two raiders (unless they have a specialized ship of another class). The galaxy is always a finite size, which makes it cramped and competitive with more people.
In multiplayer, Galactic Council meetings are held every eight in-game years. Succession points are distributed to title winners, with ties being fully shared. You are then allowed to vote on the title contest for the next session, and ongoing policies that affect the whole universe. Only one title and resolution will go into effect, making it crucial to garner votes before the actual meeting.
With so many empires, politics are a key factor in surviving Nexus 5X. It tends to be mutually beneficial to work with everyone to a degree, slowly coming out on top in the end. Actively being hostile will often pigeonhole into a losing position. This also is where having all human players shines over playing against bots: humans can be swayed to make bad trades, impulsive decisions, or scheme in ways an AI never could.
Nexus 5X doesn’t do much to utilize the PC platform. The graphics are simple, while the controls are keyboard and mouse agnostic. The UI is also completely fixed without the ability to resize. It is highly possible that Whatboy Games intends for Nexus 5X to come to other systems, especially mobile phones. If they do, it seems plausible to have cross-platform multiplayer.
Unlike more traditional 4X strategy games, like Civilization VI, the randomness of the cards makes Nexus 5X hard to plan around. It isn’t even truly for longtime Stellaris fans. Instead, it should be considered for purchase by diehard boardgame owners – those who already have dozens to hundreds of hours dedicated to Twilight Imperium or Eclipse. The lack of true guidance will result in newcomers being endlessly stomped by veterans, and likely quitting before having any enjoyment.
