Drox Operative: Invasion of the Ancients offers a lot of new content for players. There’s a new race, the Scavengers, which is available to play as or against. There are also three new monster races; the Talon, Hezog, and Overlord join the roster for galactic domination. Any of these three races can suddenly appear on any planet (including already occupied ones) making them unpredictable and very dangerous. Space stations are a new strategic structure which you can help defend for your allies or destroy those of your enemies. New components for your ship are available, including new chips to be fitted into them. There are nineteen sub-races that can be unlocked, new quests including the Drox guild quest, and the responsibility of guiding the evolution of persistent galaxies. Of course, you have the Ancient invasions, but let’s get a better understanding of this race.

Before the Drox ruled the galaxy, before they were even sentient, there were older races now known as the Ancients. Using their Operatives, the Drox crushed and enslaved most of these races. The rest fled known space. When the Drox turned on their own Operatives, the Drox were utterly destroyed. Newer races emerged and thrived in the power void, never knowing the menace waited. Seizing their chance, the Ancients are invading to take their rightful place in the galaxy, as rulers! Thirsting for revenge, the Ancients can’t harm the extinct Drox, but they can crush the next best thing, the Drox Operatives.

So what we have here is a good old fashioned case of revenge, and the Drox Operatives are only a conduit for the Ancients’ rage. Ancient ships emerge at any given time, and will stop at nothing to destroy a Drox Operative. The Ancients have the fastest ships by far, making them very hard to keep up with. Their armor and weaponry make them near impossible to kill, unless you have an upgraded ship and/or allied races to fight by your side.

For this review, I decided to play as the new Scavenger race. Their ships are well-rounded  focusing on both defense and damage. The addition of the three new races makes diplomacy even more challenging, though the Talon tend to be a bit more diplomatic in comparison to the Hezog and Overlord. The latter two are extremely aggressive, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging game. They can appear suddenly, wage war at a moment’s notice, and are strong and relentless. Things can escalate rather quickly.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the expansion. One of my favorite features is that it supports the use of a gamepad. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but for space battle it’s my preferred method. A good combination of diplomacy, exploration, and upgrading your ship is essential to being a successful at the game. At times the game borders on the realm of challenging and frustrating, but overall Drox Operative: Invasion of the Ancients is a great first expansion. The original game and expansion can be picked up for around $30, and I recommend it. You can pick up both games as well as Soldak Entertainment’s other games here.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a PC copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

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