The Sounds Of Mass Destruction – Auralux: Constellations Review

The original Auralux came out back in 2012, right as the app boom was in full swing in the mobile world. It introduced a simplistic real-time strategy game of using planets to take over the galaxy, with a regular musical beat. It was the sound of mass destruction at the tap of a finger… or mouse if you played on PC.

Not long ago, Auralux got an update, or more precisely, an overhaul, with new levels, mechanics, and updated graphics engine. It’s still for the same platforms, with the electronic beat of mass destruction. It’s challenging, but simple in its gameplay.

You start with a single planet amongst two other opponents, and each planet produces units at a steady beat. The size of the planet increases the number of units produced – but all planets produce at the same speed. As you take over more planets and upgrade them, you get a larger pool of units to send forth to crush your enemies.

Obviously, the bigger you get, the bigger your opponents get, and soon enough you might find yourself in a rather disastrous situation of two against one; with a large portion of your army wiped out, and planets taken over. While you won’t know if both will team up against you, you can play on their mistakes and take over their undefended planets while they are busy destroying one of yours. It’s this tit-for-tat tactic that have your fingers dancing over the screen.

There are some minor issues with the simplistic controls though. You select a planet and then select a destination, all units will automatically attack each other when in proximity. If you get your destination and selection mixed up, you can quickly find yourself depopulating your defending planet, rather than sending reinforcements. But this is more to do with user error than anything – at least, that’s what I put it down to.

You are put into ever increasing disadvantageous positions with planetary bottlenecks, while the AI starts with larger holding positions. It’s the ‘unfair’ challenge at first, and does become problematic later on. Multiplayer is where most of the appeal will be, as you can experiment with harassment tactics, flinches, last second redirects, and other amusing strategies.

The later game introduces some very interesting mechanics though, such as black holes, gamma ray bursts, and orbiting planets. These each add new ways to fight, as well as having new challenges to overcome. It keeps the basic gameplay more energetic, as strategy becomes more important as your opponents outnumber you 3-1.

What is surprising is the depth to which you can find yourself. Auralux: Constellations is deceptively casual, in that you can load it up, play for 20 minutes, then walk away either satisfied, or in crushing defeat. It’s something that can be picked up every now and then; figure out the best approach to a problem, try it, fail, then try something else. There is something for everyone, from serious RTS to casual progression.

While only released recently for $10, Auralux: Constellations is now also available in the current Steam sale. I would highly recommend it, even at its full price. Buy a couple copies for your friends, and you can send wave after wave glowing blips of death upon each other. There are many hours of fun and torture to be had.