As in the case of many games from the widely understood MMO genre, we start by registering and logging in to the game servers. Our adventure starts with a tutorial that will guide us through the first stages of gameplay – from constructing the first buildings of our planetary base to the first expeditions and even battles. After making enough progress, the tutorial will turn into 260 quests that will help us optimize the development of our empire. Quests themselves won't lead us by the hand, but will only point the tabs of the game interface, where we can make progress and receive rewards.

The game's mechanics are essentially the same as other popular spacesims. We start by developing one base on the first planet, then capture another, colonize their moons, seize trade routes, join interstellar alliances, and so on. Even though the basics can be summarized in a few words (as you already saw), the relationship between the individual mechanisms is very complex. Resource management is a good example – we have to export them between our bases, provide fleet defense for transporters, acquire perks that are unique to all types of planets, and even... take care of the colony's politics in its senate... more about that in a minute. The available resources are divided into Metal, Crystal, Deuterium, and Energy. We will use some of them in the expansion process, and some in developing new technologies. It is worth noting that you should aim to specialize the planets in different fields – this will make your empire well-optimized.

I want also to add that our level of experience directly contributes to the development of the planets, which, in turn, gives you more options for infrastructure development. Also, each new level gives us a choice of a prize that can contain not only the necessary resources but also powerful ships that can join our star armada. Xterium also has an extensive system of achievements, which, like quests, will give us not only virtual money but also the premium currency (this happens very often) thanks to which we can speed up the development of the base. The achievements themselves are divided into subgroups – General, Expedition, Attack, Alliance, and Special. As you can easily guess – each tab corresponds to one of the main cores of the gameplay.

I also mentioned the fleet twice, because what would a sci-fi game be without even a basic space battle system? The game features dozens of unique ships that are divided into transporters, military vessels, and special units (such as ships that process space waste). Fleet management is one of the key elements of the game. We can use it to transport resources between planets, explore unknown systems and then colonize them, as well as participate in fierce battles with units controlled by AI or real players. The extensive fleet menu has all the information necessary for effective management. Remember that a well-developed fleet will give you a chance to complete random contracts (the Contracts tab) for really good rewards! If we base our economy on producing ships, we will be able to get huge profits from them! But does this surprise anyone in a complex sci-fi economic game? I suspect not. :)

Xterium is a free game with a premium store and two additional currencies – Antimatter and Darkmatter. While Antimatter is only for players who pay, the latter can be considered semi-premium. As I wrote above, we will get it e.g. by unlocking achievements. Moreover, the currency system is designed in such a way that each currency and each resource can be exchanged between the players and resold. As for the in-game store, we will only get access to packs with resources and boosts – which, of course, speed up the gameplay slightly, but aren't necessary to enjoy it.

Despite being seven years on the market, Xterium isn't outdated at all. Bah! Thanks to constant development and optimization, this is one of the best browser-based space strategies. Simple but complex mechanics, multitasking management of your planets, and a dedicated community should get your attention for long hours. We recommend this game all fans of such classics like OGame. We guarantee that you won't be disappointed!