Drox Operative is a very unique, interesting game; I definitely enjoy it. I have both Drox Operative and its expansion, Invasion of the Ancients. Though it's been a few weeks since I've played them, and I cannot recall exactly which things are new in the expansion.
In any case here goes nothing: there are randomly generated galaxies populated by various factions, and it's your job as a Drox Operative to align yourself with the winning team - which can be a faction, a group of factions, or you. As a Drox Operative you control a lone ship, and you cannot (at least, initally) stand up to the might of any one faction. So it's best to be helpful and nice to other factions in the beginning, at least until you've established yourself a bit and seen what's out there in the universe. After some time, the major players of the universe will emerge and you'll have to decide what you want to do to win.
The gameplay is sort of like an ARPG - there is a lot of loot (most of which will be useless to you) and just as many, if not more, enemies. Enemies are of varying difficulty - following a Diablo-esque common, rare, elite, and boss categorization. You will level up and increase in power, though new abilities are gained solely through equipment. The factions within the game will all by vying to win their own little game, essentially a real-time space 4X. The factions have their own goals, dispositions, tech and power levels. You will gain reputation with a faction when helping them, which can be as simple as trading with them, or more complex, such as helping them terraform or colonize a new world - or lose reputation by harming them, through outright hostile acts or by helping factions they oppose. Enemies of no faction, hostile to everyone but themselves, gain power through victory, and become an ever-increasing threat unless dealt with. It is up to you whether you want that to happen.
Information is a powerful thing in Drox Operative - as a largely neutral party, you will have more information than the factions do for most of the game. It is up to you where you want to steer them. By introducing factions and aiding their diplomatic efforts, you can be on your way to a diplomatic victory, as long as they're allied to you as well. By allying yourself with a strong faction while weakening (and eventually destroying) the others, you can win a domination victory. By defeating powerful enemies and general intimidation of the factions, you can become so powerful that they will all cower before you, and win a Fear Victory. Lastly, and this might just be in Invasion of the Ancients, you can become a legendary hero of the galaxy by completing difficult quests, and win a Legend Victory. Deciding which victory to persue depends largely upon what the state of the galaxy is like, and it may be necessary to change tactics as the powers of the universe shift.
After you win (or lose), it's time to generate a new galaxy and begin your mission anew, with the same Drox Operative if you wish.
Although the game has poor presentation and can be a repetitive, it can be very fun if you look past that. Since it has a highly configurable galaxy generator, you can decide what sort of game you want to play. You can adjust the number of galaxies in a game, the spawn rate of non-faction enemies, the level of your opponents (tougher or easier) and a few other things, such as how advanced the factions are, or how far they've colonized.
Drox Operative is a game as much about control, manipulation, and cunning, as it is about power, level, and items.
That's all I can think to say about it. I'm probably forgetting or misremembering some stuff. To really get an idea of what the game is like, try the demo at the developer's site.
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