Its ok. But there's no campaign, which I found really disappointing. There is a quite a lot of micro-managing too, which I wasn't expecting.
The graphics and animations are really great. The big space battles are also great. But it's quite repetitive and doesn't really feel like I'm achieving anything.

Its a remake.
Literally a remake. It is the same game with better (albeit great looking) visuals.
Anything new like a CAMPAIGN or...any new content you have to pay extra for. If it even comes out.
Wait for deep sale.

It's the first game with a few new features and quality of life improvements that have a big impact. Being able to recruit directly to a fleet and automatically queue up any prerequisite research when constructing a new building or unit are both great changes that reduce the drudgery of long games. Fewer orbital slots (and the addition of planetary buildings) means you're not just maxing out every planet, because you have actual choices to make now. Less tedium and clicking, more strategizing.

Very fun and worth the buy! Possibly the best current modern space RTS (especially after the sad HW3 failure). Do be aware though that there is no story campaign in the base game, it is focused on skirmish matches (against the AI or human multiplayer).

I also think it is important to address what kind of game this is. I hear a lot of people calling this a 4X strategy game, especially comparing it to Stellaris, and I really disagree. While there is a complicated (and overly convoluted) tech tree, the core gameplay is far more akin to StarCraft then Stellaris or X4: foundations. You play skirmish matches. There is no empire building, politics, religion, trade, espionage, etc.

the first is better, it's just a little better graphics, a bad addition of precious gems and weapons that can be added to the ships but it doesn't change much since it's rare that we control that one ship at a time , so for the price right now i put a Nay

I think the reviews are just glazing this game to no end. Everyone is saying "it's just like the first one but BETTER".
This is a nearly complete downgrade from sins of a solar empire rebellion. Which you should go buy instead of this.
I will list a couple nice things first. and then the MANY negatives after.

Now. Combat is very similar and the look of things is the same but just better! And most of the units are here from the last game.

Also the tech trees feel better to work with. letting you actually have a use for expansion and deciding exactly what you want to cram in each planets system. This solves the issue of just, ignoring logistic slots early on.

Recruiting for fleets also makes it more viable to build shipyards in more systems since they ships will build at the nearest shipyard and autopath to your fleet!

Now whats missing:
-Planets are much more boring. Straight and complete downgrade with how the planets look. They are all just spheres of smeared colours and do not change their features depending on development.
-Planets no longer have development or specialisations like the previous game! They offset this slightly by letting you build specialist structures that you have to research and invest pretty deeply into.
-Minor factions are completely overhauled. But this is also a negative. They feel less like something to be wary of and interact with and moreso like another box to check off and mostly ignore. Also now many of their abilities have limited range. And the raids instantly warp into systems in the blink of an eye and there isnt any like. raiding behaviour of ships moving around.
-They have scrapped two of the things that made the previous game really neat. Refineries and trade hubs. Completely gone! Now the galaxy feels dull and lifeless since only military fleets fly around.
-Pirates are a minor faction. Completely gutted and toothless. Once again make the galaxy more lifeless and dull.
-improved graphics means you win via crashing players with strikecraft swarms! Yay!
-NO WANDERING RANDOMLY SPAWNED SHIPS THAT ALSO MAKE THE GALAXY FEEL MORE LIVELY
-Diplomacy is somehow both very vauge and borderline mindless at the same time. You cant really form pacts or anything. You cant tell if someone likes or hates you. You cant gauge what the hell is happening diplomatically at all.
-They removed Envoys! This means these minor factions are just unmoving and uncaring NPCs that are nothing more than a box on a checklist. Making them feel very much so like they dont even need a physical presence in the galaxy.

I have only tried out one faction so far. But I fought both the other factions as well and i feel what i've said applies to everyone. they are all equally bland now <3

Overall. They have completely and utterly failed at actually making this game truly look better. They have gutted so many things that made this game feel like actual empires cooperating and warring. This game is mostly a straight downgrade to the first in almost every way. I have refunded this due to it being a straight downgrade.

Go buy sins of a solar empire rebellion. dont waste your time here. It is not even close to worth the price.

It feels like a game from Paradox, in that they released an intentionally incomplete game so that they could gouge you on DLC.

its a great game, except the vast majority of the artwork is AI generated, and not even decently AI generated, it rings hollow and takes a great deal away when your visual cues look, Off.

One of the best things in my mind about Sins of A Solar empire, was the world built up around the factions, the artwork was a big factor in that.

This doesnt have that, so I cant recommend it unless its dirt cheap.

So good, that this game will more than likely eventually replace Stellaris as my most played Strategy game.

There is no single player campaign.
Played a skirmish on normal difficulty, the AI was sending ship after ship without any intelligent strategy into a choke point I fortified.