Full disclosure, I love Endless Legend.

I love how it takes the Civilzation formula and puts its own unique spin on it. I love how the asymmetric factions drastically increase replayability and interest in the backstory. But most of all I love the feel. Plenty of others have talked about the gameplay aspects, so lets dig into what makes Endless Legend feel so good.

Endless Legend has a pervasive sense of melancholy that permeates all aspects of the experience. The opening cinematic is narrated by the game's setting Auriga and tells of her impending demise. During these last rites she talks of her concern for what will become of her children, the races of Auriga. After this the main menu loads and we get our first taste of the glorious soundtrack by FlybyNo. This soundtrack plays a key role in defining the feel of the game, since the hours spent playing are accompanied by a mournful and sorrowful accompaniment, all of which reinforces the mood set in the cinematic.

Once the game actually starts, the music becomes more upbeat and optimistic, and the player goes about doing standard 4X things and all is well. But after a few turns, winter descends. City's production takes a hit and movement on all of your units is reduced; you can almost feel them wading through snow drifts. The first time this happens is quite a surprise, but it soon passes and things returns to normal with bright sunshine and sanguine music. But then it happens again, and then again, and each time is longer than the last and we start to realise that Auriga was right. She is dying.

Even progress through the tech tree reinforces this vision of the oncoming demise. Unlocking sufficient technologies advances the world eras in standard 4X fashion, but in Endless Legend they are accompanied with increasingly apocalyptic images, culminating in Era VI, the End of Ages.

In terms of referencing games with a comparable feel, the only ones I can think of are Journey, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. These are quite rightly considered classics, and I think that Endless Legend can stand alongside these revered titles.

In summary, come for the excellent gameplay and replayability, stay for the character, unity of design and feel.