<s>
Shadow	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
is	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
French	O
studio	O
VR	O
Designs	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Slitherine	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
combines	O
gameplay	O
from	O
computer	B-Application
wargames	I-Application
and	O
4X	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
a	O
setting	O
of	O
post-apocalyptic	O
conquest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
traditional	O
board	O
wargames	B-Application
,	O
it	O
uses	O
counters	O
and	O
a	O
hex	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developer	O
Victor	O
Reijkersz	O
had	O
made	O
several	O
historical	O
wargames	B-Application
previous	O
to	O
Shadow	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadow	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
took	O
Reijkersz	O
four	O
or	O
five	O
years	O
to	O
complete	O
solo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadow	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joe	O
Fonseca	O
of	O
Wargamer	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
Alpha	B-Application
Centauri	I-Application
of	O
today	O
,	O
only	O
better	O
"	O
and	O
recommended	O
it	O
fans	O
of	O
4X	B-Application
games	I-Application
and	O
complex	O
computer	B-Application
wargames	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
review	O
for	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
,	O
Jonathan	O
Bolding	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Ambitious	O
in	O
the	O
extreme	O
,	O
Shadow	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
is	O
a	O
unique	O
sci-fi	O
wargame	B-Application
that	O
's	O
a	O
little	O
lost	O
in	O
its	O
own	O
details.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Bolding	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
opaque	O
complexity	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
said	O
made	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
seem	O
like	O
a	O
black	B-Device
box	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sin	O
Vega	O
of	O
Rock	O
Paper	O
Shotgun	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
and	O
most	O
compulsively	O
playable	O
serious	O
wargame	B-Application
I	O
've	O
ever	O
played	O
for	O
a	O
solid	O
month.	O
"	O
</s>
