Throw in the fact that you can continue your game on our phone once you leave your desktop and now we’re really intrigued.

In a one-two punch, Microsoft has published both Galactic Reign for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 with full Xbox integration. The game itself is a somewhat typical space-conquest game, whereby users take turns to advance a strategy. But it’s the details in the game, customization and sheer massive gameplay that is really intriguing.

The game costs $4.99 on each platform though according to the game FAQ, you only need to buy one game to access it on both platforms . Indeed we can confirm that if you buy one, you can continue and play games on the other with no evident limitations (though you won't get double achievements).

"Buy once play anywhere. If you've already purchased Galactic Reign on another device, there is no need to purchase it again! You can download the trial and still have access to the additional content. Purchasing on other platforms will only unlock the ability to gain achievements on that platform."

Users can invite their Xbox friends to a game directly, via email or use a random member.

We’re not going to lie: the ability to continue a game by picking up your Surface, Windows 8 computer or Windows Phone is quite enticing. Along with the seemingly complex (in a good way) gameplay, we see Galactic Reign being potentially huge for the platform.

So far, loading on the game on the phone was quite quick (though no 720P support), and the tutorials are really helpful. Now we just need to find the time to build our armada and take over the universe.

Pick up Galactic Reign for Windows Phone 7.x and 8 right here in the Store. Need more info? Read our in-depth analysis about this game, the strategy and information in our earlier article.

Thanks, Jose N., for the link