Age of Wonders is a long-running PC technique collection that has been round since 1999. This newest entry takes the 4X style—assume Civilization—and transports it right into a fantasy world the place battles are resolved in tactical showdowns, there’s magic all over the place and your leaders are additionally RPG characters.
That feels like a sport made particularly for me, so think about my very own shock when, trying over its Steam itemizing the opposite day and putting in it, I realised I had by no means performed one earlier than. Not the unique, not its 2002 sequel, not even the third sport, launched within the comparatively fashionable period of 2014 (although I’ve now been advised they’re fairly completely different video games, so which may clarify a few of this!).
I had performed the collection’ 2019 spin-off, although, so I had some familiarity with the collection, if not in its purest type. And what I discovered with Planetfall I discovered to be just about the case with Age of Wonders 4 as properly: this can be a slick 4X sport that hums alongside properly, appears nice and, for these prepared, has a stunning quantity of depth you possibly can burrow down into and fiddle with if fantasy and RPG stuff is what you’re into.
As a result of I’m new to this collection, I truly—and I recognise the chronological backwards-ass nature of this, however it’s what it’s—discovered it extremely much like Amplitude’s Infinite Legend. The place that sport goes laborious on offering you wildly various factions to select from, although, and have your sport impacted accordingly, AoW4 goes in the wrong way, and allows you to create a faction all the way down to probably the most minute element, from its race to its perks to its look (you possibly can select from some pre-baked races should you like, however that’s boring!).
A lot of AoW4’s overarching construction will probably be acquainted to anybody who has ever performed a 4X sport earlier than. From constructing cities to researching expertise to exploring the map to assembly associates and rivals, the general form of the sport is, maybe unsurprisingly given the collection’ age, staunchly conventional.
The place AoW4 will get freaky, although, is the way in which it implements its fantasy setting. You get hero characters who might be levelled up and geared up with loot. There are spells you possibly can forged at a strategic degree that grant perks and even items. The tactical battles have swords and arrows, but in addition elemental magic, animals and lifeless dudes. There are even story missions you possibly can work by. It’s nice!
One other factor I actually like concerning the sport is that, whereas there’s lots to dig into—metropolis administration, battles, exploration, diplomacy, RPG stuff—the sport, like Planetfall, strikes quick. I don’t know if that’s due to its scale or possibly simply that I’m already so acquainted with 4X stuff that I’m blowing by elements of it, however the sport’s pacing simply felt actually strong; I at all times had one thing cool to do, and by no means felt like I used to be bored, or caught ready for a specific piece of analysis or development. The sport’s interface, without delay instantly-familiar for 4X veterans and at all times prodding me when a call wanted to be made, helps right here.
So yeah, I actually like AoW4! It’s possibly not the best instance of the sub-genre—I nonetheless assume, almost a decade on, that Infinite Legend stays a masterpiece—nevertheless it’s definitely ok at all the pieces it’s attempting to try this I remorse by no means having dabbled with the collection sooner.
