Age of Empires IV review
Our Verdict
Age of Empires Iv may non redefine the existent-time strategy genre like its predecessors, only information technology's nevertheless a deep and challenging dive into the world of medieval warfare.
For
- Gripping core gameplay
- Inventive campaign manner
- Excellent music
- Varied civilizations and objectives
Against
- Expert-enough visuals
- Non as innovative as past AoE games
Tom'due south Guide Verdict
Age of Empires 4 may not redefine the existent-time strategy genre like its predecessors, but it's even so a deep and challenging dive into the world of medieval warfare.
Pros
- +
Gripping core gameplay
- +
Inventive campaign way
- +
Fantabulous music
- +
Varied civilizations and objectives
Cons
- -
Good-enough visuals
- -
Not as innovative every bit past AoE games
Historic period of Empires Iv: Specs
Platform: PC
Price: $60
Release Date: October 28, 2021
Genre: RTS
Historic period of Empires Iv is a good game. In fact, it'south arguably a neat game. Information technology'due south important to country that up front and unequivocally, because fans take been waiting 16 years to find out. A lot has happened in the gaming globe since Historic period of Empires 3 debuted in 2005, including the dissolution of the series' original developer. But Age of Empires IV proves that the "historical existent-fourth dimension strategy" formula still has a lot of life left in it, and that no other serial does it quite besides every bit this i.
On the other paw, Age of Empires Iv has a lot to live upwardly to. The start game was assuming; the tertiary was innovative; the second is still one of the greatest RTS games of all time. (Historic period of Empires Online was as well an interesting and worthwhile experiment, but I digress.) Compared to its predecessors, there'southward no denying that AoE 4 plays it pretty prophylactic. It has the same setting every bit Age of Empires II, as well as many of the same civilizations, units, strategies and campaign arcs. At its best, AoE Iv is polished, refined and a ton of fun to play. At its worst, it tin feel like a "greatest hits" album.
Still, series fans and newcomers alike should find a lot to enjoy in AoE IV'southward meticulously crafted civilizations, varied game modes and inventive entrada —one of the best I've ever encountered in an RTS. Read on for our total Age of Empires Iv review.
Age of Empires Four review: Gameplay
If you've played the first three games in the series, then you know exactly what you're in for with Age of Empires IV. In this medieval RTS, you'll take control of a small group of villagers, eventually turning your small settlement into a thriving city. In almost game modes, you'll need to build up an ground forces to wage war confronting enemy soldiers and besiege their towns. Just fifty-fifty if you cull to build your empire through economic might, you'll have to defend your borders, build upward your resources and upgrade your technology as you advance from the Night Age to the Purple Age.
Age of Empires IV has essentially the same structure equally the games that preceded information technology, and that structure works besides now as it did in 1997. It's notwithstanding incredibly satisfying to encounter your civilization abound from a handful of villagers and a town center into a humming metropolis, with soldiers, horsemen and priests, every bit well every bit universities, monasteries and castles.
Too, it's satisfying to field a various army, improve its weapons and armor over time, and then march it out into the field to practise battle with opposing forces. AoE Four maintains the series' "rock-paper-scissors" residue among infantry, cavalry, and archers. But since each civilization has somewhat different units to choose from, you lot'll have to plan out your army strategically, and maneuver information technology tactically. You'll also need siege weapons for later stages of the game, and it'due south simply equally satisfying as always to spotter rock walls crumble under a barrage of trebuchet burn down, or a battery of battering rams.
AoE Four offers viii different civilizations: the English language, the French, the Mongols, the Rus, the Chinese, the Holy Roman Empire, the Delhi Sultanate and the Abbasid Dynasty. Information technology'due south a healthy mix that spans Europe, Asia and the Eye East, although the game feels like it could apply some New Globe and African civilizations. Hopefully an expansion somewhere down the line will add in civilizations like the Aztecs and the Ethiopians, which added a lot to previous games.
The developers describe AoE Four's 8 playable civilizations every bit "semi-symmetrical." This means that they're not quite every bit distinct as the iii different races in a game similar StarCraft — only too not as like as the 35 different civilizations in Historic period of Empires Two: Definitive Edition. Civilizations generally share units and buildings, simply when they don't, the differences can be profound.
For example: equally the English, your boondocks eye creates villagers, who gather nutrient, wood, stone and gold through defended resource-driblet buildings. The Mongols need the same resources, from the same villagers. Merely they employ an all-purpose mobile resource drop point called a "ger," while they can't mine stone straight, opting instead for an auto-mining construction called an "ovoo."
Likewise, the English army favors longbowmen, while the Mongol army favors cavalry archers chosen mangudai. Since each civilisation has different bonuses and drawbacks, which affect both their economies and their militaries, developing strategies for each civilization is a consistently challenging and delightful function of the experience.
The big question, of class, is whether any of this plays significantly amend than in the previous Age of Empires games. AoE 4 feels fairly straightforward and streamlined, with fewer types of units and technologies than AoE II. On the other hand, this also makes the game much more outgoing, and makes the eight civilizations experience much more distinct from one another.
The game can all the same be quite challenging, peculiarly on higher difficulties — only information technology's worth noting that the lower difficulties are more inviting than ever for new (or younger) players. I'm not convinced that AoE IV has the very best gameplay in the serial, merely I am convinced that information technology deftly balances challenge, accessibility, innovation and formula.
Age of Empires 4 review: Multiplayer and game modes
During the Age of Empires IV review period, there weren't a ton of players on paw for impromptu multiplayer matches. However, this volition change on launch twenty-four hours, then information technology's worth at least going over the game modes available.
You can play in Quick Match or Ranked games, with up to eight players in a single match. With 17 maps, eight civilizations and a variety of other gameplay options (win weather condition, starting Age, resource scarcity and then along), multiplayer could conceivably continue you busy for quite some fourth dimension. I've only e'er dabbled in the AoE competitive scene, so I couldn't say whether longtime AoE 2 players volition want to spring ship or stay where they are; I can say, nevertheless, that AoE IV seems deep enough that a "perfect" metagame may take some time to emerge.
If you lot prefer to play by yourself, AoE IV has you covered equally well. There'due south the standard skirmish mode, where y'all can pick any civilisation you desire, and foursquare off confronting any other civilization you want, on any map, with any resource distribution, and on any difficulty level. You can also squad up with other players or an AI against larger teams of foes, or play through a scattering of other creative modes. For example, in The 3 Crowns, you and two AI opponents might take to wind your way through a gigantic mazelike map. In the Summit of Civilization, you play as the Delhi Sultanate, and must defend a Wonder throughout the Ages.
It'south in its campaign where Age of Empires Four positively shines, though. Instead of the "storybook near historical figures" approach in AoE 2 or the "gamble narrative that brushes up against history" approach in AoE Iii, AoE IV leans into what it's always been: a fun way to acquire about world history. The 4 campaigns — English language, French, Mongol and Rus — play out like history documentaries, completed with a narrator, animated maps and 4K drone footage of real-world locations where famous battles took place. Equally yous complete missions, yous'll even unlock optional videos all about medieval technology, culture and warfare, which feature expert interviews and existent-life demonstrations of archery, construction and even siege warfare.
The highest praise I can requite the campaign is that if Microsoft wanted to isolate the video footage and sell information technology as a standalone documentary, I honestly retrieve it would get a whole slew of non-gamers interested in the Historic period of Empires series.
Age of Empires IV review: Visuals and sound
The one surface area where Age of Empires IV doesn't fully evangelize is in its in-game visuals. There's null really wrong with the niggling men and women who populate your medieval town, just they don't look all that unlike from the models nosotros've seen in the Definitive Editions of the last three AoE games. The buildings are more impressive, particularly how they fall autonomously equally you besiege them, besides as the piddling silhouettes of workers you'll see as they're under construction.
Musically speaking, AoE IV is up to series standards, with a diversity of ambient medieval tunes that fade into the background as you lot're building, and come roaring to the foreground as yous wage war. This time around, each civilization has a slightly different set of music, from Chinese strings, to French brass, to Mongolian pharynx singing. There'south besides a healthy variety of audio effects, from the clang of sword confronting sword, to the whoosh of stones flying from a trebuchet.
Age of Empires Four review: Bottom line
We've waited a long fourth dimension for Age of Empires Four, and generally speaking, it was worth the wait. Similar its predecessors, AoE 4 is a polished RTS with deep core gameplay, a robust entrada and lots of potential for online multiplayer. Information technology besides might just teach you a affair or ii nearly medieval history, particularly if you play its best-in-course campaign mode.
I don't know if AoE IV volition take the staying power of AoE II, particularly since there's a "been there, done that" experience to both the medieval setting and a lot of the campaign missions. But excellent historical RTS games aren't exactly commonplace lately, so getting one of this caliber is a treat. As for whether AoE Four continues to expand and grow, that will depend a lot on which civilizations, campaigns and gameplay features are coming side by side.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/age-of-empires-iv
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