" we had this D&D class and race combination, which not only affected yourself, but how you build an empire, and in this game we really wanted to take that to the next level."Ĭreation is the big theme of AOW 4, says Sas, partly because they didn't want the game to feel static "like a lot of fantasy games are", and that giving players enough agency and sense of progress is a dilemma they've been grappling with ever since the release of Planetfall. " Age Of Wonders 3 is now nine years old already, and I can't quite believe it," game director Lennart Sas tells me. Other heroes can also be recruited (or co-opted from other nations) to help govern additional outpost cities and lead other army units around the map, but it's your ruler that forms the backbone of your entire civilisation. But they're also the one who'll be governing your central 'Throne' city, and making assorted trade agreements, alliances and maybe the odd blood feud with neighbouring leaders as you work to help your burgeoning empire thrive and flourish. They're more powerful than your regular units, making them a key part of any major battle plan. You can also create your own using its extensive customisation options.Īt the centre of it all is your ruler, the leader of your chosen faction and the figurehead of your campaign.
Fortunately, you needn't achieve any of these alone, and enlisting fellow leaders - either in single-player or multiplayer - into joining your quest for world domination will be a key part of Age Of Wonders 4's end-game tactics.Įach realm is procedurally generated, leading to all sorts of different combinations of terrain types, inhabitants and other quirks. Finally, you can also achieve the ultimate arcane power for a magic victory. You can also dominate the world map to get an expansion victory. There's the classic military victory, which involves biffing all your rival leaders. The three victory conditions in Age Of Wonders 4 will feel instantly familiar to anyone who's played Civilization, or indeed any Paradox game from the last ten years. At the end of that battle, the resource or titular Wonder that the enemy was sitting on becomes yours to claim - or at least frees it up to be annexed once the tendrils of your empire become large enough to circle your borders around it. First there's the 4X-style overworld map where you're pushing into the surrounding fog of war to lay claim to the world around you, and then there's the turn-based tactical battles where you're ordering individual troop units around hexagonal battlefields.
Heck, I'd even go as far as saying it could be one of this year's biggest and most exciting fantasy games outside of Baldur's Gate 3.īuilt from the same enchanted bone pile as previous Age Of Wonders games, AOW 4 is a game of two halves. There's a heck of a lot to get through, but rest assured: this is Age Of Wonders through and through - and thanks to the addition of those new, customizable factions, it's also the most RPG-like entry yet, which is good news for budding D&D-ers looking for a grand, 4X strategy game to sink their teeth into. I've spent the better part of a week and half playing an early build of AOW 4, getting to grips with its enormous array of customizable factions and hero types in its generous crop of single-player realm maps.
#Age of wonders planetfall ign Pc#
Despite dipping their toes into the sci-fi realm with Age Of Wonders: Planetfall three-odd years ago, developers Triumph are now returning to their fantastical 4X strategy roots with Age Of Wonders 4, due out on PC in just a couple of months on May 2nd - and what a homecoming it's shaping up to be. Somehow, it's been almost a decade since the last numbered Age Of Wonders game.
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