This balancing act between warfare and economy is what makes the series both tricky to nail and addictively fun. Waiting too long until investing into military units will end the game no matter how filled the coffers are. Without well-utilized villagers, it’s impossible to maintain an economy that can advance a civilization through the Dark, Feudal, Castle, and Imperial ages, and also power a war machine to beat the other side senseless.
Keep pumping the little workers out and they will happily collect and deposit the Food, Wood, Gold, and Stone needed to keep the empire rolling and hammer out buildings ranging from houses to wonders. Factors like the asymmetrical civilizations and careful modernizations does set it apart, but from the macro and micro-management similarities to the eras it is situated in, Age IV is looking up to its predecessor for guidance on how to be great.Īge IV features literal knights in shining armor, multi-barrel gunpowder weapons, and even warships, yet the simple villager is the most important unit at hand. Here are my thoughts on this long-awaited return.Īge of Empires IV (Age IV) builds on the foundations that made Age of Empires II such a satisfying strategy game. It is an entry that plays thoroughly into franchise strengths instead of reinventing the wheel. The studio most known for the Company of Heroes franchise, Relic Entertainment, is the force behind Age of Empires IV.
I am by no means a highly competent competitive player, just a huge fan craving for new material. Who cared how much time it took? Since then I’ve pumped my time into Age of Mythology, the Command & Conquer series, Warcraft III, Star Craft II, the Age remasters, and plenty of other RTS experiences.
I have fond memories of playing the campaigns repeatedly on our old Pentium computer with my brother, employing my genius tried and true tactic of building a giant army and steamrolling the AI. Enter Age of Empires IV.Īge of Empires II: The Age of Kings was my jam back in the day. Now, after a 16-year hiatus, someone realized it’s time for a new mainline entry.
Even though the genre has stagnated in the high-profile entry front, Age of Empires built a strategy landscape so strong it’s gaining popularity even today, largely thanks to excellent remasters. The Age of Empires franchise is a real-time strategy behemoth that many spent their childhood with.
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