Age of Wonders 4 Reviews
Age of Wonders 4 is a dizzyingly customizable fantasy 4X made mightier by a legacy that follows you across multiple campaigns.
A flavourful and inventive 4X full of incredible spells and engaging empire management.
Taking inspiration from RPGs breathes new life into Age of Wonders 4, which balances exciting breadth and surprising approachability.
A massive and complex fantasy themed 4X strategy game, made appealingly straightforward thanks to its cleverly refined interface.
Perhaps my focus on the story mitigated the excitement of seeing how the computer was going to screw me over; perhaps the alignment agenda, while useful for a moralistic fantasy setting, undercut the chaotic spontaneity that usually makes 4X games so delicious. Maybe it would simply be more unpredictable in a multiplayer setting, because no one will sabotage you in 4X like a friend. The reality of 4X games that nobody likes to admit is that they aren’t as fun if you’re not winning, so half the battle is trying to keep new players engaged while they learn how to improve. Tending to the drama of an immortal pantheon is enough to keep me around, though I’m not sure for how much longer. If the repetition doesn’t kill you once you start struggling through higher tier realms, maybe the marauders will.
Age of Wonders 4 might be overwhelming at first, but it's brimming with potential and gives you the tools to tell unique stories with your chosen hero. The nearly decade-long gap between releases gave Triumph the chance to polish Age of Wonders 3's weak points and come up with substantial improvements to combat and presentation. The result is one of the best grand strategy games in ages.
Fans and newcomers alike will find an accessible, compelling real-time strategy experience in Age of Wonders 4.
An accomplished fantasy 4X with RPG leanings and cleverly interlocking systems that plain hasn't grabbed me personally, despite some colourful ideas.
Age of Wonders 4 is the first entry in the mainline series I've ever played, and I had little to no idea what to expect. Age of Wonders 4's stunning high-fantasy tapestry immediately captured my imagination, and it wasn't long before I was creating my own personal undead army and marching across the land, leaving chaos and decay in my wake. Despite the game's complexity and depth, the biggest hurdle for me was its performance on Xbox Series X. However, it's by no means unplayable, and I suspect I'll find myself playing it for many dozens more hours before I get tired. This is a stunning 4X game that Civilization fans will most likely adore.
Age of Wonders 4 offers a rare and refreshing level of flexibility for a 4X game, allowing you to customize your leader, people, and realm to an impressive degree. This can be a bit bewildering at first, and the level of complexity threatens to overwhelm the game’s limited tactical battles, but it all comes together as a satisfying package after a bit of trial and error. Age of Wonders 4 may not be the perfect potion for all turn-based strategy fans, but it should enchant a good portion of them.
While Age of Wonders 4 doesn’t shy away from depth and complexity, it rarely overwhelms the player. Starting with the faction creator, Age of Wonders 4 is dedicated to letting the player shape their experience as much as possible. No matter how you prefer to play, you’re in for hours of engaging strategy and tactics with an incredible array of mix-and-match fantasy elements.
Age of Wonders 4 is a safe sequel that aims to offer as much new content as possible, while at the same time expands the replayability and role-playing potential.
Review in Russian | Read full review
With the additional playtime, Age of Wonders IV still impressed me even though I am concerned about the AI. The other issues I have brought up are all easily fixed over time, if not on day one. Between the customization options, atmosphere, and Pantheon system, Paradox Interactive and developer Triumph Studios have a great start to the next entry in the Age of Wonders series. I can’t wait to see how they expand the spells and Pantheon systems further, for fans of fantasy 4x strategy games, Age of Wonders IV is worth checking out if you want to evoke that old feeling of needing to take just one more turn.
This is undoubtedly the best 4X game I've played in years, delivering top-notch exploration, combat, and diplomacy alongside a rewarding and dynamic customisation system.
Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn offers a satisfactory amount of content at its price point, focusing on a beloved element of the fantasy genre. The inclusion of mixed affinity tomes adds intriguing twists to gameplay, although witnessing the evolution of new units can prove challenging due to their inherent fragility. The larger dragon units and Dragon Lords themselves appropriately embody a sense of awe and power on the battlefield.
Age of Wonders 4 reshuffles some elements of the traditional 4X strategy formula in rather significant ways, making for an entry that puts choice and customization at the forefront. It does so excellently, offering plenty of spells and culture combinations that let you roleplay a variety of archetypal or contradictory factions while seeking the most overpowered spell and unit mix.
Undoubtedly a very high-quality turn- based strategy. The remarkable combination of Heroes, Civilization (4X) and Total War brings a large number of options that you can use on different maps, it's just a shame that without a full-fledged story. At first it might seems to be complicated and a little messy, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Age of Wonders 4 took the best from the genre predecessors and didn't fade at their background.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Age of Wonders 4 is a deep and addictive turn-based strategy game that offers excellent player choice with custom worlds and varied rulers, alongside tweaks to the proven formula. Only its technical blemishes cast a dark shadow over the glorious realms found within.