Ara: History Untold Reviews
Strategy games needed new ideas, and Ara has a few of them if you're patient and play.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
We feel like we've only scratched the surface with Ara: History Untold even after thousands of turns and multiple games, but this is a fun take on this type of experience and a great choice if you're looking for an engaging PC game to pull you in. If you don't mind history with a bit of a twist and want a game where you can sink hours into each session as you overcome all sorts of challenges and triumph as a nation, Ara is well worth a look.
Ara: History Untold is a decent foray into the historical 4X, with enough borrowed and slightly tweaked elements to make it worth a look for fans of the genre. Its original ideas become too much of a slog however, along with a scattering of UI issues and performance hiccups that need addressing.
In the end, it's a successful Civilization clone that excels in some ways and falls a little short in others. And the game is also graphically pleasing. It is definitely worth trying.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Ara: History Untold doesn't really do anything new, but it takes good ideas from so many games and combines them in a meaningful way that fans of Civ, Millennia or Humankind will definitely have fun with. However, some of the many systems – such as diplomacy or combat – aren't really polished. The game certainly has the potential to patch itself up, but at release it's not enough.
Review in German | Read full review
Ara: History Untold brings a fresh breeze to the 4X strategy genre, but it comes with plenty of room for improvement. Although the developers aimed to blend city-building with military strategy, the execution feels a bit clumsy. Oxide Studios has laid a good foundation for future games in this genre, demonstrating that economic strategy can be interestingly combined with military elements, though likely in a sequel if one is to come.
Review in Polish | Read full review
ARA: History Untold is one of the games that I was excited about when it was first announced, and even though I didn't know the development team, after the game was released and I spent a lot of time playing it, I realized that it is one of the best 4x games in recent times, and one of the games that I will continue to play for a long time.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Ara: History Untold is a surprisingly tempting turn-based strategy; it brings in a lot of ideas, really good ones at that. But it also leaves you feeling a strange sensation of emptiness. The game has a lot of content, but much of it is not fleshed out. It's a great game, but it also has many issues. It does a lot of things right but has equal amounts of drawbacks to counteract that.
Ara: History Untold takes strides in pushing the boundaries of the 4X genre to new and exciting places. While it stumbles in its execution, it offers glimpses of an exciting future for the genre. If you’re a patient strategist willing to grapple with its systems, there’s an enjoyable game here. Though it’s going to take additional updates and DLCs to right the ship, as the mid-to-late game needs support. Like many civilizations in history, Ara: History Untold is on the cusp of greatness before it falls due to its own hubris.
I’m glad there’s another historical 4X on the block - and for those of you who want something a bit meatier than Civ, I think this can fit the bill. ARA: History Untold is bold, innovative and exciting - but thoroughly held back by frustrating problems and an infuriating user experience.
From then to now, ARA history untold. An enormously extensive game with a lot of depth. Even the smallest details have been thought about. The game is based on a turn progression, which gives peace in your playing style. However, you need a lot of strategy to make the game go as desired. An absolute must if you are looking for a game that you can spend many hours in again and again.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Ara: History Untold offers a rich and engaging 4X strategy experience with excellent graphics, comprehensive settings, and a variety of gameplay options. While it has some performance issues and lacks certain features, its addictive nature and depth make it a worthwhile game for strategy enthusiasts. It does however need a few updates to sort out the other playstyles like trading and fighting.
Ara: History Untold is definitely attempting to create some new space in the 4X strategy genre, and overall I’ve really enjoyed my time with it. It certainly has the whole “just one more turn!” thing going for it that most Civ games have, and once you get started you’ll likely have a pretty tough time putting it down.
2024 is the year of the RTS, and Ara: History Untold is worthy of being among the very best of them. While it's not reinventing the wheel in terms of presentation, the simultaneous actions taking place in a more significant turn threaten to turn this game into a pure RTS strategy game; it allows for a game larger than anything that predates it.
Despite its imperfections, “Ara: History Untold” has already drawn me into the game for several evenings and a total of 21 hours. I enjoy it and, despite all the similarities to “Civilization”, it plays differently. The graphics of “Ara” are really impressive too. The map looks much more real due to the lack of a hexagonal layout. When I scroll in, I can see flocks of birds flying. Houses burn in the suburbs and people run around screaming when enemy troops are in the region. I give the game a few advance praises with four stars and hope that the studio will make some improvements to my points of criticism.
Review in German | Read full review
Ara: History Untold has found a great way to assert itself in the 4X game market. It brings a very realistic and beautiful graphic style, has done away with the hexagons and brought in many very deep systems and a diverse production. It's just really not for newcomers to the genre and can be a little frustrating, especially at the beginning.
Review in German | Read full review
While Ara: History Untold asks a lot of players, it rewards those willing to put in the hours with a deeply rich gameplay experience that makes them feel like every choice they made shaped their nation and helped their people achieve greatness. From large-scale design innovations to the smallest details, the game delivers an almost flawless experience.
Ara: History Untold brings fresh ideas for a long-running genre, and more than stands on its own because of them.
Ara History Untold might be the one game that finally gets me into the genre. It's a good game for newcomers to the 4X strategy genre and Oxide Games is definitely a developer to look out for, since this is only their first title.
There’s a lot to like about Ara: History Untold, even with the rough edges that appear every so often. Barring some performance issues, I’d say anyone even a little curious about the genre should give the game a shot and try it for themselves (especially if you have Xbox Game Pass).