Age of Wonders: Planetfall Reviews
It's been a long time since Age of Wonders III was released back in 2014, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall reminds me what makes this series so great. This is a strategy game that feels like classic Age of Wonders in every respect, but thrust into the future with a renewed energy. There's essentially two games here that work in concert with one another, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall demonstrates how to do this flawlessly. The missions feel handcrafted, rather than "make your own fun"; the planets are colorful and vibrant, teeming with life, and the factions are unique, silly, and fascinating. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better strategy game than Age of Wonders: Planetfall this year, or in the past few years.
In a nutshell, what Triumph Studios and parent company Paradox Interactive have here is nothing short of magnificent! They have taken a timeless strategy series that is adored by people around the world, and opened the floodgates for a huge new wave of fans to appreciate the franchise across multiple platforms.
Like many of the best strategy games, the complexity of the systems isn’t dumbed down. Instead, the player can customize their experience. You can alter the difficulty, disable some victory goals, alter resource distribution and much more. I love when games do this. It allows a person to ease into the game in a way that leads to mastery and comprehension without frustration. Options and playing your way seem to be a common theme in Planetfall. This customization allows one to sit back and enjoy the tropes presented in this wild game.
Undoubtedly an essential of the turn-based strategy genre
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Age of Wonders: Planetfall brings a new setting, and lots of improvements, to a classical 4X series. The increased complexity can be occasionally overwhelming, but the strategical experience remains top notch.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Whether you're a veteran of the genre or a relative newcomer, Planetfall will keep you plotting and planning your rise to glory for a long time.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a game on an epic scale in every sense of the word. Both a world-building strategy sim and a turn-based tactical RPG, Planetfall offers a wealth of content to keep players engaged for a long time to come. While some initial commitment is needed to get past the learning curve, playing becomes smooth and intuitive within a couple of hours. Armchair generals with a penchant for lasers, robots and mysterious planets will find plenty to enjoy in this tremendously deep title.
If you're looking for an easygoing, mindless gaming session, Planetfall isn't in your ballpark—or even playing sports. But if you woke up this morning thinking, "Hey, I'd love to play XCOM and Civilization today, then you can kill two birds with one stone. Planetfall will fill your unique craving.
Initially unwieldy but eventually engrossing, Age of Wonders' latest entry translates its Civ-meets-XCOM formula brilliantly to a new sci-fi setting. Even if the elements of that sci-fi are a bit rote.Phil Iwaniuk
Despite concerns with the shift in setting, Age of Wonders: Planetfall presents a fun, 4X-style turn-based strategy experience. It's already stellar combat is bolstered by some solid diplomatic options, excellent race design and well-designed environments.
The turn-based strategy game of the year has arrived, and the unexpected transition from fantasy to sci-fi is handled superbly.
For console owners, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a rare treat. It’s not only a 4X strategy game that they can play from the comfort of their couch, it’s a bloody good one at that.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a successful venture into the realm of sci-fi for this veteran 4X strategy series. Its greatest strengths are player choice, customization, variance and replayability, which all leads to meaningful tactical and strategic decision-making.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a great turn-based strategy video game that brilliantly combines management with XCOM-style turn-based combat. Recommended.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The different scenarios and the online multiplayer functionality offer more than enough variety and challenge to keep even the most seasoned Age of Wonders players in the game for a while.
Age of Wonders Planetfall takes on a new coat of paint for the franchise and does it well. The six factions are unique, the tactical combat is amazing and there are loads of choices to make. The perfect game to put hundreds of hours in.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a perfect use of the genre on consoles, delivering countless hours of terrific turn based gameplay.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall, while a bit opaque in some areas, is the most entertaining 4X I've played in years.
Overall, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a large, ambitious strategy game that succeeds in many ways but falters ever so slightly in its grand scale. If you can grapple with the scope it's well worth the purchase and time, offering a great sandbox that could be played for hours on end. Newcomers to the genre might want to try one of the earlier Age of Wonders games before seeing if they should truly take the dive into this massive commitment. Those who do won't be disappointed.
A few minor flaws can’t ruin this truly great game. Almost everything in Age of Wonders: Planetfall has been done perfectly. The futuristic world turned out great, the satirical atmosphere is refreshing, and the combination of the best parts of Civilization and XCOM resulted in such an addictive game that the developers should warn about it beforehand.
Review in Polish | Read full review