Age of Wonders: Planetfall Reviews
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.
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.
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.
Don’t make the mistake I nearly made and disregard it: if you enjoy the tactical and strategic game styles it draws from, you’ll find a game that doesn’t go out of its way to innovate on either front, but one that performs a bloody lovely duet.
Competent strategy pastes flat-footed, surface-level sci-fi over a genre that lives and dies by its nuance.
...offers new and seasoned players a vast universe full of challenges to sink their teeth into.
Best way to explain Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the combination of Risk and Chess, two strategy board games in one. From above, RULE the empire and move your army. On the ground, engage in battles and control your units to kill the enemy or CONQUER a colony. This is a knowledge and thinking game, your gaming reflex and trained muscle memory means nothing here and will barely be used. There is an entire universe of information to LEARN, progression is slow and rewarding to those who have fun learning. Matches are LONG, 25 hours of gameplay covered only the tutorial session, 2 PVE quests and the beginning of a PVP match.
Having a sci-fi Age of Wonders is enough to blow you away. The team did an amazing job getting a fresh feel on an already amazing game. Fans of Age of Wonders, this is a must buy. If you are at least bit curious, take my recommendation and snag this, or wait for a sale.
It is deep, fun and has extremely high replay value. It's disappointing that the multiplayer has a couple of hiccups but the AI is solid and provides a good challenge with plenty of entertainment. Whether you're playing a custom scenario or the campaign, you are in for a good time. Planetfall may end up being my personal game of the year and I can't recommend it enough. Especially for console players who rarely get these type of games. If you like strategy or grid-based tactics, buy it immediately, you won't regret it.