While the history of each campaign is given a documentarian makeover before each round kicks off, it’s the actual reenactment of those major battles that provides a fun series of challenges and plenty of variety. Relic's Dawn of War games had fantastic storytelling, but Age of Empires IV leans hard into its documentary influences, conveniently glossing over the horrific acts that these nations committed to emerge triumphant over the centuries of conflict, terror, and genocides that defined these nations during the Dark Ages. That outsider approach to the Age of Empires IV narrative does at times feel like a missed opportunity considering that Relic Entertainment is at the helm of this game. Even better, completing a mission unlocks more short videos that further detail aspects of those cultures and their approach to warfare, such as the time-consuming creation of chainmail, the thoroughbred beauty of Mongolian horses, and the game-changing impact of the trebuchet in siege warfare. They're exquisitely produced snippets of history, detailing the road to war that notable figures such as Genghis Khan, William the Conqueror, and Ivan the Terrible embarked on to secure the legacy of their nations. In addition to that, there's also the standard Skirmish mode and Art of War tutorials that teach you the finer details of the game, although at the time of writing, a dedicated scenario and map editor has yet to be added to the package.Įach of the four campaigns runs for a decent number of hours, with sharp documentary-like videos filling in the gaps between each mission.
The campaigns take place across four noteworthy eras of human development, shining a spotlight on the English, French, Mongolian, and Russian civilizations. That core loop of churning out dozens of villagers, researching new technologies, and building a formidable army, is a strong reminder of just how timeless a well-executed gameplay system can be, and will be instantly recognizable to any Age of Empires veteran. Instead, they bring the game back to a successfully proven formula of managing limited resources, tactical scouting, and slowly transforming your hamlet from scrappy upstart into a world-conquering feudal superpower across several ages. Relic Entertainment and World's Edge's sequel to the long-running real-time strategy series thankfully skips some of the unnecessary complexity of Age of Empires III.
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