Age of Empires IV review

Our Verdict

Age of Empires IV may not redefine the real-time strategy genre like its predecessors, but it'south still a deep and challenging swoop into the world of medieval warfare.

For

Gripping core gameplay
Inventive campaign mode
Excellent music
Varied civilizations and objectives

Confronting

Skillful-enough visuals
Non as innovative as past AoE games

Tom'south Guide Verdict

Age of Empires IV may not redefine the real-fourth dimension strategy genre like its predecessors, merely it'south still a deep and challenging dive into the world of medieval warfare.

Pros

+
Gripping core gameplay
+
Inventive campaign style
+
Excellent music
+
Varied civilizations and objectives

Cons

-
Good-enough visuals
-
Non as innovative as past AoE games

Historic period of Empires IV: Specs

Platform: PC
Price: $60
Release Date: October 28, 2021
Genre: RTS

Age of Empires IV is a skilful game. In fact, it's arguably a great game. Information technology's important to state that up front and unequivocally, because fans have been waiting xvi years to find out. A lot has happened in the gaming world since Age of Empires III debuted in 2005, including the dissolution of the serial' original programmer. But Age of Empires Four proves that the "historical existent-time strategy" formula nevertheless has a lot of life left in it, and that no other series does information technology quite every bit well equally this one.

On the other manus, Historic period of Empires IV has a lot to live up to. The first game was bold; the third was innovative; the 2nd is still one of the greatest RTS games of all time. (Age of Empires Online was likewise an interesting and worthwhile experiment, only I digress.) Compared to its predecessors, in that location's no denying that AoE Iv plays it pretty safe. It has the aforementioned setting as Historic period of Empires 2, as well every bit many of the aforementioned civilizations, units, strategies and campaign arcs. At its best, AoE IV is polished, refined and a ton of fun to play. At its worst, it can feel like a "greatest hits" anthology.

Still, series fans and newcomers alike should observe a lot to enjoy in AoE 4's meticulously crafted civilizations, varied game modes and inventive campaign —one of the best I've ever encountered in an RTS. Read on for our total Age of Empires Four review.

Age of Empires Four review: Gameplay

If yous've played the first three games in the series, then you know exactly what yous're in for with Age of Empires Iv. In this medieval RTS, you'll take control of a modest group of villagers, eventually turning your small-scale settlement into a thriving city. In most game modes, you'll need to build up an ground forces to wage war against enemy soldiers and besiege their towns. Only even if y'all choose to build your empire through economic might, you'll accept to defend your borders, build up your resources and upgrade your technology as you accelerate from the Dark Historic period to the Imperial Age.

Age of Empires IV screenshot — (Image credit: Relic Entertainment)

Historic period of Empires IV has substantially the same structure as the games that preceded it, and that construction works likewise now equally it did in 1997. Information technology'south nonetheless incredibly satisfying to encounter your civilization abound from a handful of villagers and a town center into a bustling urban center, with soldiers, horsemen and priests, too as universities, monasteries and castles.

Likewise, it'due south satisfying to field a diverse ground forces, meliorate its weapons and armor over time, and then march information technology out into the field to practice boxing with opposing forces. AoE 4 maintains the series' "rock-paper-scissors" balance among infantry, cavalry, and archers. But since each civilization has somewhat different units to choose from, you'll have to program out your army strategically, and maneuver information technology tactically. Yous'll also need siege weapons for afterwards stages of the game, and it's just as satisfying equally ever to lookout stone walls crumble nether a barrage of trebuchet burn, or a battery of battering rams.

AoE IV offers eight different civilizations: the English, the French, the Mongols, the Rus, the Chinese, the Holy Roman Empire, the Delhi Sultanate and the Abbasid Dynasty. Information technology'due south a healthy mix that spans Europe, Asia and the Middle East, although the game feels similar it could apply some New Earth and African civilizations. Hopefully an expansion somewhere downwards the line will add in civilizations like the Aztecs and the Ethiopians, which added a lot to previous games.

The developers depict AoE IV's viii playable civilizations every bit "semi-symmetrical." This ways that they're not quite every bit distinct equally the three different races in a game similar StarCraft — just also not as like as the 35 dissimilar civilizations in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. Civilizations mostly share units and buildings, simply when they don't, the differences can be profound.

For example: as the English, your boondocks center creates villagers, who get together food, wood, stone and gold through dedicated resources-drop buildings. The Mongols need the same resource, from the same villagers. But they use an all-purpose mobile resources drop betoken called a "ger," while they can't mine rock direct, opting instead for an auto-mining structure called an "ovoo."

Likewise, the English army favors longbowmen, while the Mongol regular army favors cavalry archers called mangudai. Since each civilization has different bonuses and drawbacks, which bear on both their economies and their militaries, developing strategies for each culture is a consistently challenging and delightful part of the experience.

The big question, of course, is whether any of this plays significantly better than in the previous Age of Empires games. AoE IV feels fairly straightforward and streamlined, with fewer types of units and technologies than AoE Two. On the other paw, this also makes the game much more approachable, and makes the 8 civilizations feel much more distinct from 1 some other.

The game tin still be quite challenging, specially on college difficulties — but it's worth noting that the lower difficulties are more inviting than ever for new (or younger) players. I'k non convinced that AoE IV has the very best gameplay in the series, merely I am convinced that it deftly balances challenge, accessibility, innovation and formula.

Age of Empires IV review: Multiplayer and game modes

During the Age of Empires 4 review period, at that place weren't a ton of players on manus for impromptu multiplayer matches. However, this will change on launch solar day, so it'southward worth at least going over the game modes available.

You can play in Quick Friction match or Ranked games, with upward to eight players in a unmarried lucifer. With 17 maps, eight civilizations and a diversity of other gameplay options (win conditions, starting Age, resource scarcity and so forth), multiplayer could conceivably keep y'all busy for quite some time. I've only ever dabbled in the AoE competitive scene, and so I couldn't say whether longtime AoE II players will want to jump ship or stay where they are; I can say, however, that AoE Iv seems deep enough that a "perfect" metagame may take some fourth dimension to emerge.

If you prefer to play by yourself, AoE IV has you covered equally well. At that place's the standard skirmish way, where you can pick whatever civilization you desire, and square off confronting whatsoever other civilisation you want, on any map, with any resources distribution, and on whatsoever difficulty level. You can also team up with other players or an AI against larger teams of foes, or play through a handful of other creative modes. For example, in The Three Crowns, yous and 2 AI opponents might have to air current your mode through a gigantic mazelike map. In the Pinnacle of Civilization, y'all play as the Delhi Sultanate, and must defend a Wonder throughout the Ages.

It's in its campaign where Age of Empires IV positively shines, though. Instead of the "storybook about historical figures" approach in AoE 2 or the "adventure narrative that brushes up against history" approach in AoE III, AoE Iv leans into what information technology'due south always been: a fun way to learn about earth history. The four campaigns — English, French, Mongol and Rus — play out similar history documentaries, completed with a narrator, animated maps and 4K drone footage of real-world locations where famous battles took place. As yous consummate missions, you'll even unlock optional videos all nearly medieval engineering science, culture and warfare, which feature expert interviews and real-life demonstrations of archery, structure and fifty-fifty siege warfare.

The highest praise I can give the campaign is that if Microsoft wanted to isolate the video footage and sell it equally a standalone documentary, I honestly think information technology would get a whole slew of not-gamers interested in the Age of Empires serial.

Historic period of Empires IV review: Visuals and sound

The one area where Age of Empires 4 doesn't fully deliver is in its in-game visuals. There's null really wrong with the little men and women who populate your medieval town, just they don't look all that different from the models we've seen in the Definitive Editions of the terminal three AoE games. The buildings are more than impressive, peculiarly how they fall autonomously as you besiege them, also as the little silhouettes of workers you'll see as they're nether construction.

Musically speaking, AoE Iv is upwardly to serial standards, with a diverseness of ambient medieval tunes that fade into the background as yous're building, and come roaring to the foreground equally yous wage war. This fourth dimension around, each civilisation has a slightly different set of music, from Chinese strings, to French brass, to Mongolian throat singing. There'south besides a good for you variety of sound effects, from the clang of sword against sword, to the whoosh of stones flying from a trebuchet.

Age of Empires Iv review: Bottom line

We've waited a long time for Age of Empires IV, and more often than not speaking, it was worth the await. Similar its predecessors, AoE Iv is a polished RTS with deep core gameplay, a robust campaign and lots of potential for online multiplayer. Information technology also might merely teach y'all a thing or 2 most medieval history, specially if you play its best-in-class campaign manner.

I don't know if AoE 4 volition have the staying power of AoE II, particularly since in that location's a "been in that location, washed that" feel to both the medieval setting and a lot of the campaign missions. But excellent historical RTS games aren't exactly commonplace lately, so getting one of this quotient is a treat. As for whether AoE Four continues to expand and grow, that will depend a lot on which civilizations, campaigns and gameplay features are coming next.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'southward Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can detect him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.