Age of Miracles is a long-running PC strategy series that has been around since 1999. This latest entry takes over the 4X genre – think about it civilization– and transports it to a fantasy world where battles are fought in tactical showdowns, magic reigns supreme and your leaders are also RPG characters.
That sounds like a made game special for meSo imagine my own surprise when the other day while going through the Steam listing and installing I realized that I had never played a game before. Not the original, not the 2002 sequel, not even the third game to be released in the relatively modern era of 2014 (though I’ve now been told they’re quite different games, which might explain some of that!).
I had I did play the 2019 spin-off of the series though some Familiarity with the series, if not in its purest form. And what I found planetfall I have found that by and large this is the case Age of Miracles 4 Also, this is a snazzy 4X game that runs well, looks great and, for those who want it, has a surprising amount of depth to delve into and experiment with if you’re into fantasy and RPG stuff.
Actually, being new to this series I know – and I recognize the backwards chronological nature of this series, but it is what it is –I found it incredibly similar to that of Amplitude Endless Legend. However, this game attaches great importance to offering you completely different factions to choose from and to influence your game accordingly. WorldW4 goes in the opposite direction and allows you to create a faction down to the last detail, from race to its perks to looks (you can choose from some pre-made races if you want, but that’s boring!).
A lot of AoW4s The overall structure will be familiar to anyone who has played a 4X game before. From building cities to researching technology and exploring the map to meeting friends and rivals, perhaps unsurprisingly given the age of the series, the overall shape of the game is strictly traditional.
Where WorldW4 However, it becomes uncanny through the way in which it implements its fantasy setting. You get hero characters that can be leveled up and equipped with loot. There are spells that you can cast at a strategic level that grant benefits and even units. The tactical battles are about swords and arrows, but also about elemental magic, animals and dead guys. There are even story missions to work through. It is great!
Another thing I really like about the game is that while there’s a lot to delve into – city management, battles, exploration, diplomacy, RPG stuff – so does the game planetfallis moving fast. I don’t know if that’s because of the size or maybe just because I’m already familiar enough with 4X stuff to go through bits of it, but the pacing of the game just felt really solid; I always had something cool to do and never felt bored or waiting for a specific research or design. This is where the game’s UI comes in, which is instantly familiar to 4X veterans and spurs me on whenever a decision needs to be made.
So yeah I really like it WorldW4! It might not be the best example of the subgenre – I still think so after almost a decade Endless Legend remains a masterpiece – but it’s certainly good enough at everything it tries to do that I regret never having engaged with the series sooner.
