Like its predecessors, AoE IV is a polished RTS with deep core gameplay, a robust campaign and lots of potential for online multiplayer. We’ve waited a long time for Age of Empires IV, and generally speaking, it was worth the wait. There’s also a healthy variety of sound effects, from the clang of sword against sword, to the whoosh of stones flying from a trebuchet. This time around, each civilization has a slightly different set of music, from Chinese strings, to French brass, to Mongolian throat singing.
Musically speaking, AoE IV is up to series standards, with a variety of ambient medieval tunes that fade into the background as you’re building, and come roaring to the foreground as you wage war. As you complete missions, you’ll even unlock optional videos all about medieval technology, culture and warfare, which feature expert interviews and real-life demonstrations of archery, construction and even siege warfare. The four campaigns - English, French, Mongol and Rus - play out like history documentaries, completed with a narrator, animated maps and 4K drone footage of real-world locations where famous battles took place. Instead of the “storybook about historical figures” approach in AoE II or the “adventure narrative that brushes up against history” approach in AoE III, AoE IV leans into what it’s always been: a fun way to learn about world history. It’s in its campaign where Age of Empires IV positively shines, though.
In the Pinnacle of Civilization, you play as the Delhi Sultanate, and must defend a Wonder throughout the Ages. For example, in The Three Crowns, you and two AI opponents might have to wind your way through a gigantic mazelike map. 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. There’s the standard skirmish mode, where you can pick any civilization you want, and square off against any other civilization you want, on any map, with any resource distribution, and on any difficulty level. If you prefer to play by yourself, AoE IV has you covered as well. I’ve only ever dabbled in the AoE competitive scene, 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 time to emerge. With 17 maps, eight civilizations and a variety of other gameplay options (win conditions, starting Age, resource scarcity and so forth), multiplayer could conceivably keep you busy for quite some time. You can play in Quick Match or Ranked games, with up to eight players in a single match. However, this will change on launch day, so it’s worth at least going over the game modes available. Age of Empires IV review: Multiplayer and game modesĭuring the Age of Empires IV review period, there weren’t a ton of players on hand for impromptu multiplayer matches. I’m not convinced that AoE IV has the very best gameplay in the series, but I am convinced that it deftly balances challenge, accessibility, innovation and formula. The game can still be quite challenging, particularly on higher difficulties - but it’s worth noting that the lower difficulties are more inviting than ever for new (or younger) players. On the other hand, this also makes the game much more approachable, and makes the eight civilizations feel much more distinct from one another. AoE IV feels fairly straightforward and streamlined, with fewer types of units and technologies than AoE II. Have other units if needed, some people mainly use cavalry because they are fast.The big question, of course, is whether any of this plays significantly better than in the previous Age of Empires games. Also you don't always need units of every kind from every building to win, find something you like and can use well and go with it. Because a king is fast, you need archer or ranged units to kill him. Built outposts in the trails until you find a place your enemy doesn't have much activity, and send in at least 5 trebuchets to blow the castle up fast, or use petards. You can make trails through the woods and build a safe place for your king there, or you can blow out a trail to your enemies area. Use this siege onager to blow out trees, either by telling it to attack the tree as it would a unit, or by telling it to attack ground, but change it every time you need to blow out an area. For Black Forest, have at least one siege onager (be sure to pick a civilization that has them because only 4 do, and the Saracens are one). For islands, it may be time consuming, but try to wall off the entire island with the exception of a few gates, not even allowing enough room for a transport to land, because that is your greatest threat playing at that map. When or if you play regicide, play at a black forest map, or islands.