When it comes to 4X strategy games, it’s not often that fans get new genres to pour hundreds of hours into. The last offshoot of the popular Civilization series, for example, is now more than six years old and alongside titles like Old World and Humankind there aren’t too many modern alternatives at the moment. So it’s high time for a brand new 4X title, which is probably what Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios thought too, which is why they unveiled Age of Wonders 4 today.
Paradox Interactive unveils Age of Wonders 4
Since Age of Wonders 3 was released in 2014, fans of the series have received Age of Wonders: Planetfall (buy now / €44.99 ) in 2019 it was just a kind of spin-off that sent players into space, similar to what Civilization players were able to experience with Beyond Earth. With Age of Wonders 4, however, genre enthusiasts can again look forward to a real main offshoot of the series, in which players can rule a fantasy kingdom in their own style. The mix of strategy, role-playing, and turn-based combat that made Age of Wonders so popular is of course back.
In Age of Wonders 4, powerful wizard kings have returned to the world who now wish to reign as gods among mortals. Of course, as a player you want to challenge these self-declared gods and use “Tomes of Magic” to unleash “arcane destruction”, develop your own armies and acquire new skills and forms. New to Age of Wonders 4 is the ability to create your very own factions and “leave a mark on countless worlds” with every choice you make.
Age of Wonders 4 offers a new level of customization and replayability
Many users have found Age of Wonders to be particularly popular with the combat system, which reminds many players of titles like Xcom. With the fourth offshoot there will also be significantly more role-playing elements. As previously mentioned, players are free to customize their own following as they see fit. This allows things like body shapes, social traits, and arcane powers to be customized. There should also be no limits to the imagination here, regardless of whether your own faction should consist of cannibal halflings or mystical moon elves. Additionally, players can search for powerful spell books to magically affect their armies, causing their own people to physically adapt. The self-created factions can also appear as potential rivals or allies in later games.
Furthermore, every decision made should open up new possibilities and tactical advantages. Players can try out new tactics or discover new powers in each rune, and Age of Wonders 4 aims to offer a new level of replayability, among other things through a variety of different battles. There is also a new event system, which is said to offer “untold possibilities of storytelling” for 4X games. The decisions made by the player should affect the entire realm. For example, users can achieve their glory through brutal domination, cunning alliances or ultimate arcane knowledge. Players who have already enjoyed the relatively new Old World will probably feel right at home with this event system.
Couple this with the ability to create a custom realm and the combination of locations and features, such as a frozen wasteland ruled by ice queens or abandoned ruins where dragons roam, Age of Wonders 4 aims to be playable almost endlessly. Additionally, the title is already significantly more mod-friendly and “results in a more open ending than ever before in the franchise.”
When will Age of Wonders 4 be released?
Age of Wonders 4 is scheduled for release on May 2nd, 2023 for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you want to get a detailed look at Age of Wonders 4, you can get the Watch the Paradox and Triumph announcement show, which started at 6 p.m. today. Otherwise there is more information also on the Age of Wonders 4 official site and the game can be additionally already Add to your wishlist on Steam.
