One of the new all-stars of this niche genre is "Age of Wonders 3," the newest in a series of games
that is often considered a contender for best 4X strategy game ever.
This new installment comes out of it's original developer: Triumph
Studios. After many development road bumps, financial crisis and ten
longs years, the messiah of turn based, empire building RPG games has
returned. And it does not disappoint.
"Age of Wonders 3" offers an epic fantasy
setting, inspiring soundtrack and some of the most solid game-play of
the series so far.
The game's customization options are
tremendous and offer plenty of options for a huge array of play
styles. There are six classes, six races and over a dozen different
schools of magic your leader can choose from making for some very
interesting combinations; each of which offers a unique experience.
For example you could decide to play as a rouge, but depending on
what race you choose can dramatically alter the units you end up
with. If you prefer a more straightforward playstyle, you might play a Warlord and focus on building your armies. If you're into political subterfuge you could play a rogue and focus on creating discord in your enemy's empires. The different races also play a factor since each race will vary in stats. For example, A dwarf rogue would like snowy terrain and have more resistance to magic based attacks, but move slower and hate tropical environments. An orc rogue on the other hand would like tropical terrain and do more damage, but hate snowy terrain and be more susceptible to magic damage. Both have noticeably different strengths and weaknesses that may make or break your strategies.
The game has a large over-world with
many different types of terrain and structures to explore. When you
enter combat you can either auto-resolve or take control of the
battle yourself, commanding each of your individual units in a turn
based battle. There are a huge variety of units with a huge amount of
different skills and abilities, many of which are tied to what race
and class you decide to play.
One of the best aspects of the game is the depth and detail you can use to customize the hero and leader units. There is an expansive selection of abilities and items you can use to soup up your important units and make them extremely powerful. In later stages of the game you can even create and name your own items making for an immersive and exciting experience, as you come up with new combinations and assemble an arsenal.
There is also quite a variety in game modes as well. You can choose one of the two massive campaigns, engage in one of the challenging premade scenarios or create your own randomly generated world fit to whatever style of play you enjoy. Though the story I for the main campaign is good, the game really shines in the custom play. Its all about having that big open world to explore and being able to experience your own adventures and then tell your own stories.
One of the games few drawbacks is that it can eventually become overwhelming. As you and your enemies empires grows turns will take longer and longer and eventually the sheer number of things you have to micromanage, like your troops and economy can get rather monotonous. Some of the later levels of the campaign involved the enemy having so many units I had to wait nearly ten minutes for him to finish his turn so over and over again.
Luckily Triumph Studios is very connected to it's fan base and most of these issues have already been addressed or are being worked on as we speak. The studio stays connected to it's fan-base via it's website and forum and offers a lot of information on whats going on behind the scenes on it's website. We can expect constant updates, potential DLC and possibly even expansion packs in this games futures.
The game has also reached out to various internet personalities who are well known fans of the series for support. Markus Persson (Notch), creator of Minecraft and long time fan of the series helped the studio when they were in a desperate financial situation. Another personality John Bane (Totalbiscuit), a First Impressions game reviewer also helped the game gain significant exposure shortly after release.
All in all this game is great, its one of the most unique and enjoyable games you will ever play and is expected to have a huge lifespan with extra content and modding support. My recommendation: buy this game now, you will not regret it.
One of the best aspects of the game is the depth and detail you can use to customize the hero and leader units. There is an expansive selection of abilities and items you can use to soup up your important units and make them extremely powerful. In later stages of the game you can even create and name your own items making for an immersive and exciting experience, as you come up with new combinations and assemble an arsenal.
There is also quite a variety in game modes as well. You can choose one of the two massive campaigns, engage in one of the challenging premade scenarios or create your own randomly generated world fit to whatever style of play you enjoy. Though the story I for the main campaign is good, the game really shines in the custom play. Its all about having that big open world to explore and being able to experience your own adventures and then tell your own stories.
One of the games few drawbacks is that it can eventually become overwhelming. As you and your enemies empires grows turns will take longer and longer and eventually the sheer number of things you have to micromanage, like your troops and economy can get rather monotonous. Some of the later levels of the campaign involved the enemy having so many units I had to wait nearly ten minutes for him to finish his turn so over and over again.
Luckily Triumph Studios is very connected to it's fan base and most of these issues have already been addressed or are being worked on as we speak. The studio stays connected to it's fan-base via it's website and forum and offers a lot of information on whats going on behind the scenes on it's website. We can expect constant updates, potential DLC and possibly even expansion packs in this games futures.
The game has also reached out to various internet personalities who are well known fans of the series for support. Markus Persson (Notch), creator of Minecraft and long time fan of the series helped the studio when they were in a desperate financial situation. Another personality John Bane (Totalbiscuit), a First Impressions game reviewer also helped the game gain significant exposure shortly after release.
All in all this game is great, its one of the most unique and enjoyable games you will ever play and is expected to have a huge lifespan with extra content and modding support. My recommendation: buy this game now, you will not regret it.
Developer: Triumph Studios
Publisher: Triumph Studios
Genre: 4X, Turn Based Strategy
Released: March 31st, 2014
Rated: T for Teen
Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
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