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Age of Wonders 4 continues the epic fantasy empire-building legacy of its series, releasing a massive game that are all parts fantastic, challenging, and engaging. In this article, we're going to run through the Age of Wonders 4 review scores and see if the game is worth your time and money, and if it's the kind of game that's perfect for you.
Age of Wonders 4 Review Scores: 83 on PC
Age of Wonders 4 is sitting on a comfortable 83 score for PC on Metacritic, landing it within the realm of the highest-rated games in the series. That's a pretty good spot to land on, especially since Age of Wonders has consistently produced great games, with not a single title having lower than 80 Metascore in the aggregating website. Among the sixteen reviews as of press time, fifteen have been positive, with one lone mixed review breaking the combo.
Among the reviews for Age of Wonders 4, the highest review score given to the game came from Game Grin, which gave the game a 9 and 1/2 score out of 10. The review blurb on the website reads: “Age of Wonders 4 is a great title that will have you wanting to play only one more turn, and only one more round, as you unlock things in Pantheon progress and decide to play one more match.”
Indeed, the hallmark of a great 4X game is that “Just one more turn” itch, which Age of Wonders 4 somehow manages to carry over to an entirely new match thanks to its Pantheon progression system. The game definitely makes you want to play more of it, especially since the game offers so many ways to play from its customizable factions and troops.
Another positive review came from Checkpoint Gaming which gave the game a solid 8/10. “While there is a lot to keep track of in Age of Wonders 4,” reads the review, “persistence pays off when it comes to the main gameplay experience. While it may take time to get used to the different gameplay concepts and menu screens, the level of variety when it comes to customisation, hero units, underground passages, and ancient wonders makes Age of Wonders 4 a paradise sandbox for strategy fans at all levels. No matter whether you’re a turn-based combat buff or more of a city management fan, you’ll be sure to find something to like in this whopper of a game.”
IGN's verdict for Age of Wonders 4 is a review score of 8/10. Its review reads: “Age of Wonders 4 invites players to rule a fantasy realm of their own design, in a blend of strategy, role-playing, and turn-based combat.”
The lowest score Age of Wonders 4 has received so far came from Screen Rant, which gave the game a respectable 3.5 out of 5 stars. Its review reads: “Age of Wonders 4 is a beautifully crafted 4X experience for players who like to dig deep and learn how to customize a game to fit how they like to play and be able to research through many varieties of choices and traits. The game offers some ways to simplify things for those who are more casual but definitely is something that someone could spend hours, days, and weeks digging into and still not be able to see everything the game has in its depths. While its overloaded amount of bookkeeping can prevent some enjoyment, what's here is more than satisfactory for the genre.”
Conclusion: Is Age of Wonders 4 a good game? Is it worth your time and money?
Age of Wonders 4 is a fantastic game to sink your time into, but even 4X veterans have to be wary before getting into this game, as it's got way deeper mechanics compared to most 4X games we have in the market. For one, it is not only a 4X game but is also a turn-based tactics game when it comes to its combat, so there's definitely some grind here. A lot of micromanagement will also bog down the pace of the game, and if you're not into min-maxing factions and units to find the most broken combination of features and mechanics that will make your army the empire that will rule the world. It's a game where you will really pore your nose on texts and pull out computations, and if you're not into that, then you should stay away. But for those who are very meticulous and want everything to be in order before heading into battle, Age of Wonders 4 is for you.
Age of Wonders 4 is out on May 2, 2023, on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
