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No slacking here,but the idle
villager button is patchy
Build settlements with farms,
houses, andblacksmiths
Enlist villagersfora cavalry
charge, or justgo italone
Choose battles from 1066 to
the rise of the Mongol Empire
Here youcanfulfill historical
wishes, however fanciful
Change yourunit from a line
to a wedge or loose scattering
Age of Empires IV
CONQUERER Polished and
solid gameplay; nicely detailed
graphics; less micro-management
WAVERER Campaign tied closely to
history; villagers need too much managing
RECOMMENDED SPECS CPU, i 5 six-core /
R5 16 00; RAM, 16 GB; GPU, GeForce GTX 970
/ Radeon RX 570
$59. 99 , http://www.ageofempires.com, T-rated
8
VERDICT
Age of Empires was just fine the way
it was, and the acceptance of this on the
part of the developers means that this
latest game is easy to pick up and play,
rather than something that drowns you in
micro-management or strategy.
WORK FOR IDLE HANDS
So while roads appear automatically
between areas well-traveled by villagers
or troops, they don’t confer a movement
bonus. You can pack your buildings in
close together, or put farms between
blacksmiths and houses, without hitting
that awful RTS state where the building’s
footprint turns red and won’t go where
you’re certain it should fit.
Villagers have to be managed to prevent
them from becoming idle (the idle villager
button returns, but occasionally dumps
the camera in the middle of nowhere),
though sometimes are overcome by a fit
of usefulness and begin harvesting wood
after building a lumber camp.
There are, of course, things that could
be further streamlined, such as having
to individually click on every treasure
chest you uncover, or the selection boxes
that pick up villagers with your cavalry
just before a charge. Military units have
only attack and stop commands, and it’s
possible for scattered archers to spend
more time burning enemy fields than
actually shooting arrows where they’d do
the most good. If you’re going to prosper
in a skirmish, then learning your faction
is essential—some get skills for free
that others must research, unique units
abound, and auto-harvesting buildings,
even movable town centers, bring a whole
new layer to the game.
On the whole, though, it’s great to see
Age of Empires back. Whether you have
memories of sitting up all night with The
Age of Kings or have come to the series
with Dawn of War and in anticipation of
Company of Heroes 3 , there’s a satisfying
richness about the depiction of this time
period and the application of the game’s
particular way of doing things.
It might not make this a classic game
but will certainly delight anyone looking
for that medieval RTS fix. – IAN EVENDEN
JAN 2022 MAXIMUMPC 91
