{"id":10004813,"date":"2021-09-21T10:37:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T15:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsledge.com\/?p=10004813"},"modified":"2021-09-21T10:37:05","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T15:37:05","slug":"age-of-empires-iv-is-a-fun-familiar-return-to-the-franchise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsledge.com\/age-of-empires-iv-is-a-fun-familiar-return-to-the-franchise\/","title":{"rendered":"Age of Empires IV Is A Fun, Familiar Return To The Franchise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A group of villagers, a horse, and a couple of sheep. That\u2019s how a match of the classic RTS Age of Empires II kicked off in 1999, and it\u2019s how a match of Age of Empires IV kicks off more than 20 years later today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the technical test weekend, I spent a few hours beating up on the AI and a few PvP matches. It\u2019s a little early to declare it a great successor to Age of Empires 2, but Relic Entertainment (folks known for Company of Heroes) and World\u2019s Edge are on the right track here. Let\u2019s dive into what works and what needs more work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Familiar and fresh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age of Empires IV isn\u2019t some drastic reimagining of the franchise. That\u2019s not to say the developers aren\u2019t adding plenty of new gameplay mechanics, but if the last time you played Age of Empires was a decade or two ago – you\u2019ll be right at home as your tiny village grows into an empire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villagers still make the backbone of your empire as you set them to collect food, wood, gold, and stone. Spearman, swordsmen, archers, and cavalry face off in the usual melees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you will notice tweaks to the formula right away. Advancing through ages is now done through the construction of landmarks, not the click of a button. And each new landmark comes with choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the English: Once you hit the Feudal Age, you get two choices. The Council Hall (produces Longbowmen at 100% speed from the Landmark) or Abbey of Kings (Heals all nearby friendly units that are out of combat by +4 every 1.5 seconds). With the Council Hall, you also don\u2019t need to rush into building an Archery Range to recruit Longbowmen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the English play more like a civilization from Age of Empires 2. Other civilizations, such as the Holy Roman Empire and the Chinese, have more unique gameplay mechanics. The Holy Roman Empire and Chinese both have unique non-combat units with the Prelate and Imperial Official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prelate is available from the get-go and costs 100 gold. It\u2019s a steep early investment, but it pays off quickly. Besides healing units, the Prelate also increases villagers\u2019 gather rate by 40%. Station one near a resource gathering building, and all the villagers get the boost. It becomes even more powerful when you advance to the Feudal Age and construct the Aachen Chapel landmark. This creates a large radius around the chapel that can affect multiple buildings with only one Prelate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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