Age of Empires 4 Xbox review: A knight’s tale

When Age of Empires 4 was announced a few years ago, I was filled with child-like glee. Here was one of my favourite game series coming back in my life. I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to play this on my PC… oh…” That ‘oh’ was a reminder that I paused PC gaming since Age of Empires III and shifted to console gaming. So you can imagine my happiness when it was announced that Age of Empires 4 would make its way to Xbox.

This will also be my first foray with Age of Empires 4. Unlike previous entries I have played on PC, I have never played this game before. Will it be just as good as its predecessors? Let’s find out!

The controls

When Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition was launched on Xbox (review), I was pleasantly surprised by the way the developers managed to tweak the controls for controllers. I’m happy to say that things remain more or less the same. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

As before, commands are contextual and issued via the analogue stick via a selection wheel. Common shortcuts are assigned to the D-Pad. This means that the toolbar at the bottom is no longer needed. As was the case before, the controls will take some getting used to. So the tutorial campaign is a must, even if you are a veteran of the RTS.

However, the problems are still the same. For example, the cursor still snaps to the nearest unit, which makes picking out individual units a pain. Further, the option to select units and task them to walk to a location is still the same (A) button. So you will end up accidentally sending a unit somewhere or create an unwanted rally point for your building.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Age of Empires 4 seems like a mix of Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III. The setting and timeline are from Age of Empires 2, while it borrows the age advancement choices from AoE III and AoM. So you get four ages, which are the Dark Age, the Feudal Age, the Castle Age and the Imperial Age. The age advancement system has been slightly tweaked. Players will have to construct one of two landmarks to advance each age. Each civilization has its own landmarks and each landmark provides its own special bonuses.

Another thing it seems to borrow from the latter two titles is its focus on minimal, but unique-looking civilizations. Age of Empires 4 currently has a total of ten civilizations. Namely English, Chinese, Mongols, Delhi Sultanate, French, Abbasid Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Malians, Ottomans and Rus. While this number may seem pretty small compared to AoE 2, each of the civilisations plays differently from each others. This makes each game of AoE 4 feel unique as I had to tweak my gameplay to best suit my civilization. It makes you feel like a tactical genius when you play to your civilisation’s strengths perfectly.

The campaigns in AoE 4 also deserve a special mention. Like in AoE 2, these campaigns are based on historical events. Players are able to guide certain civilizations through a select period in their history. These campaigns feature full motion video complete with animated wireframe overlays to give players better context. It seems more like a documentary than an introduction to a campaign. Not only that but as you progress you also unlock short videos that talk more about other aspects of medieval life such as building castles or crossbows during that period. Kudos to the developers to find a way to make learning entertaining.

Graphics

Age of Empires 4 looks pretty good. There is a slight haze that makes everything look like an oil painting. It sort of reminds me of the art direction that Wild Hearts (review) took, but not at the same level). The cities look alive and lived in thanks to the attention to detail given to buildings. Each building has a small area around it that could feature tiny details such as gardens around houses, and sacks of flour around the mill. This makes each settlement look more like a rural village rather than just a simple collection of buildings.

However, I wish the units were more detailed. While I understand the developers could not make them any more colourful as it would make it very difficult to make out your own units in the heat of battle. But the units in AoE 2 were very detailed as well and players didn’t seem to have the same problem. When entering a battle, I could never figure out at first glance what units I was up against, which made planning my strategy that much more difficult.

Verdict

With Age of Empires 4, I feel like the developers have played it quite safe. It features a familiar setting to Age of Empires 2, while only borrowing certain elements from Age of Mythology or Age of Empires III. But it seems like it has worked. Age of Empires 4 simply works. It features enough options that will keep veterans interested while also keeping things simple enough for a brand-new generation to enjoy. The graphics are also pretty good and the developers have done a great job in making settlements look more lived in. The campaigns are also very detailed and informative and I hope the developers plan to release more of them in the future.

However, the developers could have been a bit more bold in terms of unit design and the number of civilizations on offer. Gameplay can also feel a little unbalanced as some civilizations have benefits that can completely overpower others.

If you are looking for a great RTS with modern graphics, pretty visuals and a very detailed and fun campaign, then Age of Empires 4 is right up your alley. It’s a good entry point for console gamers or RTS newcomers looking for an entry point into the series. However, if you are a veteran looking for competitive skirmishes, you might be better off with Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Pros:

• Well tweaked for the controller
• Each civilization looks and feels different
• The campaign missions are very informative
• Option to use keyboard and mouse

Cons:

• The limitations of the controller can frustrate
• Unit pathfinding isn’t great
• Gameplay can be a little unbalanced at times

More info
Developer: Relic Entertainment, World’s Edge
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X

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