Age of Empires has a legendary history. Even if you’ve never touched it, you’ve probably heard about its impact on real-time strategy (RTS) games. It was like the blueprint for how these games should be made. While the genre kind of faded out after the early 2000s, guess what? Age of Empires is back, my friend! Age of Empires 4, released in 2021, is here to remind everyone why we fell in love with base-building and army-smashing madness in the first place. This game feels like the gaming equivalent of a rich grandma spoiling you with way too many Christmas presents. Tons of quests, tons of storylines, and endless multiplayer options—you’ll be swimming in content.
The Good Old RTS Comfort Food
At its core, Age of Empires 4 stays true to the classic RTS formula: you build up your base, gather your peasants, train your soldiers, and smash through the enemy. You’ll be stepping into the shoes of the English or French, transported back to the High and Late Middle Ages, with exciting fresh sword clashes and village raids, yet oddly nostalgic. Although, there are a few risks taken here and there (we’ll get to that), most of the time, AoE 4 succeeds in delivering the familiar “just one more turn” magic. It’s like grabbing your favorite old snack from the cupboard and realizing it tastes as good as you remembered—maybe even better.
After the whole Dawn of War 3 mess (yikes), I’m not surprised Relic played it a little safer this time. They’ve made Age of Empires 4 as a love letter to Age of Empires II. If you’re like me and have been nursing an AoE II addiction for, oh, 20 years or so, you’re gonna feel right at home here. Every sound—the whack of a worker chopping wood, the satisfying thunk of a battering ram against a wall is what the developers did back in the day.
This is still very much a game for control freaks (in the best way possible). You manage an army, a lot of villagers, and so many resources, all while trying to either outsmart the enemy or simply crush them under your boot. How you get there is up to you. Maybe you want to build up a Wonder and win by showing off your excellent architecture skills, or maybe you want to flood the opponents with groups of swordsmen they forget what daylight looks like. Whatever floats your medieval boat.
A Civilization for Every Playstyle
One of the things that keeps Age of Empires 4 fresh is how distinct each civilization is. Whether you’re duking it out in a campaign or messing around in Skirmish mode, each Age of Empires 4 civilization brings something different. The English, French, Chinese, and Mongols are back with some slight tweaks, but the real MVPs of this game are the new civilizations: the Delhi Sultanate, the Holy Roman Empire, the Abbasid Dynasty, and the Rus.
These new kids on the block each bring their own quirks. The Mongols have the ability to pack up their entire city and move—because why not? Meanwhile, the Rus get super cool Warrior Monks, and the Delhi Sultanate has elephants in their tribe. Need I say more? ELEPHANTS, people! If that doesn’t make you want to charge into battle, I don’t know what will. Even if you stick with a more “boring” civ like the English, there are plenty of small visual details to enjoy. Every faction’s got its style, from their architecture to units’ outfits, so no matter what, there’s always something fun to look at.
Starting in the Dark Ages with just a town center and a few villagers is one of my favorite parts of the game. These towns are small and fragile at first, and every decision could make or break you. Do you rush to gather food, or build up your defenses? It’s the kind of strategic anxiety I thrive on. Once you get your economy going, you can start having some fun. Skirmish mode lets you set up custom battles with all sorts of variables: map size, resources, AI difficulty—you name it. You can even test your skills against other players to add some competitive scene (or want to see how fast you can get crushed by some RTS pro who’s been playing non-stop since launch).
History Class, But Make It Fun
Age of Empires 4 gets serious about its history, but it never seems like homework. A narrator is providing historical context as you play, which is kind of like having an ASMR channel in the background. And while you can skip these clips, I actually enjoyed them. They gave me a sense of, “Wow, I’m learning things,” without seeing myself I was back in school. As a Brit who learned about King Henry and the Normans more times than I can count, I was hyped to learn about some other histories—like the Rus campaigns and Genghis Khan’s conquests. Honestly, it’s a nice touch for some extra flavor to the experience.
Visually, Age of Empires 4 is a treat. Whether you’re zoomed out watching your armies sweep across the map, or zoomed in on a villager by the lake, it’s all gorgeous. Sure, there are moments when things get a little awkward—like when a giant army tries to cross a little bridge and I thought about it as a medieval traffic jam—but even in real life, soldiers probably had some struggles with tight bridges. Moreover, their AI-centered minds battled to keep the formation I’d instructed them to march in. Even for fully conscious soldiers, however, I suppose it’d be a challenge.
Verdict
Age of Empires 4 sticks closely to the classic formula, but it truly shines when it goes into new territories. While it does have some minor unit limits, a little tricky pathfinding, and graphics that could be more dazzling for a 2021 release, the expansive campaigns and unique factions like the Mongols and Russians are absolute highlights. Some moments keep me on the edge of my seat, but I can’t help but wonder how this beloved classic will hold up now that the RTS genre has seen fresh innovations from other releases. And with plans to add more civilizations in the future, I have a feeling this game is gonna have a long lifespan. Between the complex strategies and the endless Skirmish possibilities, I don’t see myself getting bored of this anytime soon.
