Age of Empires IV Review: Historic RTS Revival or Remastered Retread?

The Age of Empires series holds an esteemed place in real-time strategy (RTS) gaming history. With its blend of historical settings, epic campaigns, and strategic civilization-building gameplay, AoE has won over legions of PC gamers since the first title launched in 1997. so Age of Empires IV is one of them.

After 16 long years since the last numbered entry in the series (Age of Empires III), Microsoft announced the development of Age of Empires IV in 2017. This generated a major buzz and high hopes from franchise fans eager for its triumphant return. 

Now with AoE IV finally released on October 28, 2021, does it live up to the momentous legacy of the series? Is this a revival of historic proportions, or a remastered rehash? This in-depth review tackles the key questions.

Core Gameplay and Mechanics

At its core, AoE IV delivers the classic strategic gameplay the series is loved for. As players guide a chosen civilization from the Dark Ages up through the Renaissance era and beyond, they must:

• Collect resources – Food, wood, gold, and stone serve as the raw materials to construct buildings, train units, and research technologies. Smart resource gathering and preservation remain key.
• Build civilizations – Constructing houses, production buildings, fortresses, walls, and infrastructure expands capabilities. Building placement and protecting territory are essential strategic elements.
• Train military units – Training the right balance of scout, ranged, cavalry, siege and naval units to counter opponents and achieve objectives retains importance in AoE IV.
• Advance through ages – Advancing through technological and civic ages with landmark buildings unlocks new units, structures, and powerful economic/military upgrades.
• Employ research, technologies, and doctrines – Strategic research choices lead to impactful economic, military, and diplomatic bonuses and upgrades.

For series veterans, these fundamentals will feel intimately familiar. The systems may have some new polish, but the core mechanics remain unchanged. This provides immediately accessible pick-up-and-play value, yet reduces innovation.

 New gameplay features in Age of Empires IV :

• Seasonal map effects – Seasons slowly shift in-game, affecting things like food sources and traversable terrain. Provides environmental dynamism.
• Smart resource stockpiles – Resources are stored intelligently in wells, granaries, and warehouses. Surplus resources gain interest like a bank.
• Dock buildings – Constructing key buildings like Castles and Wonders now requires building supporting structures first, adding complexity.
• Flanking bonuses– Attacking enemy units from the rear confers damage bonuses for smart tactical positioning.
• Ditching unit queues – Military units no longer continue training after buildings are destroyed, ending frustrating micromanagement.
• Capturing outposts – Send light units to capture and occupy neutral map outposts for territory control benefits.

Overall, the pacing feels right in line with the Age of Empires tradition – neither too slow, rushed, complex, or simple. The 25-30 minute timeframe to advance through the ages and build forces for large-scale battles retains the series’ signature tempo and flow. The biggest limitation is the lack of groundbreaking new systems to refresh the established formula. But change for change’s sake is not always best, and the tried-and-true basics still hold up remarkably well 25 years later. The gameplay simply works and is executed polishedly, if predictably, in AoE IV.

Immersive Visuals and Audio in game

A vital part of re-capturing the glory days of AoE was a graphical overhaul using modern technology. On this front, AoE IV delivers handsomely with gorgeous rendering, environments, details, and visual effects.

Some standout visual features include:

• Detailed environments – Impressive terrain details, foliage, weather effects, water, and landscape variety create an immersive game world. Zooming in reveals fine touches.
• Distinct architecture – Unique architectural styles, clothing, animations, and color palettes for each civilization increase immersion.
• High visual fidelity– From flickering torchlight to shadows moving realistically across the terrain, AoE IV leverages modern graphical capabilities for immersive beauty.
• Smooth animations – Unit movements, building constructions, and technology effects have natural, polished animation.
• Zoomed-out readability – Icons, silhouettes, and other visual cues ensure maps and battles remain readable when zoomed out. Critical for RTS play.
• If any area rivals the visuals, it is AoE IV’s stellar audio package, featuring: 
• Majestic orchestral soundtrack – Sweeping classical arrangements match the historic grandeur and emotionally transport players through the ages.
• Crisp sound effects – Everything from armies marching to swords clashing to buildings collapsing has perfect auditory punch and presence. 
• Smooth voice acting – Emotive unit responses and solid voice acting deliver medieval authenticity. Accents suit civilizations nicely.
• Atmospheric ambiance – Whether enchanting birdsong in the Dark Age or bustling marketplace noise later on, ambient sound is on point.

Both technically and artistically, the visuals and audio come together to form a masterfully crafted and completely engrossing atmosphere. The team at Relic Entertainment knew audiovisual excellence was non-negotiable for AoE IV’s success.

Engaging Campaigns and Modes 

Campaigns serve as the narrative heart of any Age of Empires title, recounting pivotal moments in history that players actively participate in. For AoE IV, Relic Entertainment ambitiously chose to spotlight four diverse medieval civilizations in campaigns spanning 500+ years:

• Norman Campaign 11th-century conquests of England and Sicily under William the Conqueror
• Hundred Years’ War 14th/15th century conflict between England and France 
• Rise of Moscow 14th-century Russian campaign against Mongols and Tatars 
• Dynasty of Delhi 16th century Indian golden age under the Mughal Empire 

Each 8+ mission campaign features fully voiced cinematics and varied scenarios testing different playstyles – economic booms, defenses, timed skirmishes, capturing sacred sites, and climactic historical battles. Avoiding minor spoilers, they manage to inform players about pivotal events in an engaging, interactive way.

Beyond campaigns, AoE IV offers other familiar modes:

Art of War Tutorials – Optionally complete skill-building lessons around economy, micro, defense, attacking, and battle tactics. 

• Multiplayer- Compete, ally, or wage war across maps online with up to 7 other players. Includes team options.
• Skirmish– Play head-to-head against AI opponents across a variety of custom maps and rulesets.
• Historic Battles– Replay pivotal historical engagements like Agincourt, Hastings, Kurikara, and more from either side.

Between the lengthy campaigns, multiplayer, and single-player options, AoE IV includes plenty of content diversity at launch beyond just standalone gameplay.

Release and Reception

Microsoft released Age of Empires IV worldwide on October 28, 2021. It is available on PC via:

• Steam – $59.99 base edition

• Microsoft Store – $59.99 base edition 

• Xbox Game Pass (PC) – Included free with subscription

Also, a $79.99 Digital Deluxe Edition on Steam and Microsoft Store includes the base game plus the official soundtrack and a “Herald of the Hundred Years” skin pack.

Critically, AoE IV has received very positive reviews at launch, currently holding an 86% Metascore on Metacritic and an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam. Reviewers widely praised the portrayal of lesser seen historic events, beautiful visuals, orchestral soundtrack, and largely faithful adherence to the classic but proven formula. 

Most criticisms centered on the lack of major innovations in gameplay systems, some interface quirks, and limited civilizations/content out of the gates relative to past series entries. However, these were tempered by acknowledging the solid base and likely ongoing expansions. Overall, fans and reviewers responded excitedly to Age of Empires returning to glory.

Verdict: A Triumphant Return to Form

When Microsoft greenlit Age of Empires IV, the worry was tampering too much with a beloved franchise or failing to modernize it appropriately. Yet AoE IV finds that delicate balance between honoring the spirit of the original classics and polishing their strongest elements with a fresh coat of graphical paint.

Is it innovative or revolutionary? No – the well-aged mechanics remain largely recognizable rather than reinvented. But finding the sweet spot between past and present was the priority here. On that front, AoE IV succeeds admirably in reviving the glorious RTS gameplay and meticulous historicity that made the series legend.

The result is an engrossing, beautiful, content-rich RTS that both satisfies veteran fans and stands the test of time for newcomers. Naysayers may call AoE IV too derivative or safe, but in preserving the core of what made Age of Empires special, this definitive edition secures its rightful place amongst strategy gaming royalty.

Gaming Community User Reviews

Beyond critics, what do regular PC gamers think of Age of Empires IV? Here’s a view of user reviews from popular forums and platforms:

Absolutely loved it – As someone who grew up on Age of Empires II, this game was a complete nostalgia rush. The visuals are gorgeous, the civilizations feel unique, and the gameplay holds up superbly. They managed to stay true to the spirit of early AoE while modernizing and polishing it to perfection. Easily my favorite RTS in years!”

Solid but lacks innovation – Make no mistake, AoE IV is a very competent and fun RTS overall. But as a longtime fan, I was hoping for more big new ideas rather than rehashing what worked before. Other than visual upgrades, this feels more like an HD remaster of AoE II than a brand new sequel.” 

Accessible for newcomers – As someone brand new to Age of Empires, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get the hang of the gameplay basics. The tutorial campaigns ease you in smoothly, and the classic mechanics have aged gracefully. I’m excited to try multiplayer after learning the ropes.“

Great foundation but needs expansion – I really enjoyed AoE IV for its beauty, campaigns, and solid core gameplay. My main gripe is a lack of civilization/map diversity in the base game. But the mechanics and engine are so well done that I’m hopeful expansions will build nicely on this foundation.”

Visual marvel, audio joy– I may not have the hours to master RTS multiplayer, but I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the single-player content just to witness the stunning environments and details up close. The graphics and sound truly envelop you in medieval battle scenes.”

As these user perspectives demonstrate, reception generally skews positive, especially amongst the target audience of RTS devotees. Most criticisms centered on limited content and innovations at launch. But new civilizations, quality-of-life changes, and expansions arriving post-release can still build upon the excellent base game.