As you may or may not have already known, most Age of Wonders 4 reviews agree: we're looking at possibly the best fantasy 4X game ever made. No joke, Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios have successfully produced a phenomenally engaging and weird turn-based strategy that probably has more potential than most would imagine. It's the best the series has ever been, quite easily!

But, of course, we can't leave it at that. Most customers will want corroboration and explanation. An argument, as it were, as to why Age of Wonders 4 is worth their time, effort, and - indeed - money. We won't mince words, though: for fans of fantasy-based 4X, this game is an absolute must-have.

READ MORE: Age of Wonders 4 PC Technical Info Summary

What Do The Age of Wonders 4 Reviews Say?

While we were quite happy with Age of Wonders: Planetfall back in 2019, it's important to explain right away that Age of Wonders 4 blows it out of the water in almost every way. This is a massive game that learned from its predecessors in the best way possible, and it's clear from the get-go that the developers have big things in mind for it. Massively comprehensive and comprehensively massive, AoW4 tackles genre tropes in the best way possible: by allow players to subvert them, should they choose to do so.

Customization and progression are crucial to understanding AoW4, and it's enjoying a lovely 83/100 on Metacritic already should testify to its quality, even this early on. Remember: this is a Paradox Interactive game. The publisher that, as much as we love them, usually produces top-notch content platforms that need to go through some growing pains early on in their lifetimes. Not the case at all this time, though. Players can expect a content-rich, meaningful experience on day one.

"Age of Wonders 4 scratches my itch for experimentation like few other strategy games," said PC Gamer's Fraser Brown, "seducing me back in to try new tome combos and drag my empire in new, weird directions. And every time, I return from my fantasy foray with a sack full of anecdotes, like when I resurrected a rival ruler who had been plaguing me all game as an undead minion, forced to serve me for eternity."

IGN's Leana Hafer had similar thoughts, too. "As much as I enjoy building a legacy in a 4X game before starting over to do it all again, the fact that my legacy follows me in Age of Wonders 4 feels much more rewarding," she said. "It really is wonderful."

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A New Genre Baseline

If you're wondering where all this praise is coming from on earth, you're at the right spot. We warned players early on that Age of Wonders 4 would move the genre forward in some very meaningful ways and, indeed, that's precisely what's happened! Taking a step back to contextualize all of this, one of the game's most important features is its meta-progression. While some 4X strategies have dabbled in this, most notable of which is arguably Humankind from a few years back, AoW4 goes beyond anything we had seen before.

As Hafer explains, winning a match in Age of Wonders 4 doesn't mean your victorious civilization is lost to the annals of time, trapped in its own successful match with nothing to show for your efforts. Instead, the custom winners of a specific in-game universe get to travel the multiverse alongside you, popping up in future matches at random. "The rulers I led to victory actually do ascend to a mighty pantheon and become a recurring cast for future adventures," said Hafer.

Better still, succeeding in matches means unlocking more customization, thus adding to an already rich starting roster. Those of us who end up getting attached to our creations don't need to fret because the game continues to open up the further we progress through its content. Hafer found herself planning her progression two or three campaigns in advance, all thanks to the game's free-form customization and empire creation tools. It's a remarkably powerful and satisfying 4X engine that will - with luck - receive Paradox Interactive's trademark long-term support.

Customization is Top-Notch

Brown's review, on the other hand, focused on the game's progressive flexibility and customization. After all, the creation of a race doesn't stop once the match starts. Instead, that's just the very start of its adventure. "By selecting the physical form, traits, cultural leanings and societal quirks of your people, you're able to create all sorts of unusual empires, from sinister mole-people with a penchant for cannibalism to industrious goblins who just want to build epic cities and make new friends," he said.

It's important to note that the true variety of the game doesn't kick in until later on, though. Players can define their race of creatures through several disparate magic research trees in more ways than ever before. These are important, meaningful tweaks, too. "In Age of Wonders 4, I'm getting new toys to play with, new abilities and new ways to progress constantly," said Brown.

"With all the ways you can develop your empire, Age of Wonders 4 demands to be played over and over. But there's also an overarching progression system, the Pantheon, that encourages you to hop back in," claims Brown. The end result is a game that's infinitely approachable and bursting with possibilities!

The Finest 4X Fantasy Platform Yet, With More to Come!

Experienced 4X fans will notice that we haven't really delved deep into Age of Wonders 4's core gameplay loop. After all, there needs to be something tying together all the awesome progression and customization, right? The good news is that Triumph Studios has pulled off a heck of a thing. Whether it's combat, research, or expansion that you're most interested in, odds are good that AoW4 will keep you busy for a good long while.

We'll have more to share on these fronts in the coming days, as we play the game at our own pace. In the interim, the earliest reviews cover the most important things. We've received everything that Age of Wonders is known for and then some, and fans are bound to stay busy for times to come. Long-term support is currently the big question mark, of course. We'll have more information to share soon, however. Stay tuned for more AoW4 articles here at 2Game, as we've got some big plans. And don't forget to use the early bird discount while you can!

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