Age Of Wonders 4 review: a plain good magical strategy that hasn't really turned me either way
I don't feel very strongly about Age Of Wonders 4. But I’ll be fair; it's definitely good.
I've enjoyed most of my time with it, and the parts I didn't were probably down to caning it too hard in too short a time. Such is that reviewz lyf. Played less intensely over a longer period, I imagine more of its intricacies becoming clear, and more custom playstyles emerging to encourage more replays and challenges. As it stands though, its generally high quality and interesting systems just haven't captured my imagination.
It is not unimaginative, though. Some of its playable races are the usual elves and goblins, but most have a twist, like the cannibalistic dwarves, gold-obsessed necromancers, or the "cursed toadlings" I picked almost reflexively: a people transformed along with their warrior Queen Charming. Each comes with a starting hero and traits for their cities units, plus a set of spellbooks that determine what research you'll have access to upfront.