Recording summary · October 2021
DO NOT BUY Age of Empires 4 - Very Disappointing Game
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Overview
Age of Empires 4 is assessed as a disappointing, lackluster entry lacking the grit, dark atmosphere, and charm of the franchise's earlier games, receiving a 2.9 out of 10 score and an advisory against buying it.
The game's visuals, animations, audio, and mechanics appear overly simplistic, cartoonish, and akin to a mobile game, missing tactical strategic depth present in titles like Total War: Warhammer 2 and Civilization.
Gameplay experiences encompass base-building and tech progression, room echo audio flaws, and awkward camera controls lacking WASD support, making the title appropriate primarily for casual players rather than strategy enthusiasts.
Themes
Nostalgia surrounding playing Age of Empires 1 and 2 around 1999 on vintage computer monitors at age ten.
Visual critiques of Age of Empires 4 focusing on oversaturated, generic 3D graphics comparable to free-to-play mobile titles or The Sims.
Progression systems covering base-building, resource gathering, villager tasks, military structures, and technological trees.
Tactical and combat mechanics involving unit swarming, right-click actions, and cartoonish weapon designs for archers and spearmen.
Direct comparisons to Total War: Warhammer 2 regarding unit caps on screen, formation controls, and zoomed-in combat animations.
Sound design evaluations focusing on room echo reverberation present in troop voice lines.
Control constraints requiring navigation via arrow keys or the mouse wheel on a Razer Blade Pro 17-inch RTX 3060 setup without WASD controls.
Game demographic evaluation designating the title as suited strictly for casual players over gamers wanting complex strategy.
Uncertainties & gaps
Whether spoken character lines use an authentic foreign language or represent fabricated gibberish.
Whether the settings in Age of Empires 4 permit remapping camera navigation controls to WASD keys.