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.

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. As it stands though, its generally high quality and interesting systems just haven't captured my imagination. 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. 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. I don't feel very strongly about Age Of Wonders 4. An accomplished fantasy 4X with RPG leanings and cleverly interlocking systems that plain hasn’t grabbed me personally, despite some colourful ideas.

Age of wonders 4 reddit