Age of Wonders 4 has been the talk of the town in 4X Strategy. The game improves upon its predecessors in every way, and it borrows elements from other franchises to make itself strategically and mechanically advanced. Age of Wonders 4 takes tons of inspiration, but it borrows most from Sid Meier’s Civilization 6.
Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of the oldest franchises in the genre, and it is a behemoth in the world of strategy games. There is no franchise that perfect its formula like this, and Civilization 6 is the ultimate version of it. So, just how well does Age of Wonders 4 stack up against Civilization 6? Let’s find out!
8 Who Is Age of Wonders 4’s Developer?
Age of wonders 4 is developed by a Dutch team Triumph Studios. The Dutch studio has been making these games for a while, but they gained way more freedom after joining teams with published Paradox Interactive.
This has given Triumph Studios way more resources to experiment with their games. Triumph are mainly known for their Age of Wonders and Overlord franchises. Of course, staying true to their name, Triumph’s games revolve around conquering the world in any way you like.
They have a small team of around 25 to 40 employees in total, and yet they’ve created this incredibly detailed and vibrant game world.
7 Who Is Civilization 6’s Developer?
Developed by US-based strategy giant Firaxis Games, Civilization 6 is an iconic game. The studio was founded by Sid Meier back in 1996, along with Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds.
If you’re a fan of strategy and 4X, then you have probably heard of Firaxis Game. They’re a renowned studio, with a mission to build games that withstand the test of time.
They are owned by Take-Two Interactive, and their team is quite large in comparison to Triumph Studios. They had 180 employees as of 2015 when they were working on Civilization 6.
Under founding member Brian Reynolds’ guidance, Firaxis has been churning out phenomenal games such as Civilization, XCOM, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
6 Age of Wonders 4 – Creating Your Own Faction
Age of Wonders 4 gives you unlimited choices in gameplay, the first of these is the incredibly detailed Faction Creator. You can choose from many races like Human, Elfkin, Orcoid, Dwarfkin, Halfling, Goblinoid, and more.
They all have default mind and body traits but you can replace these traits if you wish to create unusual combinations.
You can also choose a culture such as Feudal, Barbarian, Industrious, High, Dark, and Mystic. They all have unique bonuses, unit rosters, research options, and affinities.
You can also modify these by choosing your own society traits and tomes of magic. Afterward, you get to decide on what your Ruler will be like, a Champion or a Wizard King.
Then on top of that, you get to choose the appearance, weapons, and skills of your Ruler character. Yes, the character creator will probably be as long as the game itself!
5 Civilization 6 – Selecting Your Civilization
There are 50 different civilizations and 78 different leaders to pick from in Civilization 6. Each civilization can act as a sort of different character, having different qualities, traits, playstyles, and strengths.
All the leaders have different characteristics, bonuses, and abilities, it is up to you to decide which leader will suit your playstyle. They’re not as versatile or choice-oriented as Age of Wonders 4.
Each civilization has unique strengths and weaknesses of its own. For example, some civilizations will be militaristic or aggressive, while others are strong with diplomacy, or might focus on economic growth in various ways.
4 Age of Wonders 4 Gameplay – Do As You Please
Age of Wonders 4 is a mechanically modern version of the classic 4X Strategy experience. The game brings a unique twist to its turn-based tactical battles.
There is less focus on hand-holding, which allows you to explore the world more freely, build new structures, destroy infestations for loot, and ally with free cities through diplomatic measures or just conquer them straight up.
The world is your oyster, and Age of Wonders 4’s versatile multiplayer is a symbol of that. It allows you to take turns even when all the players in the session aren’t online, you can pause the game at any moment and pick up again.
Your friends can also join you in Age of Wonders 4, to conquer procedurally generated realms in cooperative game modes, or if you’d just like to fight against one another. Also, the game just looks incredibly beautiful.
3 Civilization 6 Gameplay – Become A Conqueror
In Civilization 6, you have an end goal from the very moment you start the game. This 4X turn-based strategy masterpiece focuses on developing your civilization from an early era of sticks and stones, to technological marvels.
There is also the goal of becoming a world power and having global domination through any means necessary, such as conquering through wars and battles, along with engaging in diplomatic systems.
A very key part of the Civilization 6 experience is to essentially win through technological superiority or cultural influence. It all depends on your approach in the game, and Civilization 6 does give you the freedom to do as you please, despite having an immediate end goal from when you begin.
Civilization 6 has a more artificial art style when compared to Age of Wonders 4, but that art style is absolutely breathtaking. Moreover, the game also has one of the best soundtracks in the genre.
2 Why You Should Play Age of Wonders 4
If you’re a fan of 4X and high fantasy, you have every reason to play Age of Wonders 4. The game bombards you with unlimited choices in every moment, with lots of races to choose from, a world filled with fantastical elements to explore, and a ton of city-building, story-building, and some of the best tactical combat you’ll ever have the pleasure of playing.
Age of Wonders 4 is the right pick for you if you want unlimited freedom from the onset, and want graphics that look very lifelike. It also has a very great replayability value since it has open-ended character creation, after being done playing with one faction, you can make another combination and try different approaches.
1 Why You Should Play Civilization 6
Civilization 6 on the contrary might not offer as many choices, but it offers an authentic representation of the past and lets you manipulate it in ways that shouldn’t be possible. If you’re a fan of historical civilizations, you’re in for a treat.
You can’t create your own factions or civilizations from scratch, but you can organize the cities and control the way you advance. Civilization 6 also has phenomenal replayability, as this game offers you a ton of choices when you’re picking the civilizations and leaders.
The game is a 4X Strategy masterpiece, so there is no need to rush your way through a campaign. You can take all the time you need to contemplate, understand, and research before committing to any actions.