Released in September 1999, Age of Empires II is what we can call a real-time strategy game phenomenon. A phenomenon that has eclipsed more recent opuses like Age of Empires III ou Age of Mythology and which remains played by countless fans around the world.
As if to celebrate its greatness, Age of Empire II was entitled to a definitive edition and even, we touch on the sublime, an extension – “Lords of the West” – 21 years after the release of the base game.
Inevitably, when Microsoft had the idea of ​​reviving the Age of… franchise, it was towards this opus that it turned; and if Age of Empires IV takes its own path, it also largely overlooks this key episode. Let's take a closer look.
English gentlemen, shoot first!
In the words of Quinn Duffy, game director at Relic Entertainment, Age of Empires IV is “the spiritual successor to Age of Empires II”. Many employees of the Canadian studio have cut their teeth in the real-time strategy game with the title of Ensemble Studios and, for most, it was inconceivable to start on a new Age of… without keeping the medieval setting.
From the outset, however, Relic insists on the differences between Age of Empires II and its spiritual son. Thus, while the English civilization will be one of the peoples of choice and undoubtedly the most "familiar" to regulars of the franchise, very distinct factions will complete the roster.
A total of eight civilizations are planned for the release of Age of Empires IV. The English are played in a classic way with what that implies of ranged units, troops to withstand enemy attacks and siege weapons. They act as a "gateway to the game world" and a single-player campaign is focused on the development of this people. All other factions will have what Adam Isgreen calls "a common ground." For the franchise creative director at World's Edge, it is a question of not paying towards the complete asymmetric way Blizzard: it rather evokes a "semi-asymmetrical" principle.
The studio makes no secret of it: balancing a game with eight completely asymmetrical civilizations would have been “a real nightmare”. At the heart of the game, we therefore find this principle of chifoumi – rock / paper / scissors – characteristic of the franchise.
All peoples have some access to mounted/ranged/melee units. However, the distinctions between civilizations bring a real breath of fresh air. Thus, the Mongols emphasize their nomadic character. In fact, they are able to pack up all their structures and move around to take advantage of this or that situation.
A not very polite Sultan
For its part, China relies on the massive use of technical innovations, such as gunpowder and firearms, to make a difference. It has particularly solid heavy infantry, but is even more distinguished by the presence of iconic structures. The developers did not want to give specific examples, but these specific buildings are an opportunity to evolve the civilization through its dynasties - Song, Yuan and Ming - unlocking new buildings and new units. In addition, the Chinese should be able to count on the presence of more elaborate fortifications: perhaps an equivalent to the famous Chinese Wall.
Another civilization quickly mentioned by the developers, the Sultanate of Delhi. There, Quinn Duffy did not wish to go into precise details, evoking all the same "a singular method of advancing science". Developments seem to have to be based on a particular unit, the scientist, without knowing exactly how it works. Sultanate infantry are also capable of putting up strong defenses while, of course, one of the civilization's special units is the elephant. Indeed, the principle of special units is at the rendezvous with these imposing pachyderms for India.
The Mongols have, with the Mangudai, a formidable mounted unit: they are able to shoot from a distance without even having to stop to aim. Finally, and this will not surprise anyone, the English can count on the remarkable range of their long archers.
Note in passing that they can also count on a particular bonus: their villagers – essential for harvesting traditional resources – are able to defend themselves, thanks to their bows. For the confirmation of other civilizations, it will be necessary to be patient, even if because of the opening of the game, we like to imagine African and Amerindian peoples. Without confirming anything, the studio did not contradict us on this subject!
Age of… worse or better?
As we quickly specified, taking control of English civilization will be the occasion for a specific single-player campaign during which we relive the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy. The thing logically begins in 1066 with the battle of Hastings and continues in particular with the capture of York.
As Adam Isgreen explained to us, the idea of ​​the developers is to offer single-player campaigns – four in total – radically different from what has been done so far. He discusses the notion of "humanized history" and adds that many players are "looking for something more authentic".
The campaigns will therefore be based on historical places and characters and there will no longer be any question of imaginary heroes as in Age of Empires III. Relic hopes to captivate players more and that's also why the studio has traveled around the world: the idea here was to recreate as best as possible the iconic places used during the campaigns. The architectures and environments must thus be closer to reality, and this, during the four periods covered by the game: dark age, feudal age, age of castles and imperial age. Without speaking of documentary, Adam Isgreen evokes the idea of ​​“interactive history”, which guided the studio.
As you can imagine, no journalist has yet been authorized to really play Age of Empires IV, it is very difficult to discuss the gameplay aspect of things, which is essential in a real-time strategy game. We will still retain some important points such as, for example, the limitation to 200 units per player and, in total, to 1 units in games between eight opponents. The concept of siege seems to have a particular importance with many units specific to this type of approach. And if things have only been barely touched upon, Relic has clearly not forgotten the battles at sea with a short video (below) to illustrate the point.
The Age of Empires IV multiplayer can logically rely on the tools already used by the Canadian studio on its previous creations.
Modernity will therefore be in order with what is needed for cross-game chat, tournaments and ranked games in 1v1 / 2v2 as well as ladders by season. Relic also seems to attach particular importance to mods, even if the specific tools will arrive only after the release of the game itself. A release that should take place before the end of 2021, exclusively on PC via Steam, the Windows Store and the Xbox Game Pass.
Note in passing, even if Adam Isgreen and Quinn Duffy did not go into details, that a team is already thinking / preparing "post-release" with tools for mods therefore, but also new civilizations.
At this time, not much more can be said about Age of Empires IV and while it's still early to get excited, we can't wait to actually try it out.
