In a wonderful throwback, the game’s single-player campaigns are preceded by-then punctuated with-video cutscenes throughout. In those previous games, relief would come in the form of either FMV or animated cutscenes, but in Age of Empires IV we’re treated to something a bit more lavish.
From Westwood’s Command & Conquer to Blizzard’s Warcraft to the company’s own back catalogue, the genre’s repetitive, hyper-focused mechanics meant that even early on in its history, developers quickly realised that players deserved a break in between missions-a little narrative treat.Īnd so it is here, in a game that was released in 2021, but has the spirit of one released in 1998. The game has been developed by Relic, and if there’s one thing Relic knows from their Homeworld days, it’s that when it comes to vintage RTS games, gameplay is only half the fun. I’ve been playing the new Age of Empires IV this week, and for all the good work that has been done in bringing a classic game into a modern era, the best thing about it are the bits that happen while you’re not even playing.
