Essays 24 December 2021, 17:51

The Best Strategy & RTS Games of 2021 - Editors' Choice

Although the golden era of strategy is gone, it does not mean that the genre has completely died. 2021 proves that fans can still find at least a few productions worth attention.

2. Age of Empires 4

Developer: Relic Entertainment / World's Edge
Platform: PC
Game summary: an old school RTS game for fans of dynamic combat

Age of Empires 4 simply couldn't be absent from this list. This installment of the cult series was probably one of the most anticipated strategy games of recent years. After all, it's amazing to see the third game get a sequel 16 years after its release. What's more, it wasn't developed by just anyone, but specifically by the RTS specialists from Relic Entertainment. The fans' expectations were therefore as great as their fears.

Fortunately, the debut of the fourth game turned out to be a huge success, which is reflected in the bustling servers. Age of Empires 4 doesn't reinvent the wheel, instead it perfects a proven formula. The developers kept many of the features of the well-remembered second installment of the series and put a lot of consideration into weeding out its flaws.

The campaign now provides a fascinating adventure enriched with amazing cut-scenes and a ton of historical information. Online battles turn out to be even more dynamic thanks to the modified victory conditions and the changes in the system for unlocking subsequent eras. The individual nations have also become much more distinctive and the differences between them are now clearly noticeable. The new Age of Empires is therefore the perfect title for all fans of old-school RTS games.

The game's biggest pluses:

a great campaign mode which doubles as a nice history lesson;
simple game basics that guarantee great playability;
clear differences between nations that enable the use of various tactics.

Age of Empires 4 in our encyclopedia

Table of Contents

2. Age of Empires 4