Age of Wonders Planetfall - First Reviews
First Age of Wonders: Planetfall reviews appeared on the web. We already know how the space spin-off of the series of turn-based fantasy strategies from the team at Triumph Studios looks like.
Tomorrow will see the release of Age of Wonders: Planetfall, a spin-off of the turn-based strategy game series by Triumph Studios. This will be the first installment of the series to be released not only on PC, but also on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But before you lead your chosen galactic empire into space, you may want to check out first reviews of the game. There's already a lot of them on the web, and they will help you determine if you like the new Age of Wonders.
Selected reviews of Age of Wonders: Planetfall:
- Saving Content - 5/5
- Gaming Bolt - 9/10
- God is a Geek - 9/10
- IGN Italy - 9/10
- PCGamesnN - 9/10
- CGMagazine - 8.5/10
- GameWatcher - 8.5/10
- PCGamer - 85/100
- PCWorld - 4/5
- TheSixthAxis - 8/10
- Wccftech - 8/10
- IGN Spain - 7,5/10
Age of Wonders: Planetfall has received a lot of praise from reviewers, including titles such as "best 4X production in years" (PCGamer). Critics appreciated the vast universe, which asks for a thorough understanding of its nooks, crannies and inhabitants. Most journalists were impressed by the effort put into the creation of the story layer and the diversity of factions. The latter include insectoidal psionics and cyborgs that develop using the remains of their enemies, and although at first glance some factins may fall under the classic science fiction clichés, the devs did their best to make them more than just carbon copies of said clichés. The fantasy elements do not spoil the whole, neatly intertwined with the omnipresent advanced technology.
Speaking of history, the campaign kept the reviewers entertained, not only due to the mentioned story layer, but also great gameplay. According to many critics, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is aa "improved 4X", with no flaws typical of the genre. During the game, there are practically no time-killing moments, when we pass through successive turns waiting for the completion of a specific research or other action. The development of settlements, battles, conquests - all this takes place at a much faster pace than in, for example, the Sid Meier's Civilization series. The combat itself is not devoid of depth, which in part results from extensive personalisation. Not only the direction of development of our civilization, but also the direction of individuals and heroes can be adjusted to our preference, which in itself gives a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, there were some issues as well. The game lacks trading and religious systems and the combat itself is, according to some, still a bit too simplified. The lack of an order for automatic exploration was also mentioned, which forces us to constantly manage our scouts. However, apart from these and similar accusations appearing in individual reviews, the biggest disadvantage of the game is its inaccessibility. Age of Wonder: Planetfall can be unfriendly to beginner players, even those with experience in 4X strategies. Technological trees at first seem to be completely illegible - at first glance it is impossible to assess what benefits a given study will bring us. The visual setting is not helpful, it is nice and colorful, but sometimes it makes it difficult to see individuals or borders, nor is the tutorial, which teaches nothing but the bare basics.
Despite these drawbacks, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is, according to reviewers, a worthy representative of the genre, devoid of some of its competitors' issues. Definitely this is not a game for everyone and you need to devote some time to get the hang of the ropes in this game, but it is worth giving it a chance.
