Age of Empires 4 took me by surprise. I’m a cast-iron AoE 2 acolyte. More broadly, I think the visual design of RTS games peaked in the ’90s – Command and Conquer, Jagged Alliance, and Total Annihilation remain three of the best-looking games of all time, regardless of genre. In theory, AoE 4, which is a real-time strategy game in 3D (I know!) shouldn’t work for me. But Relic, World’s Edge, and Forgotten Empires’ sequel is a more-than-deserving companion to AoE 2. If you haven’t played it before, the gigantic Deluxe edition is now available for ultra-cheap.
If Age of Empires 3 remains the black sheep of the entire RTS game series, it’s likely due to its Renaissance setting. AoE belongs in the dark ages and the medieval era – it should be knights, swords, horses, and shields. Age of Empires 4 goes back to that feudal old school. The base campaigns focus on the Norman conquest of England, The Hundred Years War, the rise of Moscow in the 13th century, and the Mongolian expansion (which is also the best campaign in Age of Empires 2, by far).
As well as the eight new maps and two extra civilizations that you get in the Anniversary Edition, the Deluxe version of AoE 4 comes with the full soundtrack, a compilation of artwork, a chart of the in-game units, and exclusive in-game bonuses like an extra player portrait and coat of arms. Over on Steam itself, Age of Empires 4 Digital Deluxe will run you $59.99 / £54.99, but we’ve got a much better deal for you courtesy of Fanatical, where you can get a Steam key for AoE 4 for less than half that price.
On Fantatical, Age of Empires 4 Digital Deluxe is available for just $20.99 / £19.24. If you want to pick it up, just head here, or hit the widget above.
Otherwise, you might want to try some of the best strategy games on PC, or maybe the best 4X games ever made.
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