It's probably the most customization of this kind I've seen in a purely fantasy game, and I was especially excited by how it let me play against stereotypes. The other thing that had me planning two or three campaigns every time I started a new one is the in-depth, freeform empire creation tools. I had such a good time with these, I almost found it hard to go back to the more traditional style of play. Often, the victory condition in a story realm is to complete a series of quests culminating in a showdown with a memorable antagonist. And in addition to being very respectful of your time, these themed, story-based realms feel significantly different from just dropping into a standard 4X map with conquest, development, and research-based victory conditions – which you can also do, with tons of interesting customization options. Rowan Kaiser, ApScore: 7.1Īlong the way, you can unlock neat new stuff from ruler cosmetics to functional combat items, to challenge maps like a frozen wonderland ruled over by a Chronicles of Narnia-esque ice queen that I really liked. I have no doubt that the strength of the tactical combat will help find a strong niche, but for me, that just makes the relative weakness of the strategic side of gameplay all the more disappointing. Still, it's a fairly successful return for a game series and style that seemed undeservedly buried. The quest for the ultimate fantasy strategy game will continue for a while longer, as Age of Wonders III only partially fits the bill.

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