Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition PS5 Review - Welcome To The New Age
In the Age of Empires franchise, players will gradually develop their budding civilisation until they enter a new age, to a time where technological advancements take them places they could never have previously reached. In rapid succession, PlayStation owners have been seeing the ages fly by as Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Mythology, and now, Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. With the fourth core entry, initially a 2021 release, now available for PlayStation fans, and the evolution complete, is now the perfect time for a new console base to experience classic RTS energy?
Having already been crowned as one of the best RTS’ of the decade so far, Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition had already seen a series of adjustments made to it to make it compatible on the Xbox Series consoles, PS5 owners now get to reap the same benefits, and from day one, have the opportunity to buy into not only the expansive core experience, but also previous expansions, Knights Of Cross And Rose, The Sultans Ascend, and now the newest piece of DLC, Dynasties of the East, launching simultaneously on all platforms along with this PS5 launch of the game.
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition provides players with an exhaustive amount of content, allowing the player to experience a range of campaigns, from the Norman conquest of England, to the “Hundred Years War” between England and France in the 1300s and 1400s, the fall and rise of Moscow, and the might of the Mongolian empires. The Sultans Ascend expansion would also add another eight-part campaign that allows the player to dive into the history of the Crusades through the Middle Eastern perspective.
Bundled into the launch of the PS5 version, Age Of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition and the Dynasties of the East DLC includes a new roguelite mode, The Crucible. In this mode, players must survive wave after wave of increasingly large, and increasingly difficult waves of enemies, complete a range of randomised objectives, and unlock perks that can be retained for subsequent runs. Each run starts simply, with a Town Center and some villagers, and you will build your city up so that you can survive the coming onslaughts. Crowns that players accumulate throughout the experience can be spent on perks, and strengthen your ability to succeed in future attempts. While not the most robust offering, The Crucible is a nice point of difference compared to the standard, well-worn Age of Empires RTS fare.
What impressed me the most about the Age of Empires IV package is the commitment to the history of the encounters that the game depicts. Each campaign mission begins with an introductory scene, which depicts the modern-day landscapes of London, Moscow, and others, cars moving through them, people going for a walk, and then overlays the environment with a gorgeous golden artistic rendering of what the historical encounter was that played out at the given location. It looks beautiful, the voice-over work is thorough, and the attention to detail as the game spells out what the player needs to know about the encounter is of an extremely high level. Fans will make jokes about the trebuchet and the level of detail that Xbox went into about their during a showcase pre-launch, but while that might have been excessive for the setting at the time, the same enthusiasm is present in game, and it’s much appreciated.
I’ve had some time to get acquainted with how Age of Empires feels on a controller thanks to previous re-releases, but it does feel that with each new release, Xbox is learning more and more about how they can make the depth of the franchise feel more accessible on a controller, despite the comparative lack of buttons to interface with. Age of Empires IV for console is the best work that they’ve done in this realm so far, and while there are lot of combo inputs required to access certain menus, it didn’t feel excessive or overly cumbersome.
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition is a sensational product, a love letter to some of the most iconic encounters in history, and a wonderful playing experience. The game has continued to improve and expand with each DLC, and the newest slice of content to come with the Anniversary Edition makes this Age of Empires IV package even more enticing to explore. There’s no better time than now to get in on the act, wherever you choose to play the game, but for PS5 owners, welcome to the fun. It’s been way too long coming.
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition was reviewed on PS5 with a code kindly provided by Xbox Australia.
