I’ve been a lifelong fan of city builders and strategy games, so when games like Age of Empires expertly blend the two into a fun mix, I’m instantly hooked. In my younger years I played both Age of Empires and Age of Mythology a bit too much, I might add, while most of my friends were playing Starcraft or Warcraft. There was something about Ensemble Studios’ classics that got my hooked, and I haven’t stopped ever since.
I’ve always loved the series from its beginnings on PC, though as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more prone to couch surfing and playing games on my Xbox. Now that Age of Empires IV is finally on consoles with its Anniversary Edition, I can command armies with my controller. At long last, I can couch surf while conquering the world. So how does Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition stand up? Is it playable on Xbox? Should you stick to the PC version? Read our Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition review!
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
Developer: Relic Entertainment, World’s Edge
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed)
Release Date: October 28, 2021 (PC); August 22, 2023 (Xbox)
Price: $39.99 USD
After Microsoft remastered and re-released both Age of Empires II and Age of Empires III for Xbox consoles, the next step was to finally bring Age of Empires IV to the home console as well.
While both Age of Empires II and III are generally considered classics by diehard fans, Age of Empires IV is mostly a streamlined or less complicated sequel designed to entice newcomers or strategy-lite fans. In short, it has less features, civilizations, and overall smaller maps in comparison to its predecessors or its competitors.
But does that make Age of Empires IV a bad game? While the legendary Ensemble Studios was sadly closed down by Microsoft back in 2008, the series’ fourth entry was handed over to Relic Entertainment.
In all my hours playing Age of Empires IV, I can honestly say that it certainly feels like the genuine “Age of” formula that Ensemble crafted all those years ago. The Xbox port by World’s Edge and Relic is fantastic and actually lets you micro your units in squads, while also whipping the camera around the map like you would on PC.
This review is mostly looking at Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition and its Xbox port, though it’s impossible to solely review that without talking about the core game itself.
Though Age of Empires IV has less civs each different civ feels more unique than ever before, even if the units themselves aren’t really functionally different. AOEIV is the first game in the series to really nail each civ being visually distinct, and this makes the entire experience really feel wonderful.
The story campaign – which spans 500 years of history from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance – is comprised of four unique campaigns. The meticulously crafted campaign, its heroes, and the way in which it slowly teaches you teching and advancing through the ages, is fantastic.
The Anniversary Edition’s focus on an improved UI, controller mapping, and more really put the bare bones Age of Empires II and Age of Empires III console ports to shame. With so much packed into the UI, it can feel busy at times.
Attention was also given to letting you automate your villagers so they can focus on certain things more – or have a balanced focus on everything from wood to food. Queuing up more units or even sending more villagers to get a building made faster are done quickly with a simply tap of the Xbox controller trigger.
Pressing both triggers is where you can select different groups of units, and tapping the d-pad is what gets you quickly between different building trees, or unit movement/selections.
A big change up from previous games is that “wonders”, big expensive buildings that could grant the ability to win a match, have been replaced with “landmarks.” Now, with each advancement of the ages, you build a landmark each time.
Some landmarks even give you extra tech or units to get, while others can feel a bit useless. Overall I think I like the change more and they are reminiscent of the major/minor gods in Age of Mythology.
Outside of the main campaign there’s also multiplayer and skirmish matches, and I’m told the multiplayer isn’t cross platform between PC and Xbox because despite the wonderful UI and pad controls, it will never compare to mouse and keyboard.
Alongside the really fantastic visuals – which the game also now supports up to 4K resolution – the soundtrack is something else. Each civilization has its own ethnic flavor and as you progress through the ages, music expands and changes, becoming more grandiose.
The iconic unit speech that changes with every single unit is also here much to my delight. They might not be as ridiculous and awesome as the British Monitor from AOEIII but they look and sound great. The Byzantines actually speak an ancient form of Greek. There’s so much attention to detail.
Speaking of the Byzantines – who are locked behind paid DLC, unfortunately – there’s actually no way to play the original Roman Empire, or at least some form of medieval Rome, because historically you can only play as the Holy Roman Empire. Any history buff knows these are not the same, but I digress.
All in all, I really enjoyed my time with Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, both as a longtime fan of the “Age of” series, and of historical strategy games. There’s enough content here to satisfy both longtime fans and newcomers alike, but there are the aforementioned caveats.
Console players or old grognards like myself that have resorted to couch surfing and conquering will be delighted at the streamlined Xbox controls and gameplay in Age of Empires IV, though if you’re looking for a crazy deep experience like Stellaris, you’re not going to get it here. That’s not a bad thing, though.
Age of Empires IV was reviewed on Xbox Series X with a review copy provided by Xbox Game Studios. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy can be found here. Age of Empires IV is now available for Xbox consoles ajnd has been available for Windows PC (via Microsoft Store, Steam, and Xbox Game Pass for PC).
