Everything we know about Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires is, perhaps, one of the most iconic video game sagas of all time. The first title, released in 1997, was a true renewal in the way of conceiving video games, as it considered the organization and management of resources through a strategy format that immediately fell in love with millions of players.

After that successful first stage, another two titles and up to six more expansions were released. The third installment was released in 2005 and since then fans have been waiting for the release of a fourth title. Well, recently Relic Entertainments released the new trailer and announced the release date of this new game.

The new edition of the classic real-time strategy game, based on important historical events, is shown with a major visual renovation while maintaining and polishing the mechanics that made the saga successful. So let's see everything that is known about the future Age of Empires IV.

All about the Age of Empires IV

The first thing to say is that, despite how old this saga is, it is still more alive than ever. For example, the RPP website mentioned that in 2020, during the quarantine, the Age of Empires II reached a peak of 60 thousand players. Even on Steam, they assured that the definitive edition of this video game was positioned in the second place of the best sellers of the platform.

For this reason, Microsoft always understood that it is one of its most important franchises and that they must take care of it to keep the players always, but also attract a new generation of gamers. Precisely, the announcement of this fourth installment, which will be released between September and December of this year, will have several interesting news.

From Engadget, they indicate that, once again, it will seek to revolutionize real-time strategy games. At the time they were pioneers in this sector of the industry, but now they will seek to continue at the top. In this sense, we must highlight the context in which the game will be located, which is one of the favorites of the public: the Middle Ages.

More specifically we will have about four campaigns, where the first announced is the English conquest of Normandy. With 8 confirmed civilizations (including England, Mongolia, China and the Delhi Sultanate), multiculturalism will be one of the keys to see how many possibilities these historical adaptations offer us.

However, expansions will surely be released that will expand the number of civilizations available in the game. In terms of mechanics, the ambushes option was introduced, where players can put cunning and intelligence to the test to catch enemies off guard.

Also read: The best video games of the Justice League superheroes

Another important aspect will be the size of the maps. The Age of Empires IV will try to be the most ambitious of the saga since the "urban battles" were also announced, which would indicate that the gigantic size of the cities. We cannot fail to mention the historical figures, who were always one of the strengths of this saga.

Unlike the third installment, where there were anonymous characters, but who were involved in important historical events, here we will meet the most important heroes of each historical moment in a defined chronological line. For example, we will start with William the Conqueror in the battle of Hastings, although the campaign would expand and we will be able to play with his children to found England.

In terms of graphics, Age of Empires was always a fairly conservative franchise, as players do not prefer big changes at the visual level. Precisely, an excess of graphic details could distract the attention of the players, who must manage several troops and resources at the same time. However, the quality has improved remarkably, although without becoming saturated.

We also know that in the multiplayer section, of a 4 against 4, there will be 200 troops for each army, which will make the fighting spectacular. Finally, it should be noted that those who want to be part of the closed beta of this title, to test different mechanics, will be able to register on the official website of the game.

Everything seems to indicate that Age of Empires IV returns after more than 15 years to renew itself and be very ambitious, but also to respect the essence that made it one of the most important video games of all time. Fans are eager to play it!