‘Age Of Empires IV’ Fan Preview Shows Gameplay & New Civilizations

Age of Empires IV (Photo: Courtesy of Ensemble Studios)

In a new fan preview Saturday, Microsoft revealed the campaign, gameplay and several new civilizations from the upcoming game Age of Empires IV. The fan preview event showed a promising view of a retro-revival of a still well-beloved series.

I still play the almost two-decade old Age of Empires II regularly. No, not the remake; I play the classic version. The glut of battles and conquests I have seen outnumber the likes of Napoleon, MacArthur and Sun Tzu. Age of Empires IV appears to be exactly the game to ease my longing for tactics bliss.

Saturday’s event opened with one of the upcoming game’s new civilizations, the Delhi Sultanate. Players can look forward to elephant barrage unites and camel-bound spearmen perfect for a vanguard charge.

Screenshots also show Total War-esque massive battles, giving me hope that the limits to my tactical planning will be limited by my imagination before it is by unit caps.

Age IV will also feature several crafted, unique campaigns for different civilizations including ‘The Norman Campaign,” which will follow historical battles for the English isles including the Battle of Hastings where Duke William fought for control against King Harold. I’m only hoping Microsoft and the team behind Age IV give the same historical care to all the civilizations explored in the upcoming game.

Age of Empires IV is due to release in Fall of 2021. I’m looking forward to the new age of classical conquest, but in the meantime, I don’t mind curling up with the old classic Age of Empires II for the next few months.