Age Of Wonders: Planetfall: Video Game Overview

In 2014, Studio Triumph justified its name by releasing Age of Wonders III – Wonderful global fantasy strategy. The work turned out to be so strong that at least the walls they are pierced, even nails smoke. What was the surprise of fans when the E3 was announced on the last E3 that the series turns into a cosmic opera from a fairy tale about elfs and magicians. No more magic – instead of her telepathy, infection and hacking of computers. Necromancers changed cyborgs, draconides – creatures resembling mollusks from “District number 9”, and dwarves dressed in spacesuit. Is such aesthetic whim?

For faith, king and purulent mutations

Outward new Age of Wonders And really not know – now atomic asoms are flying here and laser tyrannosaurs run. But the basics are the former: everything is also laying down the capital, we improve it at the expense of useful buildings and break the state of stirre, capturing rich resources areas. And if a neighbor is unhappy – he asked himself. We roll out to him an ultimatum, supported by the glasses “Casus Belli”, and cook troops. Army, as in the previous strategy Triumph, represent groups of five detachments led by the hero. It seems nothing serious, but if you collect a pair of such Vatag on neighboring cells, you can like any1.Before starting the party, give the Hero-Commander, including its advantages and disadvantages.
The chance to win is especially great with veterans: each of them becomes more powerful due to experience from won battles and new weapons added in the editor. Change ordinary cartridges for armor-piercing, and standard grenades on plasma – and check the result in step-by-step battle. Similarly, the heroic inventory is updated. In a word, at the head of the corner – well forgotten old. Is that B Planetfall Much more attention was given to shooting, deploying hand-to-hand grip on the background. It is understandable: why do you need a sword when the blaster is at hand?

Keep the martial spirit in the colony is easy. Energy is leaving for the purchase of detachments – analogue of currency, and the re-equipment consumes the cosmit – the only rare mineral in the universe of the game. Add production glasses, food, science, diplomacy – here you are all the resources required for prosperity. True, to learn how to manage them, you will need several trial parties. Otherwise, the risk of pulling the cospace on several ninjas, which will differ on the organs in the first battle.

With the plot intrigue, the developers were not bored: Say, a terrible catastrophe ruined the star union to pieces, after which everyone for himself. The order in the universe is trying to restore people from the avant-garde and their former slaves – reasonable insects Ker’ko. Hanggers from Syndicate find out relationships with amazons, technically savaged by double-duly and robot-construct racial. The battlefield is the planets on the backyards of the galaxy, storing traces of the former majesty – then the ruins of the former civilizations will fall apart, then the village of paragone, once seasoned the affairs in the empire.Field of the battle near the camera shows rarely – and thank God.
As is customary in the genre, each of the parties have features. Constructs, for example, are sensitive to hacking and electric attacks, but on hinkers, the infection and hypnosis are able to revive the fallen cyborgs, and their snipers are damn strong attacking fighters of the initial level. Dvarra, on the contrary, guided in defense.

In addition to the race, the ideology of its commander is very important: there is a choice of politicians opening unique technological branches in the new “Epoch of Miracles”. Let’s say xenogenets on you with microbes – strengthen themselves and weaken others. And the producers sleep and see how to burn and bomb everything around, and even a gigantic robot to build.

However, one thing is to know about its advantages, and another – effectively use them. With this, suddenly, problems: let employees Triumph Studios I did not invent anything, master the basics Planetfall more difficult than deal with any of the recent hits of the genre. Even if you ate a dog on 4x strategies, new Age of Wonders still sucks for the desk for several hours. Teach the technology to understand which branch opens advanced soldiers, and what – purulent mutations of xenogenets. Deal with the management of cities and resources, dig in diplomacy, sampling and error, find out what are fraught with certain actions to small fractions. And how did you think? The path to the stars lies through thorns.

Mixed style

At first fourth Age of Wonders Indeed seem troubled. But this shadow on the shoulder is created by borrowed and simplified developments of other series. A similar building of settlements, the level of satisfaction of citizens, distribution of food and production, as well as two drove development – scientific and cultural – we saw in Sid Meier’s Civilization. Yes, and space setting was already in Beyond Earth. Only here in “civilization” the interaction with the population is more diverse, the management of cities is much thinner, and the discoveries have more global consequences.Before capturing the area it needs to be stuck. If your rival has already noted there, be war.
If when looking at the system of diplomacy, areas with anomalies and tasks of neutral fractions you did not remember Endless Legend, You just did not play in Endless Legend. Planetfall in many ways it looks like the creation of French Amplitude, However, there is deeper the differences between races, more interesting the world (which is only changing the seasons!), and small nations do not bother with orders so much that at some point it is easier to start the war with the customer, what to take for his next whim.

What should still be borrowed from a competitor of five years ago, this is a clear development of science on the epochs and a simple, but at the same time a variety of pumping of heroes. However, take employees Triumph Alsight also these ideas, their fresh strategy would not need: why buy a parody when there is a unique original?

Well, the battles pass hello to the last XCOM. As soon as you move from a global card to tactical to picked up the enemy by the first number, as the familiar picture is unfolded – with points of action and combat spirit, entering the flank, shelters that can be destroyed, disposable skills and expressed as a percentage of the successful attack. 65% when shots are attached. What is missing, so these are vertical levels and scope. But inheritance from Age of Wonders III got a unpleasant trifle – the game doesn’t “cut” damage, even if only one criple remains there. Therefore, weakened the enemy without a sense – its units need to beat immediately. Tactics this, just say, not diversified.Trifle, and nice: the save remembers the appointed queue of the study of technology.
What is happening? The strategy marks in those who are familiar with several different works, but at the same time he does not offer half of their advantages. But gossip together the versatile elements and a bunch of fantastic terms – from here the problems at the first acquaintance. That is why advise Planetfall novice – solution so-so. But will the pleasure of the old connoisseurs of 4x? The question is what it is necessary.

Hey why not “commemorated”?

Because we are talking about a global step-by-step strategy that requires concentration and creative azart for tens of hours. Get the same challenges shooter attraction, with an estimate would not have any problems. And what? The graphics are more or less, the design is decent, the optimization was risen, the bugs are not rushing into the eyes – all components of a successful release in place. Why not break away to full? Only here a special case.

Planetfall belongs to the genre on an amateur, where you rarely meet the masterpiece for all times, but it is attaching picky fans. Therefore, the change of setting with fantasy to space for the full street is not enough – the innovative and bright idea, pulling all the gameplay. This feature, any honest browser must necessarily emphasize that telling the audience: this is a reason to survive and forget for some time about sleep. And how things are with the artistic part – already secondary. But for the five years that have passed after the release Age of Wonders III, Studio Triumph So did not create the cornerstone of a stone capable of taking care of gamers. Accent attention is simply nothing to do.

Keep the armies next to the ownership there is no need – the militia will cope with any raiders, the automatically recruited.

To reach the title of a good strategy, you need originality. BUT Planetfall Reminds the exhibition of achievements of the genre: if you are familiar with the last three Civilization, Age of Wonders III, Endless Legend And Xcom 2, The novelty will not give you sharp sensations. Rather, on the contrary – will cause boredom literally through a couple of parties. No matter how much the authors of the “Miracles” authors be praised by the volume of work done, the miracle did not happen in 2019.

Pros: From the classics of 2010, the workers were removed and transplanted into one body – it submits signs of life;good design;music at the level;Locations of tactical battles are rarely repeated;To the series Age of Wonders For those everies, adept consoles were introduced.

Minuses: not the most understandable interface;Sci-fi clichés;lack of originality in gameplay and merciless to beginners.