Age of Empires 4’s fan-event stream reveals new campaigns and factions

It’s been over 15 years for the reason that final numbered Age of Empires sport, however we lastly know just a few extra particulars concerning the collection’ impending return. Throughout a fan occasion livestream on Saturday, developer Relic Leisure revealed just a few new issues about its upcoming sequel, Age of Empires 4, together with a take a look at one of many sport’s campaigns and its new and up to date civilizations.

Campaigns that place gamers in the midst of historic occasions have all the time been a standout focus of the Age of Empires collection, and Relic is taking that concept even additional in Age of Empires 4. The sport will function 4 full-length campaigns, together with one targeted on the Norman Conquest, which Relic previewed throughout the stream.

Picture: Relic Leisure/Xbox Recreation Studios

The Norman marketing campaign follows the combat between Harold Godwinson, king of the Anglo-Saxons, and William the Conqueror, who has been promised Harold’s crown. The marketing campaign options many huge battles all through the battle’s historical past, together with the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and can stretch over a number of years, displaying the fallout of William’s victory each in England and France. The marketing campaign may even carry gamers to quite a lot of completely different battlefields and environments, together with shiny French fields and sprawling English castles.

Throughout the presentation, Relic additionally detailed among the sport’s playable civilizations, together with one of many new ones, the Delhi Sultanate from India. It has just a few standout options, however the largest spotlight is its huge struggle elephants.

Picture: Relic Leisure/Xbox Recreation Studios

In response to Relic, one of many major objectives of making playable civilizations in Age of Empires 4 was to make them as completely different as doable. This meant including extra advanced and nuanced gameplay mechanics to every of the civilizations to make them really feel distinctive.

One of many standout examples of those particular mechanics was from the Mongols, who can now pack up total cities and transfer them someplace new. This matches the Mongols’ real-world nomadic life-style — persevering with the Age of Empires collection’ deal with historic accuracy. But it surely additionally offers the civilization a wholly new and distinctive gameplay possibility. A Mongol participant may create a small metropolis simply exterior of their enemies base and use it to create troops within the blink of an eye fixed, then merely transfer town when issues get harmful.

Picture: Relic Leisure/Xbox Recreation Studios

Throughout a developer Q&A with press, held just a few weeks earlier than Saturday’s livestream, Relic revealed that Age of Empires 4 will function eight playable civilizations at launch, similar to Age of Empires 3. Relic mentioned this can assist the workforce deal with the way to make every civilization particular, and can make your entire sport a lot simpler to stability. To this point, Relic has introduced that the Chinese language, English, Delhi Sultanate, and Mongols are all within the sport, with extra civilization bulletins coming quickly. The developer additionally mentioned that it’ll add extra civilizations after launch.

Age of Empires 4 is scheduled to be launched on Home windows PC someday in 2021. The sport will launch on Xbox Recreation Go PC and Final.