Age of Wonders III

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 627 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 444 out of 627
  2. Mixed: 116 out of 627
  3. Negative: 67 out of 627

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  1. Leap8
    Apr 7, 2014
    10
    I had never heard about this game until its release date and after watching a few review videos and lets plays i decided to pick it up. I have to say so far i am really impressed with ~15hrs played. The game beautifully combines the grand strategy of games such as civilization with the turn based combat of games like Heroes of might and magic to create a overall brilliant experience. NotI had never heard about this game until its release date and after watching a few review videos and lets plays i decided to pick it up. I have to say so far i am really impressed with ~15hrs played. The game beautifully combines the grand strategy of games such as civilization with the turn based combat of games like Heroes of might and magic to create a overall brilliant experience. Not for everyone of course but if you enjoy games like Civilization i definitely recommend giving this game a try, i assure you that you will not be disappointed.… Expand
  2. MartinD81
    Apr 12, 2014
    9
    First off, I can call myself an Age of Wonders veteran. I have been with the series since its inception back in 1999. Age of Wonders III, like its predecessors, is a TBS game with a fair amount of RPG flavor set in a wonderful world of magic and adventure. Like before, the fourth game in the series is a meticulously mixed blend of MoM and HOMM, with greater emphasis on global strategy andFirst off, I can call myself an Age of Wonders veteran. I have been with the series since its inception back in 1999. Age of Wonders III, like its predecessors, is a TBS game with a fair amount of RPG flavor set in a wonderful world of magic and adventure. Like before, the fourth game in the series is a meticulously mixed blend of MoM and HOMM, with greater emphasis on global strategy and warfare. Mind you, it is not a full 4X experience as some believe it to be. Some folks over on the the official AoW forums keep comparing the game with Civilization V, which is really not fair IMO – Age of Wonders III and its older siblings are significantly more combat-oriented. Some have criticised the game for being rather basic in diplomacy and for its supposedly simplistic city development. In my opinion, both these elements are fine and work sufficiently for the game’s purposes despite being a little austere in their appearance and functionality. But then again, this is not a Civ-level empire building and diplomacy. The game mechanics are solid and can stand on their own and they are clearly more fleshed out in comparison with HOMM and some others in this regard.
    Anyway, the game’s foundations lie in a progressive empire building and managing your cities. A city serves as an essential economic unit here, and without a properly managed city your armies may not prosper as well. You can also do research, level up you heroes, who make their hard living by killing monsters and hordes of opposing armies. Unlike HOMM, the AoW series is an actual strategy game, encouraging you to plan ahead and consider you next moves carefully in the context of a bigger picture represented by your developing realm.
    As mentioned above, the core element of the series is warfare, and the new game is well-prepared for that. It sports an improved tactical combat that rewards clever tactics and puts a strong emphasis on unit positioning. Every unit on the battlefield has unique abilities you need to take into account, and exploiting them in the right way is a key to success in any encounter. Plus there is flanking now, which the AI likes to use against you when you expect it the least. The improved combat also encourages cooperation of your ranged and melee troops and there is a new scissor-rock-paper formula introduced (pikemen, cavalry, infantry units with their strengths and weaknesses).
    The game itself plays very smoothly and familiar, so if you have played an AoW game before you will easily slip into these new and shiny pants. The class system is cool and classes themselves varied enough to secure a very solid replayability. The level of leader customisation here is beyond all you have seen in a TBS game. You would need so much time to explore all the possibilities! If you are not an expansionist type you can effortlessly adjust your experience through many various RMG settings to suit your play-style. Here lie infinite hours of fun for everybody…
    The only downside to the new game that I see ATM are some unit and resource balance issues, though not serious, but they can sometimes be annoying, particularly in late-game. Not a deal-breaker in any way. The devs are currently hard at work to deal with these and are ready to send more updates, features and new content in our direction.
    The AI could also have been better, sure, it does not but at a strategic level it does a decent job of keeping you on guard, and so does in TC. There are some minor changes that seem to have already upset some core fans, namely mountains are passable now by practically any unit, fliers land in TC and can be attacked by any unit, only six units allowed in a single stack etc., but they do not by far distract from an overall great and rewarding strategic experience. In fact, these changes were made to keep the game balanced as possible, and the „six units in a stack“ change particularly contributes to a more strategic approach when it comes to composing your army.
    Well, I seem to have left out a thousand other things that come to mind when thinking about AoW III, but firstly there is not enough space to put them here and secondly, and more importantly, I have been engaged in playing it for more than 25 hours and the joy of doing so has not by far worn off. And I honestly believe that I will enjoy the next tens of hours as much as I have until now, the game has so much to offer! By the way, have I made a mention of a lovely cloth map like the one in Fallen Enchantress? Or completely unique class units and spells? An excellent in-game manual/encyclopedia called Tome of Wonders?
    My recommendation for this game is quite simple: if you want to immerse yourself in a beautifully crafted world of magic you can feel at every step (even with wizard towers gone this time), you like to engage in epic battles for the fate of your empire, you have played some HOMM but found it shallow at global strategy then this is the right game for you. And it has rogue dire penguins!    … Expand
  3. eastwoodknight
    Apr 10, 2014
    10
    Actually i' ve become really happy for this moment. It happened! The Legend returned and the genre was reborn!
    I was so sad about latest parts of such monumental series like HoMM, Disciples, etc. It was so many new ideas, decisions but no perfection - all were crashed on reefs of bugs, monotony and unbalance. But in this game one can see strong elegant balance, a wide variety of tactics    Actually i' ve become really happy for this moment. It happened! The Legend returned and the genre was reborn!
    I was so sad about latest parts of such monumental series like HoMM, Disciples, etc. It was so many new ideas, decisions but no perfection - all were crashed on reefs of bugs, monotony and unbalance. But in this game one can see strong elegant balance, a wide variety of tactics and ways to victory.

    Comparing to previous part - there is no effect of superfactory in metropolia of empire, when you could extremely quickly make strong troop, cast some spell over them and crush all on your way. The strongest units can overcome by mass and adequate combinations of common units. So the key - is to rule all your Empire. There is no more absolute combinations.

    For newcomers it can take several hours to get bases. But, i'm sure, then it can be a wonderful journey for years, as Heroes III was.    … Expand
  4. pwk11
    Jan 5, 2015
    10
    I`ve been playing Turn Based strategy games for a long time. I find AOW3 to be one of the best ever. Graphics are great,A lot of tedious empire micromanagement has been trimmed away,yet leaving enough complexity to still be a challenge,and the strategic battling is the best I have ever encountered. And the developers are everywhere in the forums supporting it and listening to feedback andI`ve been playing Turn Based strategy games for a long time. I find AOW3 to be one of the best ever. Graphics are great,A lot of tedious empire micromanagement has been trimmed away,yet leaving enough complexity to still be a challenge,and the strategic battling is the best I have ever encountered. And the developers are everywhere in the forums supporting it and listening to feedback and patching the game accordingly.This makes for a fantastic game! 10/10.… Expand
  5. golgor
    Apr 9, 2014
    5
    Well, I must confess the game looked better watching the gameplay than the fun I had playing it since its release... There are some good tactical stuffs, like flanking units in battle,...but your heroes are so involved in the storyline, that loosing one will result in loosing the game :-/...boring! The battles start with all your units on a straight line, which is really not what to expectWell, I must confess the game looked better watching the gameplay than the fun I had playing it since its release... There are some good tactical stuffs, like flanking units in battle,...but your heroes are so involved in the storyline, that loosing one will result in loosing the game :-/...boring! The battles start with all your units on a straight line, which is really not what to expect from this kind of strategy game!!! The cloth map is pretty but not really functional (at least not as much as in Fallen Enchantress...a shame!)...and AI sends units which are just running away when you chase them with stronger units...resulting in a stupid hide and seek game which really kills the fun imo. At least there is the multiplayer part, which is definitely the best part of this game!… Expand
  6. cephalo
    Apr 1, 2014
    7
    This is a solid game for the genre. It's only flaw is that I've played literally thousands of hours of games just like this, and there isn't anything that strikes me as fresh. It's mostly a new coat of paint, with a few design improvements, which is great! However, I'm finding that I'm not as excited as I thought I would be.
  7. nomentanus
    Apr 30, 2015
    0
    I purchased through Steam - but I can never play the game. If there's a number to be had to register, God alone knows how to access it. Nor is the compulsory account registration manageable or recoverable after errors. Dead loss. Zero it is.
  8. taygor
    Apr 7, 2014
    8
    A winner for those who like turn based strategy games with individual combat engagements between your armies and those of your enemies. My only knock on the game is the excessively long load times between turns if your playing on a large map with the max number of players.
  9. Ericius
    Nov 12, 2014
    10
    I'm new to this game. It took a while to get some kind of control and start winning levels. But all the time I could not stop playing. It has been a while that a game has screwed up my private life like this. But I'm hooked. A fantasy world, dragons, armies, magic, giants, war what else do you want?
  10. Rexnos
    Aug 14, 2014
    8
    A rather solid 4x game with great customization potential and beautiful graphics. It really starts to bog down when you get into the late game and the diplomatic options are seriously lacking, but it's definitely worth playing.
  11. AeonForm
    Apr 22, 2014
    5
    This is a mix between Heroes of might and magic and Civilization, but definitely a failed one, you have so much options and things to care that it's a commplete mess, i feel like playing a different game everytime i go from a screen to another... The world map is also a mess, i feel stupid to say that but...it's too colorful.
  12. Lenzie
    Sep 30, 2014
    7
    A well polished, good looking and enjoyable tactical strategy game. I enjoyed the challenging AI which always seemed to keep me on my toes and forced me to think through every move, battle and turn.

    What did frustrate me about the game however was the length of the campaign. I easily put 80 hours into the game and by the end I was getting bored and felt very relieved to have it finished.
  13. apokalipto
    Aug 19, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  14. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 23, 2023
    7
    Exceptional as a 4x fantasy strategy game, but not as good as others 4x strategy games
  15. CaptainChaos
    Jul 28, 2015
    10
    This game is virtually perfect. At first I was kinda disappointed but with the recent patches, and with continued game play where I failed to realize the dept of this game, I am more than impressed; I am in awe. The reasons are (1) depth (2) love (3) flexibility (4) the best UI I ever have seen. (1) Depth: There are so many bazillion ways that units interact, you would need a superThis game is virtually perfect. At first I was kinda disappointed but with the recent patches, and with continued game play where I failed to realize the dept of this game, I am more than impressed; I am in awe. The reasons are (1) depth (2) love (3) flexibility (4) the best UI I ever have seen. (1) Depth: There are so many bazillion ways that units interact, you would need a super computer to keep track. You have race, class, spells, active terrain, items, hero upgrades and experience. So my Evangelist could be totally different from yours; that doesn't even cover the terrain changes you can make to the map or strategy you can follow to win (2) love: they could have shipped the game without all the really nice touches - the way the dragon breathes fire out of its mouth while resting on the map; the reflective water that if you zoom into it, cascades around the rocks foaming, the highly customized sound effects so that when a Eldritch Horror dies it THUMPS to the ground, etc. etc. These designers cared. (3) flexibility: you can play it like fantasy Civ. but if you're like me miss AOW1, you can recreate that experience!! At first I didn't think you could and was very disappointed, but if you turn off city building, and start with few cities you can further customize the map anyway you want. I played with my vision of an old empire in decay (like the Romans) with few roads, few cities, and many ruins to explore. This means cities are few and far between but there are many places to explore and pillage. (4) finally the UI is flawless. One unit could have like 20 buffs and de-buffs - i kid you not. but click it and first of all you can find out what those buffs are and the reason you have them; then over of an enemy and the computer will tell you EVERYTHING. Positive attack factors in green, negative attack factors in red, and your range of damage FOR EACH ATTACK type. WOW. I could go on. And of course there are some flaws, but really nothing worth mentioning. If you like the original AOW or fantasy turn based, this game is a must. I didn't like it first, but now I realize how wrong I was.… Expand
  16. malcolmm
    Aug 13, 2015
    10
    It took me a while to appreciate AoW3, it can be a bit rough to get started in it. I'm a veteran of turn based strategy games so I usually don't have any problem learning the rules. However, some concepts in AoW3 I a bit unusual (which is good) but it makes the game tough to learn.

    Compounding the problem is that there is no manual for the game. There isn't really a tutorial for the    It took me a while to appreciate AoW3, it can be a bit rough to get started in it. I'm a veteran of turn based strategy games so I usually don't have any problem learning the rules. However, some concepts in AoW3 I a bit unusual (which is good) but it makes the game tough to learn.

    Compounding the problem is that there is no manual for the game. There isn't really a tutorial for the game either, at least there wasn't when I was learning the game. I ended up learning the rules by reviewing the in game encyclopedia and by watching some gameplay videos.

    I've completed both campaigns that come with the base game, plus the campaign in the first DLC, almost 200 hours of really enjoyable gameplay. City management in the game is simple, which is fine with me, I enjoy the combat more in turn based strategy games. The combat is great, lots of variety, great graphics - wonderful fun. You can have the AI play out the combat for you and it does a reasonable job, but I rarely use this feature because the combat is such great fun.

    Overall, I highly recommend this game. Much more fun than Endless Legend (which was more like Endless boredom to me)    … Expand
  17. Dethstar
    Sep 25, 2016
    3
    Another Heroes type game. More of the same but for me as a mature player it lacks depth and feels very juvenile in terms of the script and the general design. I just couldn't take it seriously and found it impossible to immerse myself in it.

    It seems like a fairly straight forward rip off of the games it is trying to copy.
  18. MrButtermancer
    Sep 17, 2015
    10
    It's difficult to follow up a classic. It always feels like something is lost when a great game from years ago is brought into the modern age. Things get prettier, bigger, and more streamlined, but many times it feels like some essential chemistry is lost. Some of us blame nostalgia, others simply write the developers off as appealing to the largest audience or the lowest commonIt's difficult to follow up a classic. It always feels like something is lost when a great game from years ago is brought into the modern age. Things get prettier, bigger, and more streamlined, but many times it feels like some essential chemistry is lost. Some of us blame nostalgia, others simply write the developers off as appealing to the largest audience or the lowest common denominator. Sequels always lose something.

    Which is why Triumph Studios had no right to produce such a perfect game.

    This is the perfect sparkling bouquet of what made the original great, combined with the streamlined production quality we've come to expect from a quality modern game. It's asymmetrical and unfair in the most balanced ways possible. Whether you're outfitting your heroes or designing your player class, you'll find great satisfaction in trying to break the game. You'll be very good at some things, and very bad at others, but it will always make sense and it will always feel right.

    The unit design deserves special mention. Each unit is deeply well-crafted and unique, even when comparing racial units of the same role. The attention to synergy is unmatched, both between units of the same race and in the way that race and class combine to make a whole. Leveling up often provides interesting new abilities that also tend to synergize, instead of simply providing better stats.

    As it happens sometimes, this game did not release flawlessly. It had its share of errors, but since that time they have been resolved. Understand that many of the other reviews written on here were made before AoW3 reached maturity. That version of the game is not the version that will be remembered, and it is not the version you will get it you decide to play it now.

    This game has a lot of everything, and all of it affects everything else. You'll build cities, research and cast spells, and train units. You'll command armies on the beautiful strategic map, and when you explore dungeons or fight another army, you'll go down to fight on equally beautiful tilesets. Tactical combat is reasonably simple but very deep. This game has not been casualized. The A.I. is maddeningly clever, and you won't take this statement seriously until you've experienced it. You'll fight skirmishes in the woods with bandits, and you'll fight in truly massive sieges to conquer cities. Your heroes will explore dungeons, find and equip items, and lead your armies into battle.

    You will build your strategy, and then get excited about other strategies you think could work. They probably will. Your race, your class, and your specializations all fundamentally change the way you need to approach the game. It takes a long time to bloom into a full understanding of how the various parts of the game work together, but the journey is pleasant, and you can absorb it by playing.

    The campaign probably deserves it's own review. It's gloriously cheesy golden-age high fantasy. The campaign follows branching questlines, so you can end up doing different missions. The base game has two campaigns of eight missions. Eight does not sound like a lot but you can easily spend an entire day playing one mission. They're huge. Think of them more like chapters. The expansion packs can add another two campaigns. There are also a number of scenarios which are like competitive missions for X players. The "real" Age of Wonders though is in the procedurally generated random map mode, where you can fight other players or the AI. There are a huge number of random features on the maps, such as "dwellings" where you can purchase units from a non-player faction like Giants or Pixies. You'll need to play many games before you've seen everything you can find. Also of note, Age of Wonders has an underground map, full of caves, tunnels, and the cities of the Goblins and Dwarves.

    Triumph is confident enough in the mastery of their game to give the player enormous freedoms to explore how to play. Their own mastery is evident in the careful design of how every element acts together. If you find anything this game does interesting, play it for that reason, but be prepared to fall in love with the rest.

    This is what a strategy game should be. 10/10    … Expand
  19. WL11
    Apr 19, 2015
    5
    AOW3 is an otherwise decent game with one fatal flaw:

    If you lose a campaign battle in which one of your leaders dies, you lose the whole campaign. And if you are the defender, you can't retreat to save the leader. So you basically can't use leaders in any risky situations. If you really want to use leaders, you have to lower the difficulty or use exploits so that no situation is    AOW3 is an otherwise decent game with one fatal flaw:

    If you lose a campaign battle in which one of your leaders dies, you lose the whole campaign. And if you are the defender, you can't retreat to save the leader.

    So you basically can't use leaders in any risky situations. If you really want to use leaders, you have to lower the difficulty or use exploits so that no situation is ever risky. But without risk, what's the point of playing?

    You should not have to win every battle to win the campaign.    … Expand
  20. PattonMcCrotch
    Apr 15, 2015
    3
    This game suffers from a number of obvious problems right from the get-go.

    First of all the tiny font will make you squint in order to see ANY text in the entire game, from start to finish, in a 1080p res, even with a very large monitor. If you want to scale to 1440 or 4k, forget about it. You will have to use a lower resolution than your monitor is designed for. The combat is poorly    This game suffers from a number of obvious problems right from the get-go.

    First of all the tiny font will make you squint in order to see ANY text in the entire game, from start to finish, in a 1080p res, even with a very large monitor. If you want to scale to 1440 or 4k, forget about it. You will have to use a lower resolution than your monitor is designed for.

    The combat is poorly implemented. Too many restrictions and "time outs" that lead to auto-losses even against the AI make the game a hassle.
    At least in the Elven campaign, even simple things like unit icons are done wrong. Pike units look like sword units. Sword units look like pike units. More than once I chose the wrong unit to separate from the army and had to re-load for the umpteenth time to get right. Once again, the font being so small makes this more of an issue. Can't rely on the text, can't rely on the icons. What can you rely on?

    You can rely on early encounters that are annoying as hell, where all the enemy units are either range AND melee, or include a mega-armored unit that no matter what, you will lose one of your precious early units to. If you try to work around with maneuver, you will time out and lose the battle.

    Although there is an option for 'confirm end turn' in the options, it does nothing to prevent an actual errant click of 'end turn' button on the screen. Just let us use the keybind. Really don't need an on-screen button for this. Why do you still do this?

    This game seems to be to be made by developers who could potentially make a great game, but lack common sense and instead end up with a crumby experience that is not ready.

    Save your money, honestly, even games like Elven Legacy are better than this.

    These issues should never be around in this day and age of gaming.    … Expand
  21. PowerGamer
    Oct 15, 2015
    2
    Horrible solo play. Starts out where the AI is no challenge at all then suddenly cheats like hell.
    It's obvious the enemy AI can see the whole map and iterates through all your units to pick the weakest target.

    Would have okay if the enemy had scouts, but they devs didn't even bother to take it to a decent level.
    Lazy, bad, minimal AI design and game play.
  22. Neravarine
    Jul 31, 2017
    7
    The game itself is pretty solid, with a few bugs time to time, It has really nice graphics with pretty models.
    Storyline is good in both campaigns even if I personally liked elven one more.
    Now AI is the worst problem in the game, I do not know which person in a sane mind would allow that AI for a STRATEGY game. They could not make AI any good, so to even the odds they have allowed AI    The game itself is pretty solid, with a few bugs time to time, It has really nice graphics with pretty models.
    Storyline is good in both campaigns even if I personally liked elven one more.

    Now AI is the worst problem in the game, I do not know which person in a sane mind would allow that AI for a STRATEGY game. They could not make AI any good, so to even the odds they have allowed AI to chat... ye gr8, dont get me wrong, game is easy to beat, but knowing that AI does not have fog of war and it knows where your fow is, so it will send flying units to capture your undefended cities and they will be unseen coz AI is going to use your fow as a cover.... rly smart... bravo.... that ruined the whole game for me, I like strong AI in strategy games, but I can not stand cheating AI, its rly sending the right message to the crowd.    … Expand
  23. ibisshagrat
    May 20, 2016
    8
    As a fan of the former AoW games, I was anxious to play it, but it disappointed me at first. But after playing again, I was able to enjoy it more, and with all the expansions, it is a deeper game.

    The only thing I believe that need to be improved is manual combat, I prefered fast combat, unless is a critical battle.

    I absolutly recommend the game to 4x fantasy strategy game lovers.
  24. Tomle1202
    Dec 19, 2022
    7
    Age of Wonders III never really took off, instead just awkwardly hung around being serviceable at best.
  25. Robobob
    Oct 29, 2015
    8
    Ok. At first I found this game very frustrating. That must have been because I was playing scenarios at normal difficulty level. Apparently the campaigns and scenarios are much more difficult than the random generated maps. Initially, I gave this game a 6, but after a few more play throughs, I've learned a few more things (good and bad).
    The good: There are a ton of units for each    Ok. At first I found this game very frustrating. That must have been because I was playing scenarios at normal difficulty level. Apparently the campaigns and scenarios are much more difficult than the random generated maps. Initially, I gave this game a 6, but after a few more play throughs, I've learned a few more things (good and bad).
    The good: There are a ton of units for each race, class and even alignment. The higher the tier, the more powerful the unit, but the costs and build times can really tie up your resources so it make sense to fill your armies with a variety of tier/levels and types. An army of all archers could get massacred by infantry if they get in too close and are undefended. So variety is good.
    There are many cool unique locations that you can build your cities around that give your city a new type of building that allows new units to be built or give huge bonuses to newly built units. That's pretty cool and can make a major difference in your army strengths.
    Every class has unique world spells that give bonuses to cities, production, armies, etc. Use these as much as possible, but be careful as they cost mana each turn to operate and that will leave you with less mana to use to cast spells in combat.
    In the random map mode you can build your own loot for your army leaders and heroes. This is awesome. I built them gear that amplified their strengths. The best gear is found in random locations throughout the world map, though, and it's best to build strong enough armies early in the game to start raiding these for the rare powerful loot.

    The bad: There can almost be TOO MANY options in combat. I've found that the strategic battle (where you control all of your units) is difficult and very very time consuming. To make matters worse there is no save/load option during these battles. If you make a wrong move, or (god forbid) fail a dominate save and lose a powerful unit or 2 to the enemy, you have no option but surrender and return to the main map and reload. A massive waste of time. The reason too many options can be difficult? You may have a powerful unit selected and plan to target a certain enemy.. oops, they have resistance to your damage type. You rush a unit in an attempt to stun or convert it.. oops they are immune. You melee attack another unit and for some reason they will get more attacks and damage than your attacking unit. The computer knows which enemy to attack every time because in a split second it searched for the foes it can do the most damage to. I have to highlight enemies around the battlefield to see who I can actually damage without doing too much damage to myself. It's a frustrating system.
    How do I work around it. I make sure to attack with more than enough units I need and select AUTO combat everytime. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but it's the best and quickest way to win in a time consuming game. The weirdest thing is.. the part of the game that should be it's biggest draw, it the most confusing and cumbersome. Otherwise, it's a pretty engrossing and original turn based strategy game.    … Expand
  26. OrkishSteel
    Aug 12, 2020
    10
    A Game like Heroes of Might and Magic but really much better. You can now buy the Complete Edition including all expansions for little money (like 'Gold Edition').
  27. Brentonico83
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    best 4x game I have ever played. The only annoying stuff is the tutorial where you HAVE TO be a female, but apart from that, amazing game, deep and rewarding strategy
  28. Thazari
    Dec 27, 2016
    7
    Clear and intuitive gameplay and UI, nice pacing and loving the concept of monster lairs allover the land to give your heroes and armies something to do in the early game. Turn based battles play smoothly and are fun. I like how heroes can lead your armies and have various classes with a huge amount of skills to unlock. Graphics are appealing and the game has a nice atmosphere.

    The    Clear and intuitive gameplay and UI, nice pacing and loving the concept of monster lairs allover the land to give your heroes and armies something to do in the early game. Turn based battles play smoothly and are fun. I like how heroes can lead your armies and have various classes with a huge amount of skills to unlock. Graphics are appealing and the game has a nice atmosphere.

    The downsides are that there isn't that much to build in cities so your cities max out relatively soon and don't have any variety (although the tiles around the city make your city better in certain aspects over others). And there aren't that many different races to play, unlike Age of Wonders 2.    … Expand
  29. TerrenceB
    Jun 21, 2016
    10
    I bought this 6 months ago on sale.. just now picked it up and started playing it..

    I'm absolutely hooked. Fantastic variability in race/class.. interesting tactical combat with tons of choices and tactics and strategies.. lots of build planning like a normal 4x.. nice graphics.. random map generation with lots of different win/lose options.. the replayability here borders on the    I bought this 6 months ago on sale.. just now picked it up and started playing it..

    I'm absolutely hooked. Fantastic variability in race/class.. interesting tactical combat with tons of choices and tactics and strategies.. lots of build planning like a normal 4x.. nice graphics.. random map generation with lots of different win/lose options.. the replayability here borders on the extreme.. I'm 80+ hours into the game and literally just scratching the surface.

    If turn based strategy is your thing.. especially tactical battles.. you would be doing yourself a HUGE disservice to miss this..    … Expand
  30. Indyninja
    Aug 10, 2019
    4
    Everything that made AoWII: Shadow Magic so exemplary for it's time seems cast off here. Races have almost no unique units like they used to - what matters more is the type of wizard you choose to be. I found it bizarre, and the single player campaign ended up being a slog-fest, with enemies throwing full armies of top-tier troops at you over and over that you need to swim upstreamEverything that made AoWII: Shadow Magic so exemplary for it's time seems cast off here. Races have almost no unique units like they used to - what matters more is the type of wizard you choose to be. I found it bizarre, and the single player campaign ended up being a slog-fest, with enemies throwing full armies of top-tier troops at you over and over that you need to swim upstream against, with no possible alternative strategy than to just hack through them over and over and over and over...

    I really do wonder why there's so much love for this game. It's nowhere near what the earlier entries were. I had high hopes, but this whole mix-and-match system makes for dull, repetitive experiences with little to offer from trying new races.    … Expand
  31. Tomicsavo
    Feb 17, 2020
    1
    Bad tutorial, did not like it.---------------------------------------------
  32. themediocritic
    Feb 25, 2020
    7
    A 2020 Review for Age of Wonders III

    Score: 7/10 Mediocrity Score - Not Mediocre. It's hard to get me to like most strategy games, and I really enjoyed this one. Had to knock it down a whole point due to the lack of available servers & players online. Quick take: Six years after its original release, Age of Wonders III still stands as a remarkably competent and fun 4x turn-based    A 2020 Review for Age of Wonders III

    Score: 7/10
    Mediocrity Score - Not Mediocre.

    It's hard to get me to like most strategy games, and I really enjoyed this one. Had to knock it down a whole point due to the lack of available servers & players online.

    Quick take: Six years after its original release, Age of Wonders III still stands as a remarkably competent and fun 4x turn-based strategy and tactical combat game. Triumph Studios two-games-in-one approach sets Age of Wonders III in a rare cross-genre we only see come out of the Total War franchise. It's immensely exciting and fun at the onset, but it does begin to drag on and show it's repetitiveness after 20-40 hours. If you're already a fan of this style game, you could very easily double or triple that number. Unfortunately, multiplayer is almost entirely dead. Single player or LAN games would be your only viable options. If you've not played this wonder of a game - I'd recommend you give this one a shot. It has a lot to offer, particularly in it's tactical combat battles. Plus - I've seen this title go on sale for as low as $7.50. That's a bargain for a game that you will easily put 30+ hours into playing.

    Pros:
    - Sprawling tactical battles spice up the long game by providing a variety challenges one must strategize on in order to succeed.
    - Beautiful, lush graphics that keep up with 2020 standards for strategy games.T
    - Heroes provide an RPG-esque feel by finding loot which can be equipped along with leveling-up which provides ability points - both of which are used to further buff your hero.
    - High level of replayability.
    - "Just one more turn!"

    Cons:
    - Multiplayer is dead. Local LAN or private games are your only hope for such competition.
    - Campaign story is tired and uninspired.
    - Simultaneous turns results in some confusing and frustrating delays. Some clicks take upwards of 20 seconds to register, worrying the player that their game may have crashed.

    Concept:
    It's rare we get the genres of a tactical combat game blended with a 4x strategy game. They've really pulled it off on this one and that alone makes it worth checking out. The challenge keeps the game fun and interesting, while also feeling very achievable.

    Graphics:
    Beautiful game. Still looks very fresh and lush having been 6 years since it was released. Combat scenes are impressively detailed and varied for something most developers would have done less with. That sort of attention to detail is not common enough.

    Sound:
    Music is fine, but for a game that spans such a long amount of time - I found myself muting it within the first 8 hours of game play. Voice acting, however, is great - even if only included in the two campaigns.

    Playability:
    Tutorial does a poor job, mostly relying on an in-game encyclopedia appropriately called the Tome of Wonders. Game itself is easy enough to get the hang of, but learning effective strategies for the many different scenarios is a challenge but one that brings you back for more. Some campaign goals could be better communicated.

    Entertainment:
    I wish the city-building component was more fulfilling, but as a whole the game really does an awesome job of creating an atmosphere that sucks you in wanting "just one more turn". Combat is where the game shines the most providing a large array of options to destroy your enemies and competition.

    Replay:
    High. You can create your own heroes, your own scenarios, partake in online play (which is very limited in 2020), and make good use of the modding community. This all breathes more life into a game that already is very replayable.

    Cheats?: Yes! An adequate amount of cheats are available using the in-game console. No trainers or file modifications needed. To enable, withing game launcher's check the checkbox for "Run in Debug Mode" before starting the game. Once in a campaign or match - use CTRL+ALT+C to bring up the console. Recommended cheats are as follows:

    - +100,000 gold | BOSCH
    - Explore map (does not disable Fog Of War) | TASMAN
    - Free movement | CRUIJFF
    - Instant production of current queue in every city | PHILIPS
    - Kill the selected target (in battle) | GETOUT
    - Auto-win a battle (in battle) | WINNOW    … Expand
  33. Wrathzo
    Mar 24, 2022
    6
    Age of Wonders III is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Dutch developer Triumph Studios. It is the fourth game in the Age of Wonders series. The game is set in a high fantasy fictional setting, where players take the role of a leader to explore the world, interacting with other races and kingdoms, both diplomatically and through warfare while progressivelyAge of Wonders III is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Dutch developer Triumph Studios. It is the fourth game in the Age of Wonders series. The game is set in a high fantasy fictional setting, where players take the role of a leader to explore the world, interacting with other races and kingdoms, both diplomatically and through warfare while progressively expanding and managing their empire. It features a new graphics engine for the series, in addition to an updated soundtrack. The gameplay has also been updated, featuring a new role-playing style leader class based system and interchangeable choices of strategy and appearances for each playable race. It also supports online and local multiple player modes and a level editor along with a new story driven single player campaign mode.… Expand
  34. havrillal
    Aug 18, 2020
    8
    Tisztességes munka a maga műfajában, de nagyon egy Tescos CIV és Total War. Ami elsősorban nem probléma, mivel kiválló hangulata van
  35. kajt
    Sep 4, 2020
    5
    Well, it is trying to be Heroes but you know best heroes is heroes 3. So i would rather play old clasics. I played AOW3 for a day but its not for me i guess.
  36. TEG_17
    Jan 31, 2022
    7
    Довольно хорошо. Интересный геймплей. Не хватило желания пройти
  37. NIDXOG
    Dec 14, 2020
    10
    This game's 4x combat-focused style mixed with its RPG elements make it a truly unique and exhilarating experience. My personal recommendation is playing on a smaller map and turning the water down by 25% ;) (but seriously though).
  38. tebaden
    Nov 20, 2021
    10
    That is a nice game. I played around 3 consecutive days and for that price, its a good game
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Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best PC Game of 2014
44
#44 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
57
#57 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Jul 30, 2014
    84
    Age of Wonders III offers a very good option for turn-base strategy fans, continuing successfully the legacy of the series. It offers many hours of play, especially if you want to taste every bit of detail. Some further improvements which would force the player to ponder of his strategy before acting are needed. Nonetheless, Age of Wonders III is an amazing game that will always keep you thinking "one more turn".
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jun 28, 2014
    95
    There was nothing in the way of Age of Wonders III maintaining the quality level of its predecessors. But that did not happen and instead of another solid title we got a game that will make every armchair strategist cry... tears of joy. [05/2014, p.52]
  3. DarkStation
    May 21, 2014
    80
    If you enjoyed the previous Age of Wonders games and you had any reservations about this game, then rest easy – it is a very good one.
    Read full review
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