Age of Wonders: Planetfall

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 108
  3. Negative: 19 out of 108

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  1. Rome
    Aug 7, 2019
    1
    This game is worse than Civ 5 at launch with no mods. It is so ridiculously dumbed down and uninteresting that both the high critic and user score is absolutely baffling. Are so many gamers today that stupid? unbelievable.
  2. Rorsha
    Aug 10, 2019
    1
    Too many placeholders for future dlcs. Boring generic campaign. Cheap mechanics. Noisy developers. High price for that all.
  3. Joewashere
    Aug 8, 2019
    4
    Dumbed down game, with simplistic mechanics and skeleton content, 6 factions but no discernible tactics differences. I guess Paradox Interactive who excel at churning DLCs ad nauseam will milk every bit of this game. Maybe it will be worth playing in a year, but right now it's nothing short of disappointing.
  4. KGBLV
    Aug 11, 2019
    3
    Actual gameplay is super simplified, reminds me a lot of Heroes of Might and Magic. The only real difference from the Heroes franchise is Tech-Tree (which is really linear and as many have said the developments are incremental so not really impactful to gameplay) and that combat is less of stacks-of-doom type battles like in Heroes and more XCOM-type (when I say XCOM type do not understandActual gameplay is super simplified, reminds me a lot of Heroes of Might and Magic. The only real difference from the Heroes franchise is Tech-Tree (which is really linear and as many have said the developments are incremental so not really impactful to gameplay) and that combat is less of stacks-of-doom type battles like in Heroes and more XCOM-type (when I say XCOM type do not understand it as simiolar to it, as the combat is SUPER SIMPLEFIED). The UI as well as the game map is overfilled with useless information and distractions.

    The only teal PRO I can give about this game is that the factions are different. As many strategy titles end up with more or less very similar playstyle factions.

    In the end if you are a fan of very simple strategies you will probably enjoy it, if you like more in depth 4X`s and the usual Paradox titles you will be very disappointed with this game.    … Expand
  5. SpiryXBT
    Sep 7, 2019
    0
    The game is not what supposed to be.

    Is turn-based strategy as when you start your own Scenario you only have 150 Turns to make a victory. The options are few, only 4 RACES. ONLY 4 and 4 NPC's. The technology tree is extremely thin. By 70 turns you already finished 70% of tech tree without many improvements of even fun. I've played 23 hours trying to find some FUN in it. It adds    The game is not what supposed to be.

    Is turn-based strategy as when you start your own Scenario you only have 150 Turns to make a victory. The options are few, only 4 RACES. ONLY 4 and 4 NPC's. The technology tree is extremely thin. By 70 turns you already finished 70% of tech tree without many improvements of even fun.

    I've played 23 hours trying to find some FUN in it.

    It adds NOTHING new to the game. You could play a lot more fun 4X games then this one.

    Considering also the PRICE TAG that is HUGE vs. the LOW QUALITY OF THE GAME. Is not worth it.

    It's real value would be 19.95$ at max. This was an abuse by producers because they used the name: "Age of Wonders".

    My advice? DO NOT BUY IT. The developers are doing lame updates , no NEW units , no NEW races and extremely boring game and action in it.    … Expand
  6. dr_yev
    Aug 26, 2019
    4
    This game was a disappointment. Critic reviews seemed to say that it was great despite some minor shortcomings. I do not agree. In fact, none of the aspects of the game are done well and, it being a hybrid of a few genres, is a stark reminder that it cannot hope to come close to any distinct genre in depth or quality.

    The combat is boring; this game is by no means XCOM-like beyond    This game was a disappointment. Critic reviews seemed to say that it was great despite some minor shortcomings. I do not agree. In fact, none of the aspects of the game are done well and, it being a hybrid of a few genres, is a stark reminder that it cannot hope to come close to any distinct genre in depth or quality.

    The combat is boring; this game is by no means XCOM-like beyond superficial details. There is little skill involved and the AI seems to use cheap tactics. The incremental upgrades lack any impressive oomph. The locales are rather generic and get old after a couple of hours.

    The campaign is boring, the writing is bad, and the acting is worse. Not enough background is given to induce caring about the protagonists.

    Though this game bears a resemblance to the latest Civ games, there is no visual indication of sector improvement and the improvements are generic and limited.

    I can imagine someone enjoying this game for more than a couple of hours but, given how many choices there are this year, this seems like a "don't buy".    … Expand
  7. notings
    Sep 15, 2019
    0
    Buged copy of civilization translation and lore of nacions suck dont but ****
  8. TsukasaHiiragi
    Mar 10, 2023
    0
    Pro's

    Interesting hero creation system Plenty of options for custom games Nice SCI-FI soundtrack Con's Exceptionally bad AI AI cheats more than most 4x games AI too predictable when it doesn't cheat Save scumming allows easy victories Terrible quests Buggy AoWP feels more like Civilization V than an Age of Wonders game, it doesn't help that the tutorial doesn't really    Pro's

    Interesting hero creation system
    Plenty of options for custom games
    Nice SCI-FI soundtrack

    Con's

    Exceptionally bad AI
    AI cheats more than most 4x games
    AI too predictable when it doesn't cheat
    Save scumming allows easy victories
    Terrible quests
    Buggy

    AoWP feels more like Civilization V than an Age of Wonders game, it doesn't help that the tutorial doesn't really explain much either and definitely doesn't help its case, I often had to resort to youtube for some tutorials to explain a few things which did it better than the tutorial. The problem here is that AoWP fails at being a civilization clone and feels like it abandoned its Age of Wonders heritage, not to mention research is also extremely limited tech trees which limits the overall enjoyability as well.

    The AI has such typical behavior patterns, and sometimes just wacky attacking patterns that completely disregard attack strength making them waste units spectularly, and other times I've seen that you could have a far higher attack strength, heck you could have an entire party of hero's with rank IV gear and a higher attack strength vs a group of enemies with lower attack strength and pick auto battle and inexplicably lose.

    Diplomacy as always is a complete joke, with the ability to sweet talk potentially enemies whilst you build up an army and most of the time, if you are going to be attacked by anyone...you can see it a mile away, or if you keep taking sectors....the AI can take sectors away from you without really suffering from any significant penalties, sure you'll gain Casus Belli but once again, its a system that really doesn't benefit you at all except reducing or eliminating any potential morale penalties from your civilian populations, and I'm pretty sure this doesn't effect the AI at all.

    Lets talk about bugs I've had a few, especially related to enemies sitting on top of resources and being unable to attack them, and the buttons would just freeze up. Seems like a common issue too that was never fixed with the only reliable fix was to restart the game.

    In closing, Planetfall fails at 4x game imho, and fails at being a civilization clone as well and as per usual, the AI is the big issue here. Anyone reading this, you can easily just google yourself the results of this issue and youtube has quite a few video instances of this, which really doesn't help this game and no amount of apologizing for bad ai is going to change that, this aspect of 4x has always been a problem but other 4x have managed to find creative ways around this problem, planetfall feels like it falls into the the category of Civilization 2 level of AI cheating and because of that, I'm not really going to recommend AoWP to the casual fans of 4x games, basically if you want a good spacey 4X/Civ clone then look to sid meier's Alpha Centauri which is so much better than this.

    AoWP has its fans, and if you like the game - more power to you. But for other people who haven't played any 4X games, or are new to the AoW franchise then I suggest to avoid this one.    … Expand
  9. Sepherim
    Apr 13, 2020
    4
    Age of Wonders: Planetfall no es nada mala idea, pero no me acaba de convencer la ejecución. Por un lado, combina un mapa y un estilo de juego clásico de los 4X, donde explorar, luchar y esas cosas; pero las misiones son tan guiadas que, en realidad, acabas haciendo las cosas más o menos iguales siempre, según los objetivos que te fijen. Por otro lado, se combina eso con unas batallas porAge of Wonders: Planetfall no es nada mala idea, pero no me acaba de convencer la ejecución. Por un lado, combina un mapa y un estilo de juego clásico de los 4X, donde explorar, luchar y esas cosas; pero las misiones son tan guiadas que, en realidad, acabas haciendo las cosas más o menos iguales siempre, según los objetivos que te fijen. Por otro lado, se combina eso con unas batallas por turnos estilo X-Com, con muchas más unidades, que sin embargo no consiguen transmitir esa tensión típica de X-COM donde cada movimiento cuenta; como sabes que puedes producir libremente en el mapa principal (normalmente sobran recursos) perder una unidad es un paso atras (pierdes la experiencia y eso) pero se sustituye fácil. Por ello, la jugabilidad acaba estando a medio camino entre un 4X y un juego táctico, pero sin ser suficientemente profundo en ninguno de los dos lados. Y la historia es muy floja.

    Gráficamente el juego más o menos cumple, pero sin ningún tipo de alarde ni increíble originalidad. El sonido es más flojo, haciendo que en general el apartado técnico del juego sea muy discreto. Pero, al menos en mi experiencia, no tiene unos bugs demasiado notables.

    El resultado de todo ello es un juego que podría ser muy bueno, pero acabó abarcando demasiado y no profundizando en ningún lado. Un 4,5.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best PC Game of 2019
83
#83 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Cubed3
    Jun 29, 2020
    70
    Truly exemplifying the maxim of 'too much of a good thing,' there is simply too much here that bogs itself down. The battle and strategic systems have some really cool and interesting ideas, but there is far too much... stuff that takes both of them down a notch. The strategic layer has way too many things to do with too much consequence, and the battle system takes too long, and is replete with a dizzying number of little things that must be taken into account, lest destruction result. It's really too bad as the core of the game is extremely solid, yet there is just too much in the way for it to shine.
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  2. Quarter to Three
    Feb 3, 2020
    80
    Of course, this mix-and-match approach will only be as good as the imagination that goes into its parts. Paradox tried something similar with Stellaris, using a set of opposing attributes. But that game’s spreadsheet-dry sci-fi doesn’t have room for the kind of glee, personality, and interactivity that drives Planetfall. Stellaris is the rasp of pages turning in a ledger. Run your index finger across the paper, along the row and then down the column, find a number that supposedly suggests the high-concept sci-fi in one of those dull classics you felt obligated to read and even more obligated to pretend to like. But Planetfall is a shelf of old sci-fi dime store novels in the back of a tiny bookstore inexplicably still in business. Pick the lurid title that calls out to you best. Pull it out and delight at the splash of imaginative cover art. This is your story for today.
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  3. Worth Playing
    Jan 7, 2020
    80
    Overall, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a solid sequel that differentiates itself sufficiently and improves upon the franchise's formula. It has a diverse mix of units and races, wonderful artwork, and what appears to be a massive range of strategies. Customizing your forces with an array of passive effects and active abilities is handled effortlessly by the UI, and it's very rewarding to use it in the tactical combat. The campaign should take anywhere from 30 to 60 hours to complete, depending on how quickly you play, and that's before stepping into the random scenarios and multiplayer, where a wide range of options and customizations can cater to your play style.
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