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. marc5477
    Aug 15, 2019
    5
    Generic. This is basically a rehash of every 4x game the last 2 decades and adds nothing new to the genre. I played the 2nd scenario in the campaign and never went back to it again. It has a very boring mid and late game and every aspect of the game has been done better in other games, which begs the question of why even bother making this?

    Combat is just copy of every turn based game    Generic. This is basically a rehash of every 4x game the last 2 decades and adds nothing new to the genre. I played the 2nd scenario in the campaign and never went back to it again. It has a very boring mid and late game and every aspect of the game has been done better in other games, which begs the question of why even bother making this?

    Combat is just copy of every turn based game ever made that uses cover mechanics. Character development is actually pretty narrow in this game with very few options for building a character and about as many options for units as a RTS like starcraft which is actually not a good thing since this is supposed to be a RPG/Strategy. It lacks RPG customization depth especially for a PC game. It might be ok for a console game but I am not sure since I skipped this generation.

    Story wise it leaves a lot to be desired. Character development is almost non-existent and there is really no drive to want to push the story forward. These things would be ok if the game play was better but given that game play itself is mediocrity this could have helped. Heck even better graphics would have helped this game but even that is about 10-15 years old.

    Overall, if you were to buy a 4x and it had to be sci-fi then the game to have is probably Stellaris. XCom, and GalCiv 3, though it took a few steps backward from GalCiv 2.- If you dont care about settings and are ok with fantasy, then the obvious choice is Elemental: Fallen Enchantress. It simply has a lot more depth albeit, it is dated.    … Expand
  2. SRKNZ
    Aug 8, 2019
    5
    I have spent many years playing Civilization and this looked similar so I thought I'd take a look. Suffice to say this is nothing like Civilization. I could not figure out what I was supposed to do and even when I could it was not clear why I was doing it.

    The interface was far too busy with too much going on. I definite sense of sensory overload and worse still no real tutorial just a    I have spent many years playing Civilization and this looked similar so I thought I'd take a look. Suffice to say this is nothing like Civilization. I could not figure out what I was supposed to do and even when I could it was not clear why I was doing it.

    The interface was far too busy with too much going on. I definite sense of sensory overload and worse still no real tutorial just a talking head spouting far too much information to actually be meaningful.

    I also got the sense that you had little control over how decisions are made and a lot of it is controlled by the AI.

    I'll persist a little longer but so far not very satisfying. Indeed quite frustrating. I suspect this may be refund territory.    … Expand
  3. Rrichard
    Aug 7, 2019
    5
    Alpha Centauri dumbed down, and made utterly unoffensive, for console children. There is no philosophy, interesting story, or science behind the game. Like a McDonalds meal of a strategy game.
  4. altaydron
    Aug 10, 2019
    7
    Устаревшая графика, убогие анимации, отсутствие физики, маленькое древо исследования, скучные, однообразные надоедающие бои. Очередная поделка людей которые сами не играют в игры. Из-за малого количества стратегий,вечерами по часику можно поиграть. Цена вообще другой разговор, такая халтурная поделка не может стоить более 500 рублейУстаревшая графика, убогие анимации, отсутствие физики, маленькое древо исследования, скучные, однообразные надоедающие бои. Очередная поделка людей которые сами не играют в игры. Из-за малого количества стратегий,вечерами по часику можно поиграть. Цена вообще другой разговор, такая халтурная поделка не может стоить более 500 рублей
  5. Vasot
    Oct 19, 2019
    5
    1) A boring and complicated map gameplay with a cheating AI that knows your base positions from the start 2) 90% of upgrades in the game are useless and the modding system is not fun 3) Very slow gameplay even during combat it makes you want to go to sleep 4) Boring objectives everything feels very generic with a forgetable plot and stupid weird cartoon characters (space dinosaurs riding1) A boring and complicated map gameplay with a cheating AI that knows your base positions from the start 2) 90% of upgrades in the game are useless and the modding system is not fun 3) Very slow gameplay even during combat it makes you want to go to sleep 4) Boring objectives everything feels very generic with a forgetable plot and stupid weird cartoon characters (space dinosaurs riding by amazons with ecology sensivities what a stupid idea)... Age of Wonders 3 was a much more mature and interesting game from this anyway i got bored during the final campaign missions and just uninstalled the game.… Expand
  6. Goby
    Jan 1, 2023
    7
    Definitely addictive, putting ticks in a lot of boxes for what it set out to be. Procedurally generated worlds; an interstellar empire to build via multiple playthroughs; campaign modes that introduce you to the story and characteristics of the many factions in the game. Everything I don't complain about below is likely OK, or even great.

    TLDR: If you've been looking for a marriage of    Definitely addictive, putting ticks in a lot of boxes for what it set out to be. Procedurally generated worlds; an interstellar empire to build via multiple playthroughs; campaign modes that introduce you to the story and characteristics of the many factions in the game. Everything I don't complain about below is likely OK, or even great.

    TLDR: If you've been looking for a marriage of Hex Map 4X + XCOM, then Planetfall will be an entertaining and addictive experience for you. Its good, not excellent. You may feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of enemy variety. The learning curve can feel pretty bad and you will never truly 'learn' this game, but it gets better as you invest the time to familiarize yourself with all the factions and tech trees in the game.

    I was surprised to find that the combat in the game felt balanced, given how much variety there is in tactical combat and unit modding. I was initially attracted by the blend of two of my favorite worlds: Civ V-like 4X and XCOM-like tactical combat. Planetfall does a good job at both, but not as good as either of those two games individually. The 4X manages to feel too fast and too slow at the same time. It always became a chore after midgame. However your mileage may vary if you don't set your mind on world domination / conquest, which I expected to keep me invested in the process, but I may have been shooting myself in the foot going after this particular victory condition.

    While I was initially intrigued by all the unit modding options and branching empire research paths, I started to borderline hate it all after I purchased the DLCs, which introduce even more factions and units (and variables). The learning curve was already steep, but it exploded after including more factions. It literally got exhausting when there is an entirely new challenge around almost every corner - how does one properly prepare for... everything? The simplicity of Civilization V and our familiarity with real world history really helped in getting through the chore of learning the game and getting to the fun part, but in Planetfall I always found I had to read and learn more than I like, because no two fights are ever the same and if you're going to play at your best (which is usually the mindset in any strategy game), then unfortunately you may feel obliged to thoroughly inspect every single unit in every single fight before making your first move. I felt I have a certain capacity for going through this process over and over again, or perhaps domination mode simply doesn't work well for this game. Its likely more enjoyable if you got one of those big math brains. Or you've played this game for hundreds of hours and you already know what this or that mod, unit or effect does. What to expect, which enemies to focus, how to approach them etc. The fun only starts when you've properly familiarized yourself with the situation. Impossible to enjoy chess if you don't know the rules, right? Well expect to go through the learning process many many times here.

    The AI is fairly easy to dominate if you prepare well. Diplomacy in this game is unfinished garbage and the AI is often too forgiving. They show no mercy when the odds are already against you, but in evenly-matched fights I found it easily achievable to come out of it with all your units alive and ready for the next battle. Very often the AI doesn't seem to have good priorities when confronting you - they tend to move to unfavorable positions and seemingly make a point out not forcing you to lose some important unit you misplaced yourself.
    Auto-resolve could really use a deep learning engine (make it happen for the next Planetfall!) - While the outcome was impressively fair for the most part, I still had to manually take over in fights where you absolutely do not need to lose a single unit if you use one brain cell.

    And screw the vocal narration in the tech tree! I wish there was a way to turn that off. It is essentially a bunch of made up nonsense narrated by accents and quirky voices from every corner of Earth, there to distract when you're trying to read. They even vocalized the made up name of the made up dude who is supposed to be the author of the made up aphorism or quote being narrated... AAAGH!! At least in Civilization I learned some wisdom from actual wise men who lived.    … Expand
  7. Woolee
    Oct 4, 2021
    7
    I'm having a blast with this game. I absolutely love the complexity of it compared to previous AoW games. Here you have 6 races with game styles so different that you can't just go wit

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

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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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