Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Despite a collection of minor technical issues, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is one of the best strategy games on any platform this year, console or otherwise, and weaves a compelling tapestry of play within every layer of its design, including tactical battles that are so good, they almost seem out of place in 4X. It may not entirely escape the colonialist trappings of its genre, but it manages to sneak in a thoughtful twist or two as it indulges in a delightfully weird sci-fi reverie.

A few minor flaws can't ruin this truly great game. Almost everything in Age of Wonders: Planetfall has been done perfectly. The futuristic world turned out great, the satirical atmosphere is refreshing, and the combination of the best parts of Civilization and XCOM resulted in such an addictive game that the developers should warn about it beforehand.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a very entertaining strategy title that keeps you engaged for hours after hours. Maybe if you are not an old school strategy fan you get confused at the beginning, but as you progress through the gameplay you'll find yourself right at home. Planetfall is a well executed strategy title and is definitely a step forward for the series.

Impatient gamers looking for immediate gratification may have a struggle with Age of Wonders: Planetfall’s leisurely, semi-opaque early game and mildly vertiginous learning curve but the pace picks up and patience pays off as the game evolves into a challenging mixture of combat and civ-building. On console, in particular, there are relatively few 4x games of note and Planetfall is a welcome addition. For PC fans of the genre and the franchise, the sci-fi/fantasy setting is well-executed and strong enough to make the series feel new again.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall successfully brings a 4X title to consoles. The manual combat can slow things down too much and there's a learning curve to tackle, but the controls generally do the trick and there is so much content here for a solo player that you'll lose dozens of hours to it and still have much more to explore.

Planetfall offers a lot of content for fans of strategy gamers, as the amount of customization, options for growth, and routes to victory are staggering when all put together.

The science fiction setting puts a compelling new spin on Age of Wonders: Planetfall, with a lengthy single player campaign and half a dozen contrasting factions to see rise from the ashes of the Star Union. There's some niggles I have on console, but this is easy to recommend if you're hankering for a new 4X strategy game.

A complex strategy game with some severe accessibility issues, especially on consoles, but give it a chance and it’s a rewarding and deep sci-fi experience.