Age of Wonders

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 530 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • gameplay
Age of Wonders Game Cover
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In Age of Wonders, a turn-based fantasy strategy game, players build their empire amidst the chaos caused by the arrival of humans in a once peaceful land. With six distinct races, numerous spells, and ancient artifacts to discover, players must form alliances with forces of light or darkness to determine the world's fate. The game's intimate atmosphere, painterly graphics, and fully patched-up experience create an engaging adventure for strategy enthusiasts.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 530 reviews
graphics35 positive mentions
stability17 negative mentions
  • Age of Wonders is a classic turn-based strategy game that combines elements of RPG and strategy, offering a rich fantasy experience.
  • The game features a variety of races and units, allowing for diverse gameplay and strategies, with a compelling storyline and branching paths.
  • Despite its age, the game still holds up well with charming graphics and an engaging soundtrack, making it a nostalgic favorite for many players.
  • The game suffers from frequent crashes and technical issues on modern systems, making it frustrating to play without applying unofficial patches.
  • The user interface and controls can feel clunky and outdated, which may deter new players unfamiliar with older games.
  • AI opponents can be unbalanced, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially for those seeking a challenging match.
  • graphics88 mentions

    The graphics of "Age of Wonders" are often described as dated, reflecting its 1999 release, with pixelated sprites and a simplistic aesthetic that may not appeal to modern players. However, many reviewers appreciate the game's unique art style and vibrant colors, noting that it has aged well for its time and retains a certain charm, especially for those nostalgic for classic turn-based strategy games. While some technical issues and low resolution can detract from the experience, the overall visual presentation is considered atmospheric and fitting for the game's fantasy setting.

    • “The graphics hold up well, with an appealing palette, detailed sprites, and a varied landscape.”
    • “An absolute classic turn-based strategy game with a memorable soundtrack and beautiful 2D graphics.”
    • “Younger players might not find the smaller sprites and simple animations very impressive, but the more painterly art style really holds up well for an old game like this.”
    • “Graphics are so bad it is hard to tell what unit is which.”
    • “The game is old, the graphics are low, and the interface is crappy and needs to be remade entirely.”
    • “The graphics are very dated, so if that's a sticking point, you might want to move on to Age of Wonders 2 or 3.”
  • story79 mentions

    The game's story features two distinct campaigns—light and dark—each offering engaging quests and branching narratives that significantly change based on player choices. While some players find the overall plot to be simple or fragmented, many appreciate the unique storytelling approach and the depth of the world, which is enriched by a charming visual aesthetic and captivating music. Overall, the campaigns are considered some of the best in the series, providing a compelling experience that encourages replayability through multiple endings.

    • “The game has an engaging campaign/story - two paths: light and dark, each worth playing, interesting quests, even nowadays I play it from time to time and enjoy it very much.”
    • “Each of the two main campaigns features heavily branching stories and missions based on the choices you make.”
    • “The story is fairly straightforward, and unlike the later titles, allows you to play as the 'good' faction or the 'evil' faction for the story.”
    • “The campaign story itself is very fragmented, has major gaps, and is almost incoherent, which almost defeated the reason for me getting the game in the first place.”
    • “While there are absolutely elements that carry over all the way through to AOW3, these elements mostly exist 'by mention' more so than by plot since the plot is extremely weak.”
    • “The story is subpar and generic but the gameplay is challenging and rewarding.”
  • gameplay70 mentions

    The gameplay of this classic turn-based strategy game is characterized by its blend of strategic and tactical elements, featuring a rich array of mechanics such as city management, unit stacking, and spellcasting that can influence both combat and the map. While the game boasts timeless art and a compelling soundtrack, some mechanics feel dated and can lead to a tedious experience over time, particularly due to slow pacing and occasional balance issues. Overall, it remains a solid and enjoyable experience for fans of the genre, especially those who appreciate its depth and nostalgic charm.

    • “The gameplay is split between managing your city’s and stacks of units over 3 layers of the map (top layer, tunnels, and underground), exploring and capturing important relics and extra resources.”
    • “One of the best classic turn-based strategy games that still holds up today, 20 years after it released, thanks to hand-drawn graphics, a fantastic soundtrack, and all-around great gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is simple, very easy to pick up, yet it has some elements that may surprise you such as migrating towns to your own race to produce units of your own faction or dividing mana income between the researching of spells and accumulating mana points.”
    • “Overall, the game is quite wonderful when it comes to some aspects of its gameplay, and quite lacking in wonder when it comes to others.”
    • “Even with a fan-made patch for the biggest issue, it remains glitchy in a number of other areas, often to the point that you can't even load up a map to begin gameplay.”
    • “The game has not aged well; I'm not talking about graphics but gameplay.”
  • music53 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its enchanting and memorable quality, with many reviewers highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some tracks may feel repetitive or dated, the soundtrack is often described as beautiful, atmospheric, and capable of evoking nostalgia. Overall, it is considered one of the best aspects of the game, contributing significantly to its charm and appeal.

    • “The music really added to the immersion for me.”
    • “An absolute classic turn-based strategy game with a memorable soundtrack and beautiful 2D graphics.”
    • “The soundtrack in my opinion is very strong with a fairly robust series of tracks composed by Michiel van den Bos.”
    • “If you can get past the pixelated graphics (they don't hold up well in 2020), repetitive music and plain sound effects, the strategy side of the game is pretty good.”
    • “Similarly the soundtrack and effects don’t hold up and can’t compare to some of the musical masterpieces that came out with similar games of the times (Dark Reign, Warcraft), which was the weakest part of the game.”
    • “This steaming pile of shit I give a 4/10 simply because it seems they kept most of the music and lore from the original.”
  • stability19 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that severely impact gameplay. While some users have found workarounds or experienced fewer issues on certain systems, the overall consensus indicates that the game is plagued by bugs, making it largely unplayable for many. Despite its appealing graphics, the persistent technical problems overshadow the gaming experience.

    • “If you can overlook that, the game runs great on my system (using Windows 10) and still provides hours of fun.”
    • “The Steam version runs great on modern machines.”
    • “Because all of this pales in comparison to the amount of crashes and freezes and other 'exceptions' - as the game puts it - that lots of players (judging by the reviews), including myself, are being continuously subjected to.”
    • “I keep getting cold freezes during gameplay and menus, as well as getting plain forced out of the game by some runtime error.”
    • “This game has so many bugs it is unplayable after 5 minutes (either you are booted from it or it freezes your PC no matter how powerful it is). Steam support is unable to refund for a game that is impossible to play and cannot refund because I've played over two hours (two hours of frozen screens whilst trying to figure the problem out) and has no help to sort the problem out.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game is praised for its high replayability, attributed to features like a level editor, diverse campaigns, numerous factions, and a variety of maps. Players can enjoy countless hours of gameplay through skirmishes and different scenarios, making replay value a standout aspect. Overall, the combination of these elements ensures a rich and engaging experience that encourages repeated play.

    • “All of these factors together add up to produce an experience which has a high level of replayability.”
    • “The map editor made for tons of replayability.”
    • “Both the campaigns and the scenarios offer a lot of replayability, due to the choices you make in the campaigns, as well as the numerous factions available in the scenarios.”
    • “It has a high level of replay value due to the number of maps available.”
    • “Replay value: this is a particular strength of Age of Wonders.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its impressive and funny sound effects, as well as comical moments like lizardmen riding frogs. Players find the game to be hilariously entertaining, especially when enjoyed with friends, adding a fun and engaging layer to the turn-based RPG experience. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “One of the most fun, epic, hilarious games I have ever played!”
    • “Scandalously funny moments like the silly walk of lizardmen riding on a frog (maybe it is not a minus after all).”
    • “The sound effects are both humorous and great, while micro-managing cities and outposts while maintaining a steady flow of gold and magic adds an extra level to the turn-based RPG.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninspiring, often detracting from the overall gameplay experience. While some enjoy exploring dungeon maps, the repetitive nature of grinding tasks can become monotonous and frustrating over time.

    • “Alas, its issues make it quite tedious after a while, and so I cannot, in good conscience, give it that high a gameplay score.”
    • “By convention, 'easy' should be 'hot knife through butter' with the AI in small numbers and/or being dumb as bricks, but in this game they are quite tedious.”
    • “Tedious and uninspiring at best.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its stunning graphics and beautifully complementary music, creating an immersive experience. While some note that the graphics may feel outdated compared to sequels, the original version is celebrated for its superior immersion and overall atmosphere.

    • “The graphics are the most atmospheric I have ever seen in any game, along with Shadow of the Beast 2, and the music complements them beautifully.”
    • “Beautiful music and atmospheric (but outdated) graphics.”
    • “While the sequels are more polished gameplay-wise, the original has much better immersion, atmosphere, and game feel.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization of the game is criticized as a cheap cash grab that prioritizes profit over quality, with users feeling it lacks proper development and polish. However, some players also see it as an effective promotional tool for the franchise.

    • “Cheap cash grab for a classic without taking the time to make sure the game works correctly.”
    • “I've played this for a couple of hours, and it is the best advertisement for their franchise that I could have possibly experienced.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for ongoing performance and stability issues, including frequent crashes.

    • “Sometimes it will still continue to crash or have performance and stability issues.”
    • “The game frequently suffers from lag and frame drops, making it hard to enjoy.”
    • “Optimization feels rushed, as there are constant bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Users express a strong appreciation for the character design, indicating that it significantly enhances their enjoyment of the game. However, there is limited information on the depth of character development beyond the visual appeal.

    • “The character development in this game is incredibly deep and engaging, allowing players to truly connect with each character's journey.”
    • “I appreciate how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their growth feel authentic and rewarding.”
    • “The backstories and personal arcs of the characters are well-crafted, adding layers of complexity that enhance the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Critic Reviews

90% average critic score

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