Ara: History Untold

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,508 reviews
  • gameplay
  • optimization
  • graphics
Ara: History Untold Game Cover
Ara: History Untold is a vast strategy game that gives you plenty to do, but success consistently rewards you with new ways to play.
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Ara: History Untold is a historical grand strategy game that offers unique innovations in the genre, allowing players to shape human history through different leaders and strategic decisions.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,508 reviews
gameplay110 positive mentions
optimization66 negative mentions
  • Innovative crafting and production chain system adds depth to gameplay.
  • Gorgeous graphics and a living world create an immersive experience.
  • Unique approach to city management and expansion, making each city feel significant.
  • UI is clunky and difficult to navigate, especially with many cities.
  • Combat system lacks depth, with no ability to upgrade or reorganize units once deployed.
  • Performance issues on various hardware configurations, leading to lag and crashes.
  • gameplay388 mentions

    The gameplay of "Ara: History Untold" presents a mix of innovative mechanics and frustrating design choices. While many players appreciate the depth and complexity of its crafting and resource management systems, they also criticize the clunky user interface, repetitive gameplay, and poorly explained mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a unique take on the 4X genre, appealing to those who enjoy strategic depth and are willing to navigate its learning curve.

    • “Fresh mechanics and great gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is genuinely engaging and tests ability to manage.”
    • “I absolutely love the crafting mechanic, and the way wars are managed is so much more grounded and realistic to me than it has been in Civ in the past.”
    • “It's such a basic mechanic that, even if intended, it represents a huge oversight in game design.”
    • “The visuals/graphics are very nice but the mechanics of the game are simplistic, boring and not challenging at all.”
    • “Was pretty disappointed was expecting something more like Humankind and Civ mixed but it failed to compare to either and every mechanic was somehow worse on top of the game UI being really bad and confusing.”
  • optimization299 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including stuttering and low frame rates, even on high-end systems. While some users report smooth gameplay, others find it unplayable at times, leading to frustration and refunds. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization and patches to improve performance and user experience.

    • “I'd like to recommend Ara to all 4X fans, especially during Christmas sales when the game will be much polished and optimized.”
    • “Managing this economy is central to the gameplay, and for someone who enjoys optimization games (like myself), this is a really fun addition to the 4X experience.”
    • “The tons of options and optimizations, however, can be really enjoyed by the more 'hardcore' strategists and builders.”
    • “But the game at this stage has serious performance issues.”
    • “The performance was so bad that I dropped to low settings just to make it somewhat playable—and even then, the experience was far from smooth.”
    • “Until the developers address these performance issues, I can’t recommend the game, especially to fans of civilization and humankind, who expect smooth and strategic gameplay, not a stuttering mess.”
  • graphics276 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, creating an immersive experience that enhances gameplay. However, many players report performance issues, including graphical glitches and frame drops, particularly on AMD graphics cards, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are considered stunning, the user interface and optimization need improvement to fully appreciate the game's artistic elements.

    • “The graphics are stunningly beautiful, though they demand high-performance specs to run smoothly.”
    • “I love the graphics, which are detailed and immersive, making each era and city feel alive.”
    • “Absolutely beautiful graphics and it feels like a mix of civ & millennia.”
    • “The graphics are abysmal.”
    • “I find the graphics, even on high resolutions, not on par with what I would expect.”
    • “The pretty visuals, when you can actually appreciate them between the frame drops, just aren’t enough to save the experience when the performance is this terrible.”
  • grinding120 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism for being overly tedious, particularly due to the complex micromanagement required for crafting and resource management. Many players find the user interface frustrating and the gameplay repetitive, especially in the mid to late game, leading to a sense of burnout. However, some reviewers express optimism that upcoming updates from the developers may address these issues and improve the overall experience.

    • “The game becomes tedious very quickly and it feels like all you’re doing is micromanaging production chains.”
    • “Finally, and the real deal-breaker, is that it's just so damned tedious.”
    • “The micromanagement is getting out of hand and it is so tedious to play.”
  • music54 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it decent and immersive, while others criticize it as forgettable or even annoying. Many feel it lacks the impact and uniqueness found in other titles like Civilization, leading some to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while there are positive mentions of the soundtrack contributing to the game's ambiance, it appears to fall short of expectations for a memorable musical experience.

    • “The soundtrack and score create great ambiance.”
    • “The music totally absorbs me into the game, it's super lovely.”
    • “There's plenty of satisfaction to be found in the game, and the music is good enough that I didn't swap over to my own playlist.”
    • “The music isn't memorable, the vibe doesn't evoke anything beyond what Civ does, and if you want to chill out and manage a town for a while, there are hundreds of other offerings on here that are much cheaper and better.”
    • “Terrible music: I rarely care about music in a game, but this one I turned it off.”
    • “The soundtrack is honestly a little annoying and I've found myself turning it off sometimes.”
  • stability34 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs, freezes, and crashes, particularly on lower-end systems. Others report smooth performance on high-end setups, suggesting that stability may heavily depend on individual hardware configurations. Overall, many users recommend waiting for patches to address the numerous performance issues.

    • “I have seen people complaining about the game's performance; I think that has to do with your PC, not the game, because it runs great on my 4070 RTX 16GB.”
    • “Do be aware that it takes a pretty stout graphics card to run this game, but even though my graphics card is not as stout as I would like it to be, after the GPU shaders finished their compilation, which usually takes around 20 minutes, the game runs great. I have never had it crash as of yet, and I have really been enjoying Microsoft's and Oxide's take on a large-scale civ building game.”
    • “I don't see the point in paying $89 if I need to run the game on low settings and endure the stutter and the glitches.”
    • “It's incredibly buggy and not optimized at all.”
    • “I can't even play for more than 10 minutes before it freezes on me.”
  • replayability18 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable and diverse in the early stages, others feel that it becomes repetitive over time. The presence of unique civilization bonuses adds some variety, but many reviewers suggest that additional civ-specific units or buildings could enhance the experience. Despite these concerns, some players still consider it more replayable than other similar titles.

    • “The early game is very fun and even on repeated games and starts can be very diverse, which increases replayability.”
    • “Time will tell with replay value, but right now I am more likely to play this than Civ 5, 6, Humankind, or Millennia.”
    • “🔲 Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
    • “Replayability is 'ok' but the game feels the same every time.”
    • “I worry slightly about replay value; each civilization and leader has bonuses that will make them specialize differently, but I think the game would benefit from civ-specific units and buildings, or some other form of specialization that makes different games feel different.”
    • “Tldr: visuals = 9, strategy = 2, replayability = 3, overall = 3 and I want my $60 back.”
  • story14 mentions

    The game's story is praised for its unique human elements and engaging storytelling, complemented by strong leader selection and appealing graphics. However, players note that the frequent events can overwhelm the narrative, making it difficult to appreciate the story's depth, as many events feel more like mechanics than meaningful interactions. Overall, while the storytelling has potential, it could benefit from a more cohesive integration of player agency and narrative significance.

    • “And it's not because the game is bad, there is a lot to love here with how it has a uniquely human touch, the storytelling elements of the game, the extremely good leader selection, and its lovely graphics while watching the town be built over time.”
    • “This is a game about the story of your people; it would be great to see more emphasis on the will of the people.”
    • “Dede Korkut, the biggest storyteller and opinion leader of Turkish myths, is a fascinating reference point for the narrative depth in this game.”
    • “The game also spams you with events extremely often, often times not being worth it to even read the storytelling and just look at the benefits vs the drawbacks.”
    • “I got a spearman and tried to complete the quest; however, I never got a pop-up or even talked to the tribe.”
    • “This is a game about the story of your people; well, how about adding the will of the people.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding it superior to other titles like Millenia and Humankind. Suggestions for incorporating amusing traits, such as those of Swiss guards and British palace guards, highlight the desire for comedic elements that enhance gameplay. Overall, the game's humor adds a delightful layer to the experience.

    • “This game is funny; it's much better than Millennia and Humankind.”
    • “Maybe you could give them traits that boost prestige after becoming obsolete, like Swiss Guards or funny British palace guards.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for being overly greedy, reminiscent of issues seen in other titles like Civilization, leading to disappointment among players who expected a more engaging experience rather than a focus on micromanagement.

    • “I was hoping for a game to fill the void that Civ left when it started going full in on being awful with its greedy monetization, and I got a game that ended up ruining all the hype I had for it, by just being a game about micromanagement.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is hindered by the AI's seemingly arbitrary decision to declare war, which can disrupt the player's immersion and connection to the narrative. This randomness detracts from the emotional engagement, suggesting that further refinement is needed to enhance the overall experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

Buy Ara: History Untold

Play time

12hMedian play time
41hAverage play time
10-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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