Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension
- December 5, 2013
- Illwinter Game Design
- 37h median play time
Get on SteamDominions 4: Thrones of Ascension is a turn-based 4X strategy game that emphasizes deep magical systems and intricate diplomacy. Players choose from a variety of cultures and religions, each with unique abilities and units, with the goal of conquering the world and ascending to godhood. The game features a complex research system, detailed unit design, and robust AI opponents, providing a rich and challenging experience for strategy enthusiasts.
Mac OS
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Reviews
- Incredible depth and complexity with a vast array of nations, spells, and units to explore.
- Rich lore and mythology that enhances the gameplay experience and immersion.
- Highly replayable with various strategies and playstyles available for each nation.
- Steep learning curve that can be overwhelming for new players without a proper tutorial.
- Outdated graphics and clunky user interface that may deter some players.
- AI is not very challenging in single-player, making multiplayer the preferred mode for a true challenge.
- graphics656 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of Dominions 4 are widely described as outdated and reminiscent of early 90s games, often characterized as rudimentary or even "terrible." While many players find the visuals lackluster and unappealing, they appreciate the game's depth and complexity, suggesting that the simplistic graphics do not detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, the consensus is that if players can overlook the poor graphics, they will discover a rich and engaging strategy game.
“The graphics, reminiscent of early 90s games, are simple yet effective.”
“The graphics are simple; however, you will find it's better that way because you can keep up with what's happening in the late game when things really start to get crazy.”
“Despite simple graphics, it successfully allows the player to immerse themselves in a rich fantasy world.”
“Graphics from 1995.”
“The graphics are terrible and everything about the game will be confusing at first.”
“The graphics are abhorrent, I won't lie, so if you need at least poor graphics to be satisfied I'd stay away.”
- gameplay412 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Dominions 4 is characterized by its deep and complex mechanics, offering a rich strategic experience that rewards players who invest time in understanding its intricacies. While the graphics are outdated and the learning curve is steep, the game provides extensive replayability and a variety of factions and strategies, making it a compelling choice for dedicated strategy enthusiasts. However, the game's complexity can be daunting for newcomers, and it may not appeal to those seeking a more casual or visually polished experience.
“The gameplay is extensive and deeply rich.”
“Dominions offers a huge amount of content and deep, well-designed and balanced mechanics.”
“This game is very hard and not for the weak of heart, the gameplay is the result of a decade of perfectionment and it shows: there is simply a huge lot of ways to solve your problem: units, spells, artefacts, diplomacy ... you literally feel like a god.”
“If this were a Total War game, I would feel much different, but there simply isn’t enough depth to the main gameplay loop to keep me invested in micromanaging my nation for a 10+ hour campaign.”
“- Game design is very outdated, with mechanics from the 90s that make no sense today.”
“The visuals are Commodore 64 era, and the game mechanics are even worse.”
- replayability100 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
Dominions 4 is praised for its exceptional replayability, offering a vast array of nations, units, magic spells, and gods that create nearly infinite gameplay possibilities. Players appreciate the game's depth, complexity, and the unique strategies required for different factions, ensuring that no two games are alike. Despite its steep learning curve and dated graphics, the game's rich content and ongoing updates contribute to its high replay value, making it a must-try for strategy enthusiasts.
“It's this wonderful depth that makes this game endlessly replayable.”
“This game has an insane amount of replayability; it gets more and more fun the more you know how it works.”
“Endless replayability.”
“Unless I discover, as I play the game for more time, that there is *the* shortcut around all these rules and complexities, I can say this game is something of almost infinite replay value... to tell you the truth I can't even play more than a few turns before wanting to start over and try something different with this game... and every time I restart lots of what I've learned is thrown away: the new random faction I've got appears to demand a completely different strategy ... because there are land factions, sea factions, factions with ranged units, factions *without* ranged units, factions that demand lots of magic, factions that favor absurd strength in numbers... or not.”
“If you love diversity, replayability, and hours and hours of gameplay for a single game, with hundreds of races, hundreds of spells, and thousands of troops, the learning curve is so high that even years after playing and searching the forum you learn new techniques that make you want to restart. If you are a strategy geek and you want the best there is in terms of gameplay with a twist of fantasy and magic, heroes, and countries to conquer... if you want to be a god... this title is definitely for you!!!”
“The first hour or so I was a bit lost, but read the manual and you'll quickly pick up on the game mechanics and an appreciation for the level of depth and endless replayability of this game.”
- music90 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, describing it as catchy and fitting for the game's theme. However, some players find the soundtrack repetitive and suggest it can become tiresome, leading them to mute it in favor of other playlists. Overall, while the music is often highlighted as a strong point, its limited variety and potential for monotony are noted drawbacks.
“The soundtrack sets the mood for your divine conquests, underlining the game's atmosphere without being intrusive.”
“Also, the music is perfect for it, really catchy and adds a lot to the game in itself.”
“Would pay this for the soundtrack alone; the amazing game bursting with content is a nice bonus.”
“Be sure to play it with the sound muted, the music is horrid.”
“Seriously, with the traditional Nordic folk music, that will burn your ears.”
“In short, gameplay is excellent while the graphics/music is really bad in the year 2014.”
- story82 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely emergent, allowing players to weave their own narratives through the rich backstories of over 100 unique nations and their units. While the main plot is minimal, the depth of lore and the interactions between characters create a compelling storytelling experience that encourages creativity and imagination. Players appreciate the game's potential for personal storytelling, despite its steep learning curve and limited graphics.
“It's a storyteller's game that will spark your imagination and occupy your thoughts long after you shut your computer off.”
“The richness of the world and its backstory will pull you in.”
“What matters is your brain weaves together a story, and that story enhances the game greatly.”
“After playing for a while, I pine away for more complex building options, AI personalities/diplomacy, and story detail, so the game feels like it has undeveloped potential.”
“Dominions is a deep game with limited graphics, only little snippets of story, and a steep learning curve.”
“There are exciting random events and, obviously, your conquest of the world will vary every time, but the story from the time you hit the 'play' button is all headcanon.”
- grinding42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players frequently criticize the grinding aspect of the game, noting that the micromanagement required in late-game scenarios becomes overwhelmingly tedious, especially when managing large armies and performing repetitive tasks like spell casting and troop movement. The user interface is often described as clumsy, exacerbating the frustration of having to issue numerous commands without the ability to queue actions. Overall, while the game offers depth and complexity, the lack of automation and direct control leads to a tedious experience for many players.
“Game is tedious in the late game when you have to micro all tasks every turn such as managing spell casting, walking troops back and forth to reinforce the fronts, playing whac-a-mole with raiding armies.”
“Unit movement cannot be queued, so moving an army from one side of a map to another is tedious to the point of being annoying.”
“The lack of real player control over battles and the shallow economy makes this game tedious at best.”
- humor20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Dominions 4 is characterized by its rough interface, low production values, and a plethora of funny combinations and stories that players can create. The game offers a mix of hilarious sound effects, outlandish characters, and amusing player interactions, particularly in multiplayer settings, leading to memorable and often absurd experiences. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to generate both comedic and tragic tales, making it a source of entertainment beyond its serious themes.
“There are so many funny combinations that happen.”
“There's so much to go into and so many hilarious stories, but you'll have plenty of opportunities to make your own.”
“In conclusion, Dominions 4 is one of those games that you come away from with a thousand hilarious and tragic tales to tell.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that optimization is crucial for gameplay, as unoptimized armies can lead to significant losses in battles. Additionally, the user interface is noted to be in need of further optimization to enhance overall performance.
“And this is a necessity; otherwise, you will end up losing what should be landslides because your armies weren’t optimized.”
“The performance is excellent.”
“And this is a necessity, otherwise you will end up losing what should be landslides because your armies weren’t optimized.”
“The user interface is subject to current optimization.”
“The performance is poor.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enriched by a well-crafted soundtrack that complements the gameplay without being distracting, while the extensive background lore and flavor text enhance the immersive experience. Despite some micromanagement challenges that may detract from the overall feeling, the diverse units and factions contribute to a rich historical ambiance that supports roleplaying and a strong sense of environment. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating atmosphere, even if the graphics are not the most impressive.
“A lot of different interesting units, factions, and one of the most important things (in my opinion) is the background lore/flavor text which creates a splendid atmosphere for roleplaying, or just in general a good feel about the in-game environment.”
“The game drips with history and atmosphere and while the graphics are not the strongest they don't need to be.”
“The soundtrack sets the mood for your divine conquests, underlining the game's atmosphere without being intrusive.”
“The game drips with history and atmosphere, and while the graphics are not the strongest, they don't need to be.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally impactful, praising its rich lore and the seamless integration of RPG and RTS elements that create a wholesome and immersive universe. The emotional depth of the experience resonates strongly, with some expressing a willingness to revisit the game for its touching moments.
“10/10 game would cry again.”
“The lore system, RPG, and RTS aspects are truly incredible - they intertwine to create a universe that is wonderfully wholesome, immersive, and strategically deep.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently report that the game is bug-free, indicating a high level of stability and reliability in gameplay.
“The game is remarkably bug-free, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the game is; I haven't encountered any bugs during my playthrough.”
“The stability of the game is impressive, making it easy to immerse myself without interruptions.”
