Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Realms of Ruin is a genuinely likeable RTS game that would benefit from a slightly faster pace.

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"Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin - Ultimate Edition is a real-time strategy game set in the iconic Warhammer universe. Lead four unique factions in a cinematic campaign to conquer the savage Realm of Ghur, and engage in comprehensive multiplayer matches. This edition includes additional customization options, alternate hero skins, and a hero pack."

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Reviews

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 991 reviews

story131 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and animations, bringing the Age of Sigmar universe to life.
The campaign offers an engaging story with well-done cutscenes and voice acting.
The gameplay mechanics, while different from traditional RTS, provide a unique tactical experience that rewards strategic decision-making.

Units do not automatically engage enemies, leading to frustrating moments where they stand idle while being attacked.
The game lacks base building and resource management, reducing the depth typically expected from RTS games.
The AI can be unbalanced, often overwhelming players with endless waves of units, making it difficult to defend objectives.

story
390 mentions
34 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many praising its strong characters, engaging narrative, and high-quality presentation, including impressive voice acting and cutscenes. However, some players criticized the execution, citing issues with pacing, repetitive mission design, and a lack of depth in the plot, particularly in later chapters. Overall, while the story is seen as a highlight for fans of the Warhammer universe, it may not be enough to compensate for gameplay frustrations.
- “A huge amount of effort and love has clearly gone in; the game looks and sounds great, has a ton of modes, and a great story.”
- “The writing is competent—certainly above par for a video game—recognizing the tragic tone of the story, and in its execution through actors, animation, cinematography, and editing, it does British game-making proud.”
- “The campaign is a solid experience with a good Warhammer story driven by quality in-game cinematics.”
- “The story is just alright, there are still bugs, and the difficulty between missions is just a roller coaster from something incredibly easy to needing to switch the difficulty down.”
- “The forced husky femboy voice acting made it even more difficult to identify with the androgynous main character; the story was weak to start, but after less than 20 minutes, I could stand it no longer and uninstalled.”
- “The campaign is terrible because something will happen mid-mission and you've used the resources on abilities because your troops keep getting swarmed. Seriously, who thought this was a good idea?”
gameplay
326 mentions
24 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Realms of Ruin" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, simplistic, and lacking depth compared to traditional RTS games. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and visuals, others criticize the clunky controls, slow pacing, and a reliance on a rock-paper-scissors combat system that feels uninspired. Overall, the game offers a polished experience but struggles to engage players seeking a more complex and dynamic strategy gameplay.
- “The gameplay is engaging if you accept that it intends for you to micromanage 2-4 individual fronts and constantly check unit positioning.”
- “The game is the closest thing to a fantasy themed Dawn of War 2 I can think of; if you have played any of the Dawn of War series or Company of Heroes, you will feel quite at home with the gameplay and unit management focus.”
- “The mechanics, especially the engagement one, are actually pretty good.”
- “Nice visuals but boring, restrictive, and repetitive gameplay with a mediocre scenario that doesn't provide detailed background information about the lore or universe. I wish I had listened to my inner voice and returned it before it was too late.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes a chore, with each mission feeling indistinguishable from the last. It is extremely pretty from a graphical and technical viewpoint, but it is so lacking in actual meaningful content and mechanical or strategical depth that it just falls flat on its face once you get a few hours in.”
- “The game is easy on the eyes but that can't make up for the poor gameplay. Not only is the AI ridiculously overpowered regardless of type advantage in your favor, but the game is bugged, and the constant in-game cutscenes cannot be paused or skipped, so if you have to replay a mission, then you have to go through all the same infuriating crap that interrupts your gameplay.”
graphics
162 mentions
67 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their high quality, stunning visuals, and attention to detail, effectively capturing the atmosphere of the Age of Sigmar universe. Many reviewers highlighted the impressive character models, animations, and cutscenes, noting that the audiovisual presentation is one of the game's strongest aspects. However, some players expressed disappointment that the beautiful graphics could not compensate for the lackluster gameplay and repetitive mechanics.
- “This is an amazing game with new state-of-the-art graphics and sound effects.”
- “The graphics are fantastic, the controls feel good, it's not under-challenging and the story is actually really rewarding.”
- “The game has stunning graphics and animations that are pleasing to watch.”
- “However, do not be fooled by the visuals.”
- “The budget for this title went into the graphics and you can tell.”
- “Only good thing this game has going for it is graphics.”
music
28 mentions
64 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and fitting integration with the overall experience, enhancing both the campaign and cutscenes. Reviewers noted the soundtrack as evocative and atmospheric, contributing significantly to immersion, although some expressed a desire for more varied in-game music. Overall, the sound design, including voice acting and ambient effects, is considered top-notch, elevating the game's audiovisual appeal.
- “The campaign was engaging, the graphics were beautiful, and the music was great.”
- “The music, cutscenes, and the voice acting in them are all top notch, which elevates the campaign into genuinely enjoyable territory.”
- “The soundtrack evokes a grand battlescape and everything from the grunts of orruks to the clatter of sigmarite as folks walk around pulls you in.”
- “Even scummier: the ultimate edition doesn't even include the soundtrack or the new DLC, so it's even more money!”
- “The soundtrack evokes a grand battlescape, and everything from the grunts of orruks to the clatter of sigmarite as folks walk around pulls you in.”
- “Sound design is fantastic, with excellent performances from the voice cast, well-realized atmospheric effects, and evocative music.”
optimization
24 mentions
46 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance on high-end rigs and the effective use of DLSS for improved responsiveness, while others report significant issues such as frame drops, sluggish gameplay, and poor optimization overall. Graphics are generally well-received, but many users express frustration with performance inconsistencies, particularly in multiplayer settings. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely depending on the player's hardware and settings.
- “Great graphics, great optimization, loving it so far.”
- “Graphics look great and well optimized, no stutter when big battles happen.”
- “The game's performance is generally excellent, although I've noticed occasional frame drops during epic battles with numerous units - nothing that compromises the fun, but worth mentioning.”
- “Poorly optimized, fps drops, game is interrupted by the laziest tutorial ever. The ultimate edition doesn't contain all the DLC. You'd be better off playing Dawn of War.”
- “The game is poorly optimized for how little occurs and how slow it happens.”
- “Has the depth of a mobile game and the performance of that mobile game being played on a gen 1 smartphone.”
replayability
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed. While some players appreciate the skirmish and conquest modes for offering a degree of replayability, many criticize the campaign for its lack of depth and the repetitive nature of the AI, leading to a consensus that the game lacks significant long-term engagement. The absence of modding support further diminishes its replay value, although there are hopes for future improvements.
- “No, the game is not worth $60 but the game has infinite replayability because of skirmish alone and the gameplay is actually not that bad and very fluid with no stutters.”
- “I really like that you have both the story-driven campaign and the replayable conquest campaign that feels fresh every time.”
- “Great game so far, comes with a well-crafted campaign, classic multiplayer modes, and a replayable solo conquest.”
- “The campaign is meh at best; it is visually pleasing, but the storyline is shallow and there is zero replay value to it.”
- “This game has zero replay value as of now.”
- “However, if you want a game to change the way you think about the RTS genre, or give you a mind-blowing story, or provide you with a nigh-infinite amount of depth and replayability, this ain't it.”
stability
14 mentions
14 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting frequent crashes and bugs, while others have experienced a smooth, bug-free experience. A few users noted minor glitches and pathfinding issues, but overall, many appreciated the absence of serious bugs at launch, which is considered a significant advantage for a 2023 release.
- “The game runs great for me.”
- “My experience has been bug-free and challenging enough to enjoy.”
- “Buggy, constant crashes.”
- “High hopes dashed, with a boring buggy mess.”
- “It's still a little bit buggy, but it is the release date - pretty common for RTS games unfortunately.”
atmosphere
12 mentions
58 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its impressive visuals, evocative sound design, and immersive storytelling, effectively capturing the essence of the Age of Sigmar universe. Players appreciate the balance between visual design and the thematic elements of the mortal realms, although some feel that the gameplay detracts from fully engaging with the atmosphere. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the experience despite criticisms of gameplay mechanics.
- “The visuals are also impressive, capturing the atmosphere of Age of Sigmar beautifully.”
- “The game manages to strike a balance between its own visual design and the established atmosphere of the Mortal Realms amazingly, showcasing the setting from the wilds of Ghur through ghostly ruins to the heart of a newly established city of Sigmar.”
- “Sound design is fantastic, with excellent performances from the voice cast, well-realized atmospheric effects, and evocative music.”
- “It's a shame because the game has good visuals and atmosphere, but the gameplay is lacking with slow fights and a boring overall HUD layout.”
- “I don't like campaigns where you have 2 missions with one race, then 2 with another, and 1 with yet another... it's hard to get into the atmosphere.”
- “The overall atmosphere and storytelling of the game is fantastic.”
grinding
10 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with slow unit movement and a repetitive rock-paper-scissors combat system that detracts from the enjoyment of matches. The campaign missions are particularly criticized for their difficulty and relentless enemy swarms, leading to a slog that feels more annoying than engaging, especially for fans of the RTS genre.
- “It's a very tedious back-and-forth tug-of-war situation that makes matches feel like a slog.”
- “About six hours into the campaign and it somehow manages to only feel tedious and annoying instead of fun.”
- “The campaign missions are very hard and tedious with endless constant swarms of enemies that are hard to deal with continually.”
monetization
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing it as a cash grab, particularly regarding DLC focused on multiplayer and mini-game modes. However, others appreciate that the game offers a complete experience for the initial purchase price of $60, without the burden of excessive microtransactions.
- “Very pleasantly surprised that you get a complete game for $60 without having to spend another fortune on microtransactions to compete.”
- “Yet another in a long line of game IP cash grabs.”
- “The DLC for this game is just for multiplayer/mini game modes and feels like a cash grab for an otherwise mediocre game.”
- “This is an okay game, but the monetization practices are scummy.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding it genuinely funny, particularly praising the hilarious orkks and excellent voice acting. Even minor bugs encountered are often seen as amusing rather than detrimental to the experience.
- “It's actually quite funny.”
- “The orks are hilarious and the voice acting is great.”
- “While I hit a couple of bugs when it released this week, they were few and far between, usually being strange physics interactions that are really just more funny than game-breaking.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its impactful cut scenes that resonate with players, evoking genuine feelings during key moments. However, some users feel that despite its strong aesthetics, the overall narrative lacks depth, which may detract from the emotional experience.
- “No spoilers here... but I got emotional watching one of the well-done cut scenes with one of the main characters after completing a chapter.”