After being originally announced back in 2017,Age of Empires 4was is finally launching later this month.The release date ofAge of Empires 4was announced at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase at E3, and Relic Entertainment has been revealing more information from the game at a steady pace.
AsAge of Empires 3originally came out in 2005, fans have had to wait for many years for the next mainline game in the series. There has been a conscious attempt at re-invigorating the brand, as more content was released throughout 2021 for the definitive editions of bothAge of Empires 2andAge of Empires 3. A lot ofgameplay footage fromAge of Empires 4is also available on its official YouTube channel, including full matches, civilization overview trailers, and special features. One such overview video for the French civilization has just been released.
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The trailer begins by stating that the French civilization inAge of Empires 4have access to unique cavalry units and special economical bonuses. As an example, units from Archery Ranges and Stables will be cheaper than other civilizations when these buildings are constructed within the influence range of a French keep. The video mostly goes over some of unique abilities possessed by French units, such as the charge attack as well as healing capabilities of the Royal Knight. It states that the French are good at putting pressure early in the match, and it is a perfect fit for fans with an aggressive playstyle.
The trailer seems to indicate that the French civilization relies way too much on its cavalry, and gives players suggestions on how to mitigate some of its weaknesses. Relic Entertainment has also given fans various opportunities to playtestAge of Empires 4, including a technical stress test that took place last month. It does look like the developer has been keeping busy, withCompany of Heroes 3scheduled to release sometime in 2022.
Not many games are being released inthe classic Real-Time Strategy genrethese days, especially from big publishers, so expectations fromAge of Empires 4are sky-high. While it may not be able to fully revive the genre on its own,AOE4will be a good indicator of the general interest in classic RTS games.
In addition, fans interested in increasing their Gamerscore may want to take a look atthe achievement list forAge of Empires 4. There are 89 achievements in total, including one for each of the four campaigns, that cover a wide range of tasks and objectives.
