Age of Empiresis back in 2019 in a big way. Not only didAge of Empires 2: Definitive Editionlaunch on PC today, but Xbox revealed the debut gameplay forAge of Empires 4during the opening ceremony of X019.Age of Empires 4was originally announced in August earlier this year, but fans at the time were given only a title and a logo. Today Xbox showed off exactly whatAge of Empiresin 2019 would look like, and to say improvements have been made would be a gross understatement.
The last time fans got to play a newAge of Empirestitle was in 2005, almost 15 years ago.Age of Empires 4shows exactly what a modern, AAAAge of Empirestitle should look like. The gameplay reveal trailer forAge of Empires 4offers just a glimpse at the title, showcasing a minute-long siege of what appears to be a Medieval keep and town. The town is filled with farms and structures impressively rendered for 4K resolution, only for it to begin being torn down by an advancing army and its trebuchets.
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As exciting as having newAge of Empires 4gameplay to consider, the trailer is rather scant. It offers just the briefest look at one ofAge of Empire’s civilizations, followed by another very brief look at an attacking civilization. For dedicated fans who will comb through the footage picking out individual units and structures, it’s a delight. For potential new fans, it may not be enough to draw them in. Of course,Relicwill have plenty of time between now and launch to showcase the game.
One aspect ofAge of Empires 4that’s bound to draw attention, however, is the game’sverticality. The map has rolling hills and cliffsides. The castle keep is high above the town itself, as well as its farms. It will be interesting to see how this new aspect of the game will affect gameplay.
Age of Empiresfans have waited almost 15 years for a new sequel in one of gaming’s best RTS franchises, but it appears they’ll have to wait a little bit longer. While gameplay was debutedduring X019, no release date or release window forAge of Empires 4was hinted at in the slightest. It appears that the developers at Relic still need quite a bit more time to finish their work. As such, a 2019 or 2020 release forAge of Empires 4certainly seems out of the question. Expect more news on that front over the next year.
