Age of Wonders - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

Welcome to Age of Wonders, the authentic turn based fantasy strategy classic that started the hit series. Age of Wonders’ intimate atmosphere with painterly graphics still shines today. The game’s fully patched up, start building your fantasy empire today!

The Age of Wonders, once a time of magic and peace. An age swept into the ravaging gale of chaos by the arrival of a single, uninvited race: the Humans. The fragile balance that existed between the ancient races, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and others, has changed into a struggle for power and survival in the wake of the turmoil the Humans have brought to the land. Prepare for a strategy adventure where you will uncover wondrous ancient artifacts, awesome magical power, and the secrets of a shattered empire. Ally with the forces of light or darkness to determine the fate of the world in the Age of Wonders! 

Previous Playtime

0 hours

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

It was on sale for 75% off, in a bundle with its two sequels, and I don't know. I guess I had this bizarre feeling that maybe I didn't have enough games? This was a post-blog purchase, and it sort of vanishes into my vague sale memories. The likely answer was a sublimated desire for more 4X games. If I recall, this was in the middle of my long Fallout streak.

Expectations and Prior Experience

I love the genre, so if it's even halfway competent, I should enjoy it immensely. It's going to be a little weird, playing a strategy game from 1999, but even that's not any kind of dealbreaker. Back in the early 2000s, I was positively obsessed with a 1999 strategy game. Of course, Age of Wonders is going to have to really blow me away to compete with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, but I'll do my best not to compare them too much. I'm sure Age of Wonders is wonderful on its own terms (you can't always tell, of course, but I always feel good about a game that managed to get two sequels).

The one, slightly unusual wrinkle to my playing this game is that I have an appointment to start Path of Exile on Saturday morning. This is not an appointment I intend to miss.  The plan is to rush through it in the next two and a half days, but if I can't make it, you'll see a Decadent Gamer first - two games played concurrently, one in the morning and one at night (at least until I reach 20 hours with one or the other).