“Search, expand, exploit, destroy” – global strategy games like “Civilization” have been pampering their loyal fan community with this 4X breakthrough concept for almost three decades. With “ARA: History Untold”, former developers of “Civ” company Firaxis have now ventured into this genre. No wonder many things are similar to the original.
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In “ARA” players take on the role of a historical figure who leads his people from antiquity to the future with observation and assertiveness. The 41 leaders have different abilities: Otto von Bismarck brings bonuses to production and the military and Nefertiti supports research and trade. The growing empire faces competition from other computer-controlled countries. Whoever gets the most “prestige” points for trade, development or military superiority wins the game.
one more round!
The gameplay is similar to the great model “Civilization”. While the scouts explore the territory on the playing fields, the settlers found the first cities. We move forward in each round with a click of the mouse. The first technologies are being researched and a farm supplies food to the population. The city is divided into different areas, each of which has its own advantages. Good: Players are warned if they want to farm on unsuitable ground. This makes it easier for newcomers to get started.
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With each era, the possibilities expand and players build new city districts. They invent the wheel, send ships on their journeys or train their armed forces. Other nations offer diplomatic relations or trade. From time to time we encounter famous people like Pythagoras, whom players can hire as advisors both at home and abroad. Each progress brings prestige points for victories. Bonus points are awarded if players accomplish special objectives like building the Colossus of Rhodes.
Proven Gameplay
Oxide has thought through everything in a playful way. Many technologies, diplomacy and trade seem well thought out and inspiring. You can even siege cities and capture territories if you want. Small details add variety. This allows players to hire specialists to supply “amenities” like jewelry or clothing to cities to later increase production or make the population happy. Players can equip farms or sawmills with plows or tools through sophisticated commodity chains. All this makes sense, but it makes the game very fragmented.
During our play-through sessions, we quickly realized that the presentation was not the game’s strength. Especially when the empire has grown to a few cities and we have displayed all the information, players will have to look very closely to keep track. The constant zoom is a nice feature, but useless in terms of gameplay. The overall presentation is stark and factual.
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Anyone who gets lost in the menus and the myriad of information will soon find themselves on a lost path. The computer opponents are not panicking, but rather aggressively pushing their expansion. This made us sweat a lot, as some of the game’s decisions are not obvious at first glance. Why can’t we build here? Why is our urban expansion stopping? Despite the detailed tutorial, some questions remain unanswered and you will have to find the answers yourself.
Interim findings
With “ARA: History Untold”, Oxide Games offers a playfully sophisticated but cool 4X global strategy for all those fans for whom the genre’s top dog “Civilization” is too easy. The development studio does not experiment and relies on a one-of-a-kind role-playing that leaves hardly any playful wish unfulfilled. However, this attention to detail complicates the gameplay, which will cause frustration for newcomers even on the “Normal” difficulty level. “ARA” is a game for professionals by professionals.
“ARA: History Untold” will be released for Windows on September 24. It is included in the PC Game Pass. It costs about €60. From 12 USK.
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