Platform(s): PC (via Steam and Xbox Game Pass)
Genre: 4X, Strategy

4X strategy games are one of the most popular sub-genres of strategy games. However, despite being a fan of RTS strategy games like Creative Assembly’s Total War, I have never been able to get into the world of 4X strategy games in the same way, including Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise. With Ara History Untold, it’s perhaps the first time that a 4X strategy game has managed to fully hold my attention and it’s the 4X strategy game that might finally pull me in.

Sandbox History

Ara History Untold is a new 4X strategy game developed by Oxide Games, the creators behind Ashes Of The Singularity. Oxide Games was founded by the lead development team of Civilization V, so rest assured that they’re experts in this genre. While Civilization fans, and fans of the 4X strategy genre, will find many familiar elements in Ara History Untold, many features distinguish it and make it friendlier to newcomers to the 4X strategy genre.

Unlike Civilization, there are no set paths to ultimate victory Ara History Untold, so it encourages players to experiment with their play style. It’s simple; almost everything you do or accomplish in the game, be it military, scientific, economic or cultural achievements, will count towards Prestige points. Whoever has the highest Prestige points at the end of the game will win. This makes Ara History Untold much more flexible compared to other 4X strategy games. In addition, instead of the hex system in Civilization, a grid system or any similar rigid systems, Ara History Untold is closer to something like Total War, featuring regions that are based on geographical maps that look and feel more natural.

One of the best quality-of-life features in Ara History Untold is that it employs a simultaneous turn mechanic, which means that everyone in the game is acting at the same time. This drastically reduces turn times to several seconds. Everyone who is used to strategy games will be familiar with the ‘one more turn’ syndrome, so this is very welcome, and long loading times are no longer an annoying concern.

To me, the biggest triumph of Ara History Untold is its tutorial system. I’ve always been confused playing other 4X strategy games such as Civilization; so much so that they would give me headaches. Fortunately, the step-by-step tutorial system in Ara History Untold is good enough that I could gradually learn the game as I played through it and I eventually discovered that the game’s learning curve isn’t that steep. I appreciate that the tutorial system helps me learn the game’s mechanics naturally by explaining them as I am using them, which makes for a learning experience that feels more satisfying and fulfilling. This is much more preferable compared to games where they have a list of texts as a tutorial; I’m here to play a game, not read a manual.

The best part of ARA History Untold is perhaps its mid-game around the end of Act 1 and the start of Act 2, where you’ve progressed enough to get to a state where you’re developing nicely. This is when I truly got into the groove of the game, and this is the point of the game where, after hours of slumping in the global nation ranking, I finally managed to thrust myself to the top 3. All that in my first playthrough, which is quite impressive for a complicated 4X game like this, which is a testament to how easy it (well, compared to other franchises with steeper learning curves like Civilization) is to learn how to play the game. That’s always been the biggest issue with these games for newcomers, and ARA History Untold is one of the few that I feel is more welcoming for gamers not familiar with 4X strategy games.

It took me more than 12 hours to finish my first playthrough (and I chose The Roman Empire and Julius Caesar as my leader) but the endgame is easily the weakest part of this 4X title. The enemy AI feels like they can’t keep up during the endgame, and they get left behind at the beginning of Act 3. The endgame feels like a chore, especially once you have several bustling cities and it becomes more of a checklist. Each turn comes with increasingly diminishing returns as you’re just trying to sustain your cities instead of properly developing them. When I won the game, the faction in second place was a few eras behind me. The developers need to spice up the endgame a bit more. I mean, the ending is extremely anti-climactic, there’s not even a special cinematic cutscene or anything, which I’m used to from my time in other strategy franchises such as Total War.

Another aspect of Ara History Untold that I didn’t enjoy was the military and diplomacy. I can forgive the military part because Ara History Untold is not an RTS, so I shouldn’t really expect anything too complex in that area, but it still could have been better.

As for diplomacy, the game doesn’t offer many options when negotiating with other factions. I’m used to the more complex and comprehensive diplomacy of Total War games so there isn’t much I could do with the diplomacy in this game.

Grand Strategy

Ultimately, as a gamer who has never been able to delve into 4X strategy games, Ara History Untold might be the one game that finally gets me into the genre. It’s a good game for newcomers to the 4X strategy genre and Oxide Games is definitely a developer to look out for, since this is only their first title.

PROS

• No set path for ultimate victory, so your playstyle can be varied and flexible with countless possibilities.
• Quality-of-life features such as a simultaneous turn mechanic which reduce turn loading times to mere seconds.
• Great and easy-to-understand tutorial system which lessens the issue of steep learning curves usually found in 4X strategy games.

CONS

• A boring endgame that becomes a bland slog with enemy AI that can’t keep up
• A simplistic and rudimentary diplomacy/military system

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

Review copy provided by Xbox. Ara History Untold launches for PC via Steam and Xbox Game Pass on 24 September 2024.