Age of Wonders III

Age of Wonders III, like most 4X games, isn't really the kind you can complete entirely, since you're supposed to just keep starting over until you don't feel like playing anymore. Of course, if you like the game, who knows how long into it that will happen. I would never get around to telling you my thoughts on it at that rate. So instead, I played a little bit of the campaign, won a couple scenarios, and am now ready to impart my gained knowledge.

Hoping you'd know what a 4X game is, I'd jump straight to comparing Age of Wonders with some others of the genre.

• Inevitably, I can not leave out Civilization V, it being the most well-known of them. And as usual, the main difference I would point out is that Age of Wonders focuses a lot more heavily on combat. Not any more heavily than most strategy games of the turn-based nature, mind you, but rather it's Civ that's the odd one out.
• The other large difference, and this time from all others that I know, is that Age of Wonders plays a lot quicker. There's approximately just as much action going on in a single turn, but 40-turn games are entirely feasible, while even the longest ones probably wouldn't pass 200 turns. That is of course assuming all the players are not prolongening it on purpose. I find this a really nice aspect of the game, as it actually allows for games to be completed in a single sitting, or just a few, instead of dragging on for weeks or months. Not that I don't like long games, it's just that it's great to have a shorter option available.
• As a moderate difference, Age of Wonders has fairly complicated units and battle interactions. The battles are played out on a hex grid, and instead of the usual attack, defense, and whether the unit is ranged, each unit instead has it's own set of abilities, and a "character sheet" consisting of potentially dozens of different traits that further shape it.
• There is a rather extensive magic system, which allows for major influence over the world through its use. Terraforming, summons, offensive and defensive spells, and more.
• As for downsides, I find town customization options are heavily limited and boring. There's very few buildings, and their effects are very simplistic.
• Additionally, there is no tech tree in the game, which I believe is a contributor to the fast pacing. Town upgrades and spells dictate how powerful your units can be, and both can get to end-game levels fairly quickly, while skipping lots of lower level stuff.
• And finally, though this would need more playtime from me to confirm, I have a feeling like the balance is slightly off.

Overall, a simpler and faster 4X TBS game than most, but it definitely has a spot on my list for still being pretty good, as well as filling a sort of gap in the genre. Would recommend.