Developer: Triumph Studios
Publisher: Triumph Studios
Platform: PC
Age of Wonders 3: Golden Realms DLC – Review
Age of Wonders 3 proved to be a fine turn-based strategy game, packed with content. If you’re in search of even more things to do, then this expansion might be worth considering. Let’s take a look at what is included in Golden Realms.
First of all, there’s a new playable race: the Halflings. They bring some new units to the table like Halfling Jesters and Halfling Adventurers with each their own attacks and abilities. The Jesters can shoot fireworks at opponents (with the possibility of dazzling nearby foes) while Adventurers have a slingshot at their disposal. With a broad range of abilities, these soldiers are quite fun to use in battle mode and for those who might occasionally press the auto combat button, this might be an incentive to get back onto the battlefield yourself. Aside from Halfling units, the expansion brings a whole lot of other creatures which can be used in your favor as well. How does a Feathered Serpent sound to you?
Apart from the new race, there’s also a whole new campaign to play. As the Halfling Ernest Thistlewood you’ll take it up against two other Halfling families in a contest which must decide which head of a family will become leader of all Halflings. Let the games begin.
The story is interesting and it has some nice plot twists to keep things exciting. As you may have guessed, such a contest is the perfect opportunity to create alliances and experience betrayal by the other families. Soon enough, the plot gets bigger than just a silly competition between some ambitious leaders.
Another new feature in this expansion is Luck. If your units are happy and have a high morale, they have a slim chance to completely dodge an incoming attack in battle mode. Keeping an eye on morale has never been more important as Luck can be quite the lifesaver. It brings another dimension to battles as troops are able to survive attacks which otherwise would’ve meant certain death.
The last addition I certainly want to talk about are the so-called Empire Quests. These quests are not like the regular ones where you have to capture a certain city or destroy that one evil mastermind. Empire Quests give a certain goal to EVERY single player in the game and the trick is to succeed in fulfilling that goal before the others as this will earn you a reward. As we all like some competition (duh, why would you be playing games like this otherwise) this is another successful implementation in the game and it gives you even more things to do while conquering the whole map.
Aside all the things I previously mentioned, there’s still a whole lot to be seen in Golden Realms. To give you some examples: new map locations, a bunch of new hero items, the introduction of the Wild Magic specialization, two new scenarios (both playable in single player and multiplayer) and Seals of Power (which must be captured by players in order to win in a King of the Hill-like game). Content, content everywhere!
Conclusion
Without a doubt, Golden Realms proves to be the example of how expansions should be. A new race, new campaign, all kinds of new mechanics, new units and so on. If you were getting a bit bored with the main game, Golden Realms provides players with enough new content to keep them going for a while longer and certainly at the small price asked for it.
Age of Wonders 3: Golden Realms DLC - Review,
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[…] you can check out this post, and a previous review of the base game and DLC can be found here and here. You can also check out the gameplay video […]