Ara: History Untold

No, Ara: History Untold does not try to reinvent the 4X strategy formula. The second game from Oxide Games after the RTS Ashes of the Singularity has a different focus in the genre. The new game is more about empire building and resource management. Yes, there are military battles, but they are only a small part of the game. As the rounds progress, players build a nation, lead their people through history, explore new lands, develop arts and culture, conduct diplomacy, and go head-to-head with rivals to prove who is the greatest ruler.

No, Ara: History Untold does not try to reinvent the 4X strategy formula. The second game from Oxide Games after the RTS Ashes of the Singularity has a different focus in the genre. The new game is more about empire building and resource management. Yes, there are military battles, but they are only a small part of the game. As the rounds progress, players build a nation, lead their people through history, explore new lands, develop arts and culture, conduct diplomacy, and go head-to-head with rivals to prove who is the greatest ruler.

In the process, players earn prestige points, a central and important score that determines victory or defeat, as the weakest nations are rigorously eliminated when the Great Ages change - idiosyncratic but reasonable, even if the other factions then descend like locusts on the vacated land. Prestige, by the way, is gained from many sources, and not just in combat. It is up to the player to decide how and in what way to earn these important points. There are more than enough ways. Be it through trade, high quality of life in cities, religion, culture, technology, production of goods or influence.

In general, the building part is quite extensive, as there are many resources to collect, mine, process, and even product chains to set up. This and the crafting system are something that no 4X strategy game has offered to this extent before. Players start by building their city in dynamic areas, adding improvements such as forges, cathedrals and libraries, and later public parks or industrial factories - and of course architectural triumphs reminiscent of the Wonders of the World. The fact that these upgrades must be placed on the map, taking up some sectors around the city, is nice. This requires strategic planning to determine what can be built where most effectively. In this context, the developers ask the following question: "Will you manufacture Amenities - like lavish feasts - to provide your cities and citizens with powerful benefits, or invest in the creation of Equipment - the weapons of war - to prepare your Armies to defend your nation or conquer your rivals? Whatever paths you choose you'll need to carefully optimize your resources and production to achieve the most efficient systems if you want to outpace your rivals to fortune and lasting glory."

And it is a bit unusual that there is relatively little to do in the first few turns, because it takes quite a long time to expand the city, and so you spend a lot of time on the map with your scout, finding new sources of resources, independent tribes and new places to found cities. You will spend more time on the trains when there are more cities, more units to move, more to manage and more events to take place. And then the typical "just one more round" feeling sets in.

Ara: History Untold's visuals are also impressive for this type of game: zoom in and players find lots of lovely detail and animation that brings the world to life. There are also no rectangular tiles or hex fields. In this respect, the game is way ahead of Millenia and Civilization VI, as well as Humankind. The game also sets itself apart from these rivals with True Simultaneous Turns, in which each nation's actions and decisions are resolved at the same time during each turn, adding to the excitement of the game. This concept also exists in the multiplayer mode, which can also be played asynchronously.

Yes, Ara: History Untold is a complex game that is aimed more at players with 4X experience, but it also comes with plenty of tutorials and help texts, so beginners should give it a try. However, the rather convoluted menu design and the not always stringent and convincing translation, especially in the German version, are a hindrance. There is room for improvement here.

Ara: History Untold will be released digitally for PC on PC Game Pass, Steam, and the Windows Store on 24 September 2024.

Conclusion

Ara: History Untold combines the strengths and ideas of many 4X games and brings them to life in a truly beautiful game world. In particular, the city-building and economic aspects surpass those of its competitors. This is likely to be the strongest opponent yet for Sid Meier's Civilization.

Features

• In-depth 4X strategy game with many options and focus on economy and development
• True simultaneous turns
• Impressive visuals and a surprisingly vibrant game world