Age Of Wonders: Planetfall

A weird sci-fi toolbox with strong tactical battles

- Fraser Brown

Picking a faction in a 4X game usually requires a lot of consideration. But this time I didn’t even have to think about it. My options were restricted to Space Dwarves, Space Bugs, Space Americans, or a group of stoic warrior women with an environmentalist streak who ride laser-packing dinosaurs. Was there really any choice?

The Amazons are clearly the best, but I’m probably not giving the rest a fair shake. Every faction has unique units, techs, and a playstyle that makes them all tempting. The insectoid Kir’Ko, for instance, have a penchant for psychic trickery, taking over minds during the turn-based tactical battles. But—laser dinosaurs!

My army of nature-loving warriors was led by Sappho Tori, a premade character that I tweaked only a little bit, providing her a dinosaur mount straight away. Named characters like Sappho are special heroic units that lead armies, annex territory and influence battles with powerful abilities. When they level up, new skills can be unlocked, letting you change them into a legendary sniper or giving them the ability to drive a huge tank.

Before I could send out this mighty army of Amazons and stampeding dinosaurs, I still had one more faction-defining decision to make: What secret technology was I going to pick? These special projects dole out flashy abilities that can be used in combat and on the map, as well as giving you a new path to victory by letting you construct a doomsday weapon. I went with the biological nightmare that is the xenoplague, which, I would quickly discover, is really gross.