Age of Wonders 4 delivers customization, legacy to its excellent 4X play

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It doesn’t look good for Empress Saffron Stareater.

Despite prospering early, building out three cities and an expansive empire, the Feline ruler made an enemy early in this run-through of Age of Wonders 4 and allowed a Human queen to survive an attack.

Now the Human queen and her Tigran ally had Saffron’s capital surrounded.

Perhaps it’s worth noting that Saffron is loosely modeled – both in physical traits and personality – after the young cat that often sleeps in my office and who occasionally sweeps by the monitor, her tail rubbing against the screen as if inspecting how her namesake is doing

The short answer: Not well. I probably tried too hard to recreate in-game – with the help of Age of Wonders’ phenomenal customization options –  her real-life aloofness or penchent for cuddling up to me for a few minutes only to suddenly screech and scratch me with her nails.

People, it turns out, will accept this from real cats, but fictional leaders aren’t OK with it from their in-game counterparts. Ultimately, no amount of big-eyed purring or soft-pawed posing could save Saffron from the Age of Wonders 4 encroaching hordes.

To read the rest of this story, which first ran on May 12, 2023, visit the Epic Games Store.