Expanding through the hexagon-tiled planets allow you to amass an army, indulge in diplomacy, or set off some real doomsday weaponry. Jeffrey Alleman is an aspiring games journalist currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Video Game Studies.For those not familiar, the Age of Wonders series has shed its fantasy skin to get crazy sci-fi in this new iteration, and blends the 4X turn-based strategy genre (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) with tense and meaty battles reminiscent of X-COM. If the game is anything like the hands-on demo I experienced, this game will be a great addition to any strategic player’s stable of games. This can be beneficial for those impulsive players who like to move immediately, securing a facility and forcing another player who may have been looking to occupy that space to come take it from their entrenched position.Īge of Wonders: Planetfall is a fantastic mix of Civilization world building, and strategic XCOM combat set to release August 6th of this year. One of the draws to Planetfall’s multiplayer is, although it is a turn-based game, every player in a multiplayer match can move immediately as each round begins. Heading back up to the world map, players can play the story mode in single player to discover the many mysteries Planetfall has in store or engage with other players in intense multiplayer matches.

The scout unit allowed me to choose the best route for my soldiers to maximize flanking, which provides a boost to hit chance (familiar to XCOM players), and I was able to destroy all enemy units while only losing a few soldiers myself. robots, possibly from a civilization that used to inhabit the planet. The enemies in this encounter seemed to be A.I. Playing as the Vanguard, a human military-like faction, I was able to send out a scout vehicle to spot enemies on the battlefield. For strategic players, this is an incredible system. Each side takes a turn to move their forces from cover to cover, attack, or even set up in overwatch positions to get an attack of opportunity should an enemy move into their line of fire. Engaging in combat in Planetfall takes the player down to the battlefield that is reminiscent of the XCOM series. Just like other games of the genre, players can choose whether to engage in combat when prompted, or simply simulate the engagement if they think that their forces are enough to overwhelm the enemy.

What made Planetfall stand out to me was the turn-based combat system.

Age of wonders planetfall demo version