Just over 16 years since the release of Age of Empires III, the Age of Empires IV has finally arrived, with the general consensus being that it was well worth the wait. In the years between, of course, Ensemble Studios has continued to update and bring out new editions of the previous titles. Still, few would deny that a fourth installment to the wildly popular real-time strategy series was due.

Now in the hands of Relic Entertainment, and co-developed by World’s Edge, AoE IV once again immerses players in detailed historical campaigns, with eight unique civilizations to wrangle and even documentary-style videos to further enforce the theme.

It’s fair to say that AoE is back and bigger than ever, and while we have some tips to help get your army up to speed, here, we’re exploring its significance in the popular theme.


The history of Age of Empire’s historical settings


In 1997, Age of Empires sought to stake a claim in the ever-expanding, real-time strategy scene in PC gaming, offering a trip through the ages as a chosen ancient civilization. You begin as hunter-gatherers in the Mesolithic period, around 10,000 BP, growing them into an early civilization. From there, you develop into the Neolithic period, through the Bronze Age, and to the Iron Age of around 600 BCE.

In Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, you take your empire through the Middle Ages. Starting in the Dark Ages, around 500 to 1000 AD, you make your way through the Feudal Age, the High Middle Ages, and what is essentially the early Renaissance (which came after the Middle Ages, around the 14th century). In the game, this journey takes place over 1000 years.

Following the steps laid down by its predecessors, 2005’s Age of Empires III progressed further in time, taking place between the late 1400s and towards the end of the 1800s. You get the choice of 14 civilizations during the period of European colonization, initially of the Americas, but also in Asia via the second DLC: The Asian Dynasties.

Age of Empires IV is incredibly expansive in terms of its historical coverage, featuring four campaigns spanning England to the Far East, the 11th century to the 15th century. The earliest focuses on the Norman Conquest, with the 1066 invasion by William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings being a major point of focus. Next comes the Mongol Empire, spanning the 13th and 14th centuries, followed by the Rise of Moscow and the Hundred Years’ War, which was waged for 116 years between England and France.


A fine addition to the ever-popular theme


The historical and mythological theme continues to be a tremendously popular one across the world of gaming. Along with Age of Empires as an RTS game in the theme, there’s also the blockbuster Total War series, as well as Sid Meier’s Civilization games, which span 17 eras and six historically-based games apiece, respectively. Alongside those, you’ve got the Assassin’s Creed, Hegemony, Dynasty Warriors, and Kingdom Come games.

As well as all of these wildly successful video game series, there’s also a long-standing obsession with the themes of mythos and history in online casino gaming. You’ll find the likes of Age of the Gods, Pyramid Valley, and Gladiator online, which explore the themes of Ancient Greek mythology, the ancient Egyptians, and the infamous Roman sport of gladiatorial games.

Age of Empires hasn’t always been the biggest name on the scene upon release, but over the years, the first three games have amassed a large and devout following, along with a bustling community of players. This has allowed its popular themes to thrive and likely convinced Microsoft to return to the series despite the increased competition around now. Luckily, Age of Empires IV was a smash-hit straight out of the gate.


Varying the accessibility of historical gaming

As you may note from the games listed above, each of them is either outright pay to play or pay as you play, which is the standard way of going about PC gaming in both forms explored. Players are accustomed to this way of getting their historical fix, but some franchises and platforms are exploring ways of making the sought-after games more accessible.

In casino gaming, this boils down to platforms presenting casino offers to new players. To enable would-be players to try out historical and mythological slots for free, they offer bonuses after the first deposit, free spins, extra spins, cashback, no deposit, and no wagering bonuses. All of these allow for players to try the most eye-catching games without betting their money.

Age of Empires also decided to go down the more accessible route, with Age of Empire Online being a complementary piece to the mainline, triple-A releases. The free-to-play, PvP title offered a great AoE experience, allowing for players who enjoyed it to transition into the fully-fledged versions of the series. On July 1st, 2014, the servers were officially closed, but during its run, some 2 million arena matches took place.

Age of Empires remains one of the biggest names in historical gaming, with AoE IV only further cementing it among the very best of the RTS genre.