Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend

Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend is an expansion pack to the long running series. This adventure opens in the Middle East, where players can fight in the Muslim resistance against the European crusaders, or tackle two completely new civilizations.

What’s In The New Release

Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend may be the last DLC for Age of Empires IV. The new release includes one new campaign, two new biomes, two new civilizations, four variant civilizations and some miscellaneous in-game content.

The new civilizations are Japanese and Byzantine civilizations. These new civilizations have garnered high praise from players due to how original their gameplay is. Although the additional civilizations are called variants, they look and feel like brand new civilizations as well.

Disappointing Variant Names

The new variant civilizations are meant to be spin-offs of other countries such as China but the names they have fall flat. In the Past, the Age of Empires franchise has chosen historically accurate names. “Empire of Jade” really isn’t based on anything historically accurate.

Other names are based off of people instead of actual factions. This is a small detail, but is a little disappointing for a game known to provide historical details.

New Campaign is Very Challenging

Although many players like the new release, the biggest complaint above all is how challenging the campaign is. Even seasoned players find themselves losing in the campaign over and over again. The only way to win the campaign is to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

New players may find this extremely frustrating. Even the “easy” campaign mode is extremely challenging. If you’re not a fan of difficult challenges, this may not be the best expansion to try. The campaign features 10 missions, and all of them are extremely difficult to pull off.

If you have played Age of Empires IV before, you know their campaigns have a wide range of difficulty. This new expansion is much more challenging than anything Age of Empires IV or other DLC has offered up before.

New Greek Fire Added

An exciting new unit worth noting in this expansion is the Byzantine unit that looks like a horseless wagon. This wagon is actually a battering ram and looks like it will add some exciting new gameplay options to the mix.

Fair Price Point

Although price is not generally our first consideration when deciding on a game or not, it’s worth noting how fair the pricing is for Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend. The new DLC has a wealth of content, and it’s all available for just $15.

With most expansions costing double or more, this is a great price for the game. Players who use X-Box game pass will not receive the content for free but will get a 10% discount. If someone decides not to purchase the DLC they will not have access to the game but will be able to play against the other civilizations in multiplayer.

Pros:

• Great deal on price
• Hours of new gameplay options

Cons:

• Too challenging for new players