Big and small is how I would describe Ara History Untold. It’s got the biggest of grand strategy ambitions combined with incredible granular detail, so you’ve got macro and micro all going on at once. During Gamescom 2024 the developer shared some more details about the game, showing off just how ambitious and large it really is.
One thing that shows how much there is in Ara History Untold is the sheer number of leaders players can choose when starting a game. With 28 confirmed up until now, in an Xbox livestream as part of Gamescom developer Oxide Games confirms that there will be “over 30” leaders to pick from at the game’s launch. To put that in context, Civilization 6 launched with 19 – though obviously with the passing of time and a lot of DLC, that’s now at a whopping 78.
What makes this exciting is that in Ara History Untold leaders aren’t just set dressing for your civilization. Instead, they have skills and abilities that will define how you play through the three eras found in the 4X game.
One example shown on stream is Nefertiti, ruler of the Egyptians. Due to her alignment with the Nile, fertile crop-growing lands, and religion, she gains bonuses that enhance each of these aspects. Farms in her control generate more food, there are buffs for being near rivers, and if she founds a religion, it spreads quicker than those created by other leaders.
This sense of grand ambition also applies to the game’s map, and true strategy aficionados will be incredibly happy with the amount of options available when generating levels. Not only can you determine standard things like sea level, temperature, map style, and map size but there are some truly fascinating options to try out hidden in there. Axial tilt and humidity are two that instantly jumped out at me, with you able to change how the equator works and where it is on your map, along with how wet and dry the world is.
In terms of size, Oxide Games promises that at maximum, there’ll be space for a whopping 36 nations on your game map. How chaotic that will be is yet to be seen, but with each nation able to take their turns simultaneously it looks like it might get very messy, very fast. Though at least you won’t be waiting for 35 other nations to take their turns.
Ara History Untold will launch on Tuesday September 24. You can already pre-purchase it on Steam if your tastes run that way, or you can simply add it to your wishlist in advance of the game’s launch.
If you can’t wait until then, our guides to the best strategy games and the best turn-based strategy games will keep your brain ticking over for months to come.
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