When it comes to 4X games, Old World is one you’ll spend a lot of time learning and playing. This game is set in the ancient era and has a lot of interconnected mechanics. There are also RPG elements like managing marriages, alliances, and heirs. There’s also the Heroes of the Aegean DLC, which is free. As Alexander the Great, you get to play pivotal moments in history, like the Battle of Thermopylae.
The game, designed by Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson, has similar hex-based tiles, city building, army movement, but that’s about it. Since you can only make limited orders each turn, you have to choose what you do instead of micromanaging everything on the map. As your empire grows, you get more. You’ll also need to manage money, wood, stone, ore, food, and more. The more you play, the more important it is to manage what you build or train.
Like Crusader Kings, you play as a ruler and manage alliances, influence members, get married, and have heirs. Without someone to succeed your throne, you’ll lose. You can win a few different ways. If you want to conquer everyone, you can fulfill 10 ambitions, which are like goals. Clearing all ambitions is a win, too. When the game ends, you can get the required number of victory points, or the highest amount. That means less of the “one more turn” playstyle of the Civ games and realizing it’s morning and you didn’t sleep. That’s good.
There are six scenarios in the Heroes of the Aegean expansion. It can be easy or hard, depending on your skill level. However, each scenario offers a different playstyle. My favorite scenario was the second, where Leonidas, the Spartan King, held off hordes of Persian invaders like in 300. There’s a naval battle, then a land battle. It’s super fun, but I recommend turning off Following AI moves – otherwise it just becomes an excruciatingly long wait as the AI cycles between tons of units.
In the Old World and the Heroes of the Aegean DLC, there’s plenty of depth and fun, and a proper ending without making the game drag on. The Epic Games Store exclusive Old World is now on Steam and GOG.com. It runs great on my PC and MacBook Pro. You’ll have to use Rosetta until the M1 fix comes out for Mac users.