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The third part of a game franchise is often where things are starting to go downhill rapidly, especially if the franchise has been around for a long time (1999) and managed to establish something like a "cult following". The franchise left some big shoes to fill when they released Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic 11 years ago, and Age of Wonders 3 fills them admirably.

At its core the Age of Wonders series are turn-based strategy games with turn-based strategic battles set in a fantasy world full of fantastic creatures and magic. You pick between different races, create your leader, build an empire and set out to claim the land as your own. You can forge alliances with other leaders (both AI or other players, if you play multiplayer matches) or try to conquer the world on your own. Your leader and hireable heroes are different to your main army in that they can level up and gain a plethora of new abilities and equippable items. Magic is an always-present factor in Age of Wonders. You constantly research new sorceries and in battle you will most often find yourself flinging powerful spells with your heroes while the rest of your army engages in more traditional combat, which also has its own nuances with line-of-sight penalties and flanking mechanics, on top of other things.


Age of Wonders 3 stays true to the spirit of the previous titles while bringing new features to the table. The most game-changing feature is the introduction of classes. When you start a game you pick a leader, race, class and specialization. Each class gets many dedicated units that are restricted to this class only, for example Arch-druids can get hunters while Mages can summon wisps. The same is true for spells, a Warlord could get a spell that sends an enemy unit into a fit of rage, making it unable to tell friend from foe, while a Rogue might send a plague of brigands upon an enemy city.

Here are some of the features you can expect:

+ 6 playable races, all with their benefits and drawbacks (Draconian, Dwarves, High-Elves, Goblins, Humans, Orcs)
+ Many different spells and units to research, depending on your chosen race, class and specialization
+ Units can level up and gain increased stats, while heroes gain new abilities
+ Neutral cities and dwellings that offer quests and access to unique units and items for your heroes
+ 2 full campaigns serving as a tutorial
+ Random map generator with a plethora of changeable settings to tailor maps to your liking
+ 8 pre-built scenarios of varying sizes with their unique twists, for multiplayer as well as singleplayer
+ Multiplayer with up to 8 players
+ Ships with the same level editor the developers use

If you are into turn-based strategy games you owe it to yourself to at least take a closer look at Age of Wonders 3!