I guess if you are going to leak something, go big and do it with style. Clocking in at 94 minutes, the gameplay video shows off a Portuguese localized version of Age of Empires 4, focusing entirely on the Chinese Dynasty faction. The video depicts an entire match from start to victory, giving us a pretty exhaustive overview of the Chinese Dynasty faction as it grows and upgrades throughout the various ages during game progression. Not only do we get a complete look at how building upgrades progress, but also of the various units and upgrade researching that this faction can throw at their enemies. As the player proceeds through the game, some of the diplomatic and economic features Relic Entertainment has baked into the game surface - the player makes peace with the Yellow team, and trade routes appear on the map as the various teams come into contact with another and much of the Fog of War is lifted. Classic Age of Empires gameplay is on display here - starting small, sending out villagers to gather those key initial resources, building additional bases while working on essential upgrades in your main home, sending out scouts and combat units to harass the enemy while discovering monuments - or “Holy Places” as they’re called here. It’s all reminiscent of the Age of Empires gameplay style we know and love, but with some welcome upgrades and dressed up in modern visuals. The leaker behind this gameplay video clearly isn’t against doing a bit of marketing for Age of Empires 4 - the major army they field near the end of the match does well to showcase the fancy new visuals, sound effects and detailed animations that seek to set this entry apart from the much beloved older classics. Age of Empires 4 definitely spent plenty of time prettying itself up, and based on this video the gameplay is there to back that up - but will it really eclipse the fan-favorite older entries? We’ll find out when October rolls around.
