Dominions 4 takes a unique approach to the 4x strategy genre. It involves bringing forth your Pretender, which is much similar to a god or demigod. You also need to have an enormous army to accompany your false prophet to help spread his word.
As you conquer the neighboring provinces and continue to build your army, word will spread throughout the land about your Pretender. By building shrines and other artifacts, you will attract additional followers. The more you accomplish in the name of your Pretender, the more people will begin to take notice and follow him.
As you gain influence, little candles will be placed inside the provinces throughout the world map. These candles indicate the influence you have on the people. The more influence you gain, the stronger your Pretender will be when his time comes to rise. Keep in mind that not every game will play out the same way — it all depends on how you designed your Pretender. When designing your god character, there is an option to have him stay dormant for 10 to 12 turns, which equates to an entire year in the game world.
Choosing to delay the arrival of your ‘prophet’ can be a blessing or a curse. Leaving your Pretender dormant will give you additional points to spend on developing your god, but allowing him to come into play sooner will result in less skill points devoted to development. This really comes down to personal choice and play style; these options are up to the player.
Dominions 4 is a bit complicated at first, but it becomes much easier the longer you play. Commanding your army, engaging in combat and even moving around the world map is self-explanatory. Learning to navigate through the menu systems and figuring out all the basic hotkeys takes the most time to learn. Dominions 4 comes with a lengthy tutorial that helps the player experience what the game has to offer. The tutorial is a must since it helps you understand how to play the game. The only drawback to the tutorial is how it tells you to reference the user manual. The lack of narration and interaction during the tutorial was a bit shocking, but once you refer to the user manual, things become easier.
Dominions 4 offers endless possibilities due to the random generated map system. There are twenty-five preset maps to choose from and three different randomizing options. Plus, the customization options do not just pertain to the map settings. There are over a dozen options available when choosing a Pretender. And even if you select a predetermined Pretender, you can still customize him. A lot of thought has gone into Dominions 4; the level of customization is absolutely mind-blowing.
Instead of reading bland battle logs that depict the course of battle, the game actually allows you to watch the battle as it happens. The battleground is comprised of a massive 3D battlefield where you have complete control over the free roaming camera. The player can rotate, zoom in or zoom out, and even move around the play field as they see fit. This feature allows you to get up close and personal during combat. Rotating the camera is the most exciting part of the battle sequence. Since your units’ actions are decided before combat even begins, this is the only part you can actually control during the combat phase. The player must issue combat commands for every unit before they end a turn. Once a turn ends, the combat phase will begin.
Dominions 4 isn’t much different than other 4x strategy games; what it brings to the table is the ability to watch your units battle during the combat phase. But if you still prefer the old method, a comprehensive battle log is displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, outlining the outcome of the battle.
As I mentioned earlier, the gameplay possibilities are almost endless. I have already logged 40+ hours of gameplay during the course of this review, and I still haven’t scratched the surface of all the content Dominions 4 has to offer. It is literally impossible to acquire all the classes, spells and additional skills in a single play through. Depending on how you design your Pretender, you may not even have access to some skills. It all depends on the type of skills you focus on and what path you take when designing your Pretender in the beginning.
While colorful, the graphics – including the backgrounds and the units themselves – don’t contain a high level of detail. Being a strategy game, it’s really about the experience and not the graphics. The music has to be the best ever heard in a strategy game by far; it’s elegant and truly remarkable. The music alone could be released as a standalone OST and sold separately.
Dominions 4 is a brilliant strategy game that should be at the top of every hardcore strategy gamer’s wish list. Besides, where else can you participate in the coming of a ‘God’ who possesses unimaginable power and influence?
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
PC System Requirements
• Minimum:
◦ OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
◦ Processor: 1 GHz
◦ Memory: 1024 MB RAM
◦ Hard Drive: 500 MB available space
Developer: ilwinter game design
Publisher: ilwinter game design
ESRB: N/A
Price: $34.99
Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Dominions 4 proves that you don’t need advance graphics to produce a high quality game. | |
| Sound | |
| The soundtrack is a pleasure to listen to. | |
| Gameplay | |
| An engrossing experience that challenges you every step of the way. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Dominions 4 is a strategy game to rival all strategy games; it delivers some of the best gameplay ever seen in the genre. | |
