It doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago that I was writing a review for the base game. Oh, that’s right, that’s because it really wasn’t that long ago that I was writing that review. But while someone else was likely porting the game to consoles, Triumph Studios was already plugging away at expansion material and we’re fortunate enough to see new content for my personal GotY before 2019 is over.
Yeah, that’s right. It’s my personal Game of the Year. So, in the interest of full disclosure, it would have been very hard for Triumph to develop an expansion that didn’t appeal to me. Therefore, I feel compelled to tell you right off the bat that if you loved the base game, you’re going to like this expansion. However, if you weren’t quite sold, I’m not so sure that Revelations has done enough to convince you otherwise unless you had a very specific complaint. We’ll get to that in a bit.
Revelations is more of a good thing, which to me, is a great thing. So let’s talk about the best things.
Fleshing Out the Lore
An aspect of Age of Wonders: Planetfall that I felt came up short was lore and story elements outside of the campaign. Admittedly the campaign – while not amazing – is one of the better 4X campaigns I’ve ever played and it did a pretty good job of fleshing out the universe that Triumph Studios has created for this game.
Outside of that campaign was a different, significantly-less-fleshed-out story which was a true shame. If you never fired up the campaign, you’d miss a lot of context and world-building that you simply don’t get anywhere else.
It’s clear that Triumph understood that, though, as they’ve added a gameplay element called “Anomalous Sites”, which are map features that you’ll send your heroes to in hopes of uncovering their secrets. There are over 30 different scenarios you’ll uncover and each of them unfolds over multiple turns, often providing you with a twist or turn to the narrative, and they usually reward you with items, mounts, and other stuff that you can only find at these sites.
So, if your only complaint about the base game was that there wasn’t enough world-building in Planetfall – and that’d be a pretty specific complaint…albeit a valid one – then Revelations finally delivers in that sense. These sites do provide a sense of wonder and because they’re semi-Choose-You-Own-Adventure, they’re also a bit replayable, too. My only complaint is that after about 25 hours with the expansion, I’ve seen most, if not all, of them by now. Barely a valid complaint, but a man can dream for more, right? I definitely hope to see more.
Entropy Reigns
Revelations introduces a new secret tech, Heritor, that is all about that drainage. You know, that essence drainage. The more essence you drain, the more charges you acquire, and the more powerful the abilities you are unable to unleash. Those charges will also allow you to summon other units or unleash powerful attacks.
Yeah, it’s some rather dark stuff, but it’s a great new addition to the original secret technologies. The abilities all feel unique to the Heritor skill tree and distinct from the others as well. There are some nasty combos that I’ve found in my time with the skillset and part of my enjoyment of Planetfall is discovering more ways to mix and match factions with secret techs to maximize advantage.
The Heritor secret tech is a welcome addition and the new units that come along with it are mean, like the nasty Tier-III High Lord, a unit capable of some devastating AOE damage with a few essence charges. Furthermore, the units are all unique in their aesthetic and it’s quickly apparent to outsiders when other factions are using Heritor secret technology.
Unforgettable
The newest NPC faction to join the gang is The Forgotten. I’m not sure how they were forgotten, as they’re terribly scary looking beasts and still haunt me long after a play session, but that’s their name. Their official description reads: “Broken, insane, or otherwise unfit for Heritor’s utopian society, The Forgotten were never meant to be resurrected.”
Mind you, the Heritor were some dark-ass people themselves, so if they are claiming the Forgotten are unfit for their society, then that should give you pause. Their units are wonderfully modeled and perfectly grotesque and they use Heritor-like skills to great effect. They’re my favorite NPC faction, aesthetics-wise, and when paired with the right faction/secret tech combination, they can be a great complement to your forces.
I mean, hell, look at these things:
Put a Price On It
Your mileage may vary when considering the value of this expansion pack. As I mentioned before, it’s unlikely to change your mind if you didn’t really like Planetfall to begin with (also, how could you not?!). If your frustrations lied mainly with the lack of world-building or perhaps you wanted more content, then this is an easy purchase.
If you’re like me and just want more, more, more of Planetfall, then forgoing a meal out or holding back on the next Steam sale seems like a no-brainer. However, for those in the middle, the people that like Planetfall, but need a substantial amount of content and or gameplay additions to make you feel that $15 USD is worth it to you, then this will be a harder sell.
Something that may easily be…forgotten…ahem…is that there are a lot of new art assets in Revelations and they’re usually the most expensive aspect of game development at any level. When you consider that and the number of new enemies, new secret tech units and NPC units being added here, the price point starts to make a lot more sense.
It’s the question of the ages, for sure. What is the right price for an expansion? I personally think this price point is fair, but it may not be fair to you. That decision is yours and yours alone, my friends.
Conclusion
Revelations delivers mostly on what I wanted an expansion for Planetfall to do: add content, add more context and lore-building, and provide me with more options. All of the new units are beautifully modeled and each has its own distinct aesthetic that continues to flesh out the Planetfall universe.
I say mostly because it would’ve been super special to me if they’d also introduced a new faction, but that’s just me being a bit greedy.
While it won’t convert those that didn’t like the base game, fans will definitely want to pick this up for the new content it provides. It may not feature a new faction, but the new secret tech, the new NPC faction, and especially the new Anomalous Sites are excellent additions to Planetfall and all of which make it impossible to go back to the base game.
It’s an easy recommendation for those that played and enjoyed Planetfall. For those looking for other “issues” to be addressed, I’d suggest holding off a bit longer. Personally, nothing is going to hold me back from emphatically consuming everything I can that’s related to Planetfall.
TL;DR: It’s a great expansion for those that already enjoyed Planetfall. For those that didn’t, some of the free fixes coming with the “Stegosaurus Patch” miiiight change that. If not, Revelations is probably not going to change your mind, either.
You Might Like This Expansion If:
- You loved the base game and wanted more content
- What held you back from truly loving Planetfall was the lack of lore within the gameplay
- You are anything like me, in which case, you’ve already purchased it
You Might NOT Like This Expansion If:
- You weren’t already a fan of the base game. This is just more of the same, mostly, so it won’t change your mind
- You enjoy having free time
- You still hate Dutch developers (seriously why, though?)
Rob played about 30 hours of Revelations on his MSI Trident-X with an i7-9770, GTX 2070, 512 GB M2 Drive on a 1440p LG monitor. A key was provided by Paradox/Triumph Studios for the purpose of this review.
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Rob founded eXplorminate in 2014 as his passion for 4X needed an outlet. You can find Rob in just about every 4X game beta and 4X game forum, too. He’s equally obsessed with the strategy and tactics genres and constantly combs the internet for new and exciting titles in those genres. He’s proud to be a member of Amplitude Studios’ VIP program and the concept creator of Endless Space 2’s Unfallen.