Age of Wonders: Planetfall launched in a fantastic state, offering players plenty of satisfying tactical gameplay and a universe with interesting lore to enjoy. And while the strategic side of things was ultimately lacking in nuance and depth, the title overall is a great game.
Revelations, the first expansion for the game, expands on what made the base game so good by adding more combat diversity and story content to the mix while also introducing a brand new mechanic. Unfortunately, not much has improved when it comes to the strategy gameplay, but that doesn't stop Revelations from being a great piece of DLC.
$15Bottom line: Age of Wonders: Planetfall's first DLC is a great one, adding a new mechanic and plenty of gameplay variety and lore.
For
- Excellent tactical gameplay.
- New units and tech are creative.
- Anomaly mechanic is great.
- Lots of interesting lore.
Against
- Strategy element is lacking.
What you'll love about the Revelations DLC
The best thing about the Revelations DLC is that it adds a brand new threat to face off against: the Heritor, descendants of the ancient Es'Teq empire that utilize anti-machine weapons and can drain the life force of their opponents to bolster their own effectiveness. Over the course of your campaign against them, you'll be able to take Heritor units and tech for yourself and blend it with your forces. This allows you to create units that get stronger the longer they're on the field, which fits right in with the quality XCOM-like tactical gameplay Age of Wonders: Planetfall is known for.
On top of this, there are also secret Anomaly sites hidden throughout maps that conceal hidden technologies and pieces of detailed lore beneath traps and deadly foes. Exploring these sites is a great time, and you're always rewarded with some awesome new toys to use or intriguing stories to read after you leave.
Finally, the campaign is overall a solid challenge, which helps keep you on your toes and makes you truly think about your approach to battle. Tactics combat is at its worst when it's easy, so it's great that this DLC isn't afraid to challenge players.
What you'll love less about the Revelations DLC
The only gripe I have with the Revelations DLC is that it, like the base game before it, has uninteresting strategic gameplay. There's a special NPC race called The Forgotten that can be allied with against the Es'Teq, but the process of teaming up with them is straightforward and lacks nuance or depth.
Should you buy the Revelations DLC?
While the strategy side of things hasn't really improved with this DLC, everything else that it adds is awesome. It builds on the things that made the base game great, building on that foundation with some new ideas and the great new Anomaly site mechanic.
If you had a good time with the base game and are looking for more Age of Wonders: Planetfall action, the Revelations DLC is a must-own.
The Revelations DLC is available now for $15 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Improving on what was already great
Age of Wonders: Planetfall's first DLC is a great one, adding a new mechanic and plenty of gameplay variety and lore.
