Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury Review

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Releasing something for an existing game tends to feel like a dangerous gamble. Either it’s stale content that adds little to the experience, or it’s an assortment of new stuff that adds hours of new quality gameplay and improves the base game. I’m pleased to say that Primal Fury, the new DLC for Age of Wonders 4, is the latter. While every DLC has been great, Primal Fury stands at the top. It overshadows all previous content like a mammoth in front of Molekin. With a new culture boasting depth, new forms, and two tomes, you won’t be able to keep your hands away from these realms.

Primal Fury is the third of four planned DLCs for Age of Wonders 4. So far, we’ve had dragons and heavy machinery. Now, Triumph Studios brings out its “wild side” and embodies it. While the base game did not lack elements for fans of nature magic, this DLC feels like the opus prima in that regard. Whether you want to rule the seas with a new Naga form, ride mammoths while hiding in the mist, or be a werewolf that terraforms the landscape at will, you can do that and more here.

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Embrace the Wild

First and foremost, Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury debuts the new Primal Culture in this DLC. This option allows players to choose a new base culture and alter the battlefield depending on their Primal Animal. These animals work like a subculture I haven’t seen in the game until now. Do you like to focus on creating units fast to win in war? Choose the Sylvan Wolf. Do you prefer to rule from the depths and wait for the ideal moment to attack? The Tunneling Spider is for you.

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite cultures, but there are certain things that I feel are going to complicate things for some. Every Primal Animal has a favored terrain. Those who choose the Dune Serpent thrive on sand territories. But what if there are no such lands on the map? Well, some quests allow you to unlock the temple of your animal deity to terraform the map. While this is a great ability, it takes a while to accomplish and makes it seem that this culture is not as adaptable as the Reavers, for example. Still, it is one of the best and most entertaining game cultures that gives a lot of benefits with some challenges in the long run.

Speaking of challenges, get ready for some nature pummeling. Beyond the bonuses to your favorable territory, new Primal Culture units focus on animals. One of the first ones you’ll get is the Animist. This character allows you to summon an animal that depends on the deity you worship. It may not seem like a big deal, but you don’t know how many fights I won after summoning several spirit wolves. And, of course, there are more combat units with a nature theme, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

Beyond the Mist and Into the Eye of the Storm

Primal Fury could not be considered a good DLC for Age of Wonders 4 without adding a tome of magic; this time, we have two. Those who focus on natural and astral affinity will find the Tome of Fey Mists and the Tome of the Stormborne. Both are fantastic and add new things to the game that go hand in hand with the style of the expansion. There is a clear winner of the two as it fits in any situation. While the other offered a unique transformation, it only worked for me on a few maps. Still, they were both entertaining to use.

Let’s start with Tome of Fey Mists. Part of the new culture is about manipulating the terrain to your liking. This new tome elevates that mechanic even further and allows you to turn your provinces into a misty landscape. The central aspect of the tome relies on creating mists to protect and buff your units. On the map, it allows you to stay hidden while enhancing your army in battle. This was my favorite tome as it appeals to a defensive playstyle but provides many bonuses to your army that are more than welcome in combat. Besides, the unit you get in this tome is a game-changer capable of changing the tide of battle.

Speaking of tides, let’s continue with the Tome of the Stormborne. Although I don’t use it as much because it is very situational, it offers exciting features, such as the Naga form. This new transformation provides players with more movement on the map, certain immunities, and the most important thing — it gives you scales. Also, the magic in this volume focuses on making it rain, literally. Whether you summon storms or flood the map, you are the one who can bring a deluge to these realms. And, while the fantasy of this magic sounds enticing, it wasn’t my hit. It was not bad by any means, but it excels more on coastal maps.

Evergreen Content

My love for this expansion only continued to grow with the other additions. There are now two new races you can choose from: the agile and furry Lupine or the immutable and tough Goatkin. My early games focused on matching these races with the new culture. But, the more I played, the more I liked to make factions of mystical Lupines or industrial Goatkin. Without a doubt, Age of Wonders 4 was masterfully designed to keep on giving in terms of customization with this new DLC.

Furthermore, you can see the love that the developers put into the game beyond the races or units. To see how the new cultures shape the buildings is a marvel. The first time I saw the temple of my wolf god rise to the same size as my Mage Tower, it was impressive and showed meticulous detail in its design. While the dragons and Reavers had been getting the spotlight for a long time, nothing compares to what we have in Primal Fury.

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A Must-Have DLC

As gamers, we usually ask if buying new content is worth it or stick to the base game. Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury is a living example of what a DLC of the highest quality is. The new culture offers many layers of depth to this strategy game. The races make for excellent combinations with new or previous cultures. The combat units feel refreshing and combine very well with the fantasy of this expansion. Without a doubt, this is the most complete package Triumph Studios has released so far and sets the bar high for other studios thinking of adding more downloadable content for their games.

Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Reviewed).

Review copy provided by Publisher.