Ara: History Untold review

Game development follows a pattern of digression. New titles routinely follow the formulas established by popular works, before adding their own distinctive divergences. Decades ago, Galaga iterated on Galaxian, which had built on the foundations of Space Invaders. Concepts emerge, evolve, and occasionally even recede, weaving an intricate tapestry of game history.

Given that Oxide Games is the home for several former Firaxis leads, it’s hardly surprising that Ara: History Untold shares several significant similarities with the Civilization series. But there are also a number of notable deviations that push the turn-based title in a bold new direction. It will be interesting to see if these creative design decisions appear in forthcoming 4X titles.

A World-Class Cast

Before diving into the single-player campaign, you’ll select a principal from 36 different dignitaries, who each have their own idiosyncratic perks. But beyond the routine rulers like Elizabeth I, Itzcoatl, and Julius Caesar, Ara lets you play as notables like Nobel Prize-winning pathologist Howard Florey or political activist Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Starting with little more than a village and a single scouting party, you’ll gradually push back at the fog-of-war that obscures the peripheries of a procedurally generated map. But unlike Civ’s squares and hexes, History Untold’s topography is divided into organically shaped regions. This deviation allows provinces to have between up to five sub-regions and varying quantities of natural resources, providing a realistic variability to land value.

Higher-Level Needs

Like any respectable 4X entry, each in-game turn becomes increasingly complex as you guide your culture from the hunter-gatherer era to a late technological age. As you work up an interactive version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you’ll initially struggle with providing nourishment and shelter for your emerging populous. Soon, happiness and recognition come into play as you strive to build Triumphs (think Civ’s Wonders) for the rest of the world to marvel at. Like Civ, something is intriguing about watching this time-lapse summary of human history, even if that means Itzcoatl discovers Greek ancient Greek architecture.

Initially, moving scouts around to capture resources and challenge wild animals isn’t too demanding. And you might just assume that being a monarch is a cushy gig. But soon, you’ll be responsible for guiding your culture’s technological trajectory, all while expanding your empire, and overseeing domestic and international relations. One thing I appreciate about Ara is how the game forces you to live with your actions. Conquer a humble underdog and other cultures seem to treat you with suspicion. Contrarily, diplomacy can be rewarded in the late game with other cultures sharing some of their own developments.

Sweet Equifinality

Arguably, one of Ara’s most prominent departures from tradition is the inclusion of Prestige, which is used for deciding victory across a trio of discrete epochs. Expectedly, Prestige can be earned through industrial, military, medical, or scientific feats, but also through cultural, governmental, and religious achievements. But it also can be forfeited for unethical behaviors, punishing tyrannical leaders attempting to bully their way through a campaign. By spreading out the winning conditions across seven different criteria, you’ll need to react to the world around you, instead of just stubbornly chasing your own ambitions. Most interesting, the leader with the least amount of Prestige is exiled from the game.

Undoubtedly, History Untold is a visually stunning experience, that shuns the board game-like perspective of most 4X games. Zoom in on an area, and you’ll witness your republic’s populace come to life thanks to Oxide Game’s custom engine. Here, tiny spearmen, charioteers, and cavalries are all meticulously animated as they fight in battles that are rendered in real-time. I do wish there was a bit more architectural variety for housing and farming. There’s plenty of graphical detail, but villages and ranches don’t radically change over time. And while Ara is capable of scaling the visual particulars down for modest rigs, expect it to give your GPU a thorough workout by the third act. My PC fans were working overtime.

The Misfortune of Modernity

Yet, as much as I appreciated History Untold’s ambition of building a better Civilization, a number of qualities restrained its potential. While combat looks great, it’s largely an automated event, with stats contrasted and casualties counted. There’s a bit of control over unit formations but underdog victories are almost non-existent. History Untold’s user interface is a bit cluttered but effective once you learn everything is. My one wish is that the in-game encarta could point out where components are found on the interface. Some of the most complicated qualities of Ara are managing manufacturing, with economic tracking coming in a close second.

Undoubtedly, Ara: History Untold studied Civilization and crafted a world-sim that delivers several smart innovations. Prestige is probably the most notable improvement, adding complexity to the duties of leadership. But at present, History Untold’s third act can become mired in complication, undermining an otherwise stimulating run at becoming a global superpower.

Ara: History Untold was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.