But if you’re up for an infectious mix of goofy good humour and brazen guitar worship, then there hasn’t been a musical adventure as excellent as The Artful Escape since Bill met Ted. It’s not for those who’re after a traditional platforming game challenge, and if listening to indulgent ‘80s-style guitar solos doesn’t appeal to you then Francis’ nonstop noodling may well get on your nerves. – Leana Haferĭeveloper: Relic | Platform: PC | IGN's Age of Empires 4 Video Review The Artful Escapeįrom our review: The Artful Escape is a truly joyful musical journey through outer space in which the performances of its cast and the quality of its soundtrack are every bit as stellar as the eye-popping celestial realms it crisscrosses through.

I've been enjoying it a lot as a whole, but it also sometimes makes me question how much room I have in my life for this age-old formula these days, when real-time strategy has come such a long way thanks to the innovations of other franchises. The expansive campaigns and offbeat factions like the Mongols and the Rus are major highlights, even when it loses some of its sharpness to a small unit cap, frustrating pathfinding, and relatively unimpressive graphics for a 2021 game. Review Score: 8 ('Great') Age of Empires 4įrom our review: Age of Empires 4 plays it safe a bit too often, but really excels when it wanders outside of its very traditional comfort zone.

Best video games 2016 september