Summary
As far as the grand strategy genre goes, there are few that do it quite as well asCivilization. Debuting all the way back in 1991,theCivilizationfranchiseputs players in the boots of an iconic historical leader, and tasks them with creating their very own bustling civilization, all the while working towards a military, scientific, cultural, economic, or religious victory. Though many strategy games have tried to imitateCivilization’s addictive formula, few have succeeded, though it seems likeAra History Untoldcould be one of those few.
First announced back in June 2022 as part of the Xbox Showcase,Ara History Untoldis a grand strategy game that wears itsCivilizationinfluences clearly on its sleeve, but unlike other imitators,Aracould have the pedigree and talent to back up its borrowed formula. Being developed by Oxide Games, some ofAra’s creators are ex-Firaxis devs, and have therefore worked onCivilizationin the past. And withCivilization 7likely still a ways off,Ara History Untoldcould be the perfect stop-gap for fans eager to jump into the next grand strategy series.
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Ara History Untold Could Be The Ideal Stop-Gap For Civilization Fans
Civilization 7was first announced fairly nonchalantly back in February of this year, with Firaxis and 2K releasing a simple statement confirming that the next entry in the long-running grand strategy franchise was officially in development. Since then, Firaxis has been tight-lipped aboutCivilization 7. There’s been no official word on the game’s release date, any new gameplay mechanics, or even what world leaders will be brought over to this new installment. Based on this lack of information, and based on the increasing development time between entries, it seems likely thatCivilization 7is still at least a year or two away from release, which paves the way forcompetitors likeAra History Untoldto swoop in and offer a similar experience.
From the momentAra History Untoldwas first unveiled back in 2022, itsCivilizationinspirations were immediately evident. Players will be choosing a real-world leader, creating cities, researching technologies, building Wonders, waging war, and increasing their people’s culture, population, and economy, all in the hopes of claiming victory over other civilizations, who can all be bartered with viaAra’s diplomacy system. This will all sound extremely familiar toCivilizationfans, withAra’s general gameplay loop being practically the same, but there are a few unique tricksArahas up its sleeve.
The biggest difference betweenAra History UntoldandCivilizationis the game’s approach to its turn-based design. InCivilization, players take turns to complete their designated set of actions, moving, attacking, and building one after the other. InAra History Untold, turns occur simultaneously. While players will still only have a set number of actions they can take in one go, every player will apparently complete these actions at the same time, givingAraa whole unique layer of strategy that isn’t present inCiv. It isn’t enough to just counter an opponent’s actions inAra, players will need to predict and react to their enemy’s movements and actions well in advance.
Alongside its first gameplay trailer,Ara History Untoldannounced a 2024 release date during theGamescom Opening Night Live showcase. While there’s no indication of whetherArawill come earlier or later in the year, that 2024 release date might still put it ahead ofCivilization 7, which could still be a few years out at this point. And ifAradrops well beforeCivilization 7, then it could scratch that itch for fans waiting for the next installment of Firaxis' series.
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