I played the first Age of Wonders way back when it came out, maybe the second, but never really got into the recent ones. 4 seemed very welcoming, but not as innovative as the original. It's now a mishmash of different light 4X and Heroes-style games, and though it kept me binge-playing for two days, the seemingly malleable build combinations belie poorly designed and unbalanced mechanics. The game plays virtually the same every run.