Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin. Review

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin immerses players in a world of accessible and visually captivating fantasy warfare. While this real-time strategy game by Frontier Developments doesn’t break away from established genre norms, it consistently delivers moments of joy and excitement. Nonetheless, its limited unit selection and a flawed single-player campaign prevent it from achieving true excellence.

Set in the expansive Age of Sigmar universe created by Games Workshop, Realms of Ruin ventures where no other real-time strategy game has gone before, embracing the grandiose and extravagant setting. Frontier Developments successfully translates the awe-inspiring spectacle and violence of Age of Sigmar into the gaming experience. Towering golden Stormcast Warriors and their nefarious foes come to life through fluid animations and modern graphics.

However, the primary single-player campaign, while admirably capturing the essence and aesthetics of Age of Sigmar, feels somewhat incomplete. The absence of a map or a clear narrative framework makes the linear battles feel disjointed, especially as the campaign frequently shifts focus among various central factions.

Optimized Gameplay Strategy

Realms of Ruin presents a strategy formula that emphasizes accessibility, yet occasionally sacrifices depth. It employs a classic unit triangle system, where offensive melee units triumph over defensive ones, which, in turn, resist ranged attacks. Completing this triangle, ranged units excel at eliminating lightly armored offensive troops.

The gameplay revolves around deploying your units from a single base to secure victory points and control points. The latter yields resources for acquiring new units and upgrades. Meanwhile, controlling the majority of victory points for a sufficient duration secures your victory. This tried-and-true formula will feel familiar to enthusiasts of titles like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 and Company of Heroes 3.

While these elements form a solid foundation for a strategy game, the limited unit diversity and the rigidity of the unit triangle often lead to predictable skirmishes with predetermined outcomes. Regardless of micromanagement efforts from either side, the result of battles involving, for example, shield-bearing Stormcast Liberators against ranged specialists like the demonic Horrors of Tzeench, remains almost preordained.

This predictability is reinforced by the “sticky” nature of Realms of Ruin’s melee combat. Once your units become entangled in close combat, they can only disengage by either defeating the enemy or retreating. This lack of maneuverability removes opportunities for movement-based micromanagement, resulting in an experience that resembles auto battlers as much as it does a traditional real-time strategy game.

A Tale of Two Experiences

Realms of Ruin places considerable importance on its single-player campaign, offering a comfortable haven for Age of Sigmar enthusiasts. The narrative centers around Sigrun, a Stormcast leader, who embarks on a mission to retrieve a potent artifact, seeking to turn the tide in her ongoing war against the Orruks from her stronghold, Harkanibus.

The storytelling follows a classic, linear structure: a cutscene, a mission, and then more cutscenes. Notably, the cinematics set a new benchmark for visual storytelling in real-time strategy games, with remarkably realistic facial animations that convey nuanced emotions previously unattainable with older technology.

In a particularly poignant moment, Iden, Sigrun’s second-in-command, witnesses a duel between Sigrun and an Orruk leader, his eyes twitching and his expression mirroring genuine human emotion.

Despite the cinematic strength, the story itself feels fragmented, lacking sufficient exposition. The opening crawl introduces numerous proper nouns, leaving even those familiar with the setting feeling adrift. Questions about Sigmar’s significance, the Stormcast’s allegiance, the nature of Harkanibus, and its importance remain unanswered. Realms of Ruin’s storytelling suffers due to its narrow perspective.

Fortunately, this sense of aimlessness does not extend to the game’s multiplayer features. With a potent map builder, ranked and casual matches, and army painting tools, players can enhance their gaming experience. Conquest Mode introduces a unique twist, offering self-contained roguelike mini-campaigns with their own leaderboards. While not revolutionary, these systems are robust and serve their intended purpose well. For those who appreciate Realms of Ruin’s straightforward yet visually striking battles, there is plenty to keep them engaged.

Accessibility

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin offers a variety of accessibility options. Alongside multiple visual modes tailored for colorblind players, the game provides customizable subtitles, allowing adjustment of size, background opacity, and color. Furthermore, an ‘easy read’ font option is available.

For players with hearing impairments, the game offers the choice to mute background noises during conversations and provides tinnitus filtering features. Additionally, Realms of Ruin includes UI scaling to enhance the overall accessibility experience.

Verdict

My journey through Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin encompassed roughly 15 hours of gameplay. During this time, I delved into a diverse array of campaign missions, while also dedicating moments to experiencing each faction in skirmish mode. Additionally, I thoroughly tested the map editor and army painter features, and ventured into Conquest Mode.

Having dedicated thousands of hours to playing real-time strategy games throughout my life, I trace my roots back to my teenage years, where Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War served as my initiation into the genre. I later honed my skills through intense 1v1 ladders in Starcraft 2. This extensive background in real-time strategy proved invaluable as I approached Realms of Ruin, providing me with valuable points of reference for this review.

If you want to learn more about Warhammer Age of Sigmar, read our article Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Cosmic Clashes & Realm Rumbles.

Our Score

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