I couldn’t help but laugh at the premise behind ARA: History Untold. When I first saw the trailer for it during Summer Games Fest ONL it seemed to sell itself on the idea that players would be altering the history of the world as they progressed through the game, but isn’t that what Civilization already does?
That’s a joke, but it’s not entirely untrue. I didn’t really know what to expect with ARA: History Untold, but I was genuinely surprised by the similarities to Sid Mier’s iconic turn-based 4X game—which actually makes a lot of sense when you consider Oxide Games was founded by the lead development team of Civilization V. Nevertheless, what’s on offer is an incredibly dense turn-based strategy game that has a lot to offer fans of the genre.
I’ll have to forgo my usual style of review writing for ARA: History Untold since it really doesn’t have anything like a story mode to talk about. And while this kind of game doesn’t necessarily need one, I was a little disappointed that a game that seems to position itself on being a kind of alternate history strategy game didn’t really have a structured narrative even to act as a tutorial mode.
But what ARA: History Untold lacks in a proper narrative, it makes up for ten-fold in its gameplay. This is an incredibly deep experience that gives players a lot of options and a lot to manage. Much like Civilization, players start out by choosing a historical figure to act as their leader. Each of the 41 leaders has special bonuses and penalties that align somewhat with their historical representation—I chose Jeanne D’Arc who gave me increased military and religious strengths but also had a -10 in establishing relationships with other nations due to her “Impulsive” nature.
But the real standout of ARA: History Untold is the gameplay. Anyone who has played Civilization will more or less know what to expect here. Players utilize their turns moving units around a wide world map, claiming available territories and expanding them into thriving communities. Every building, unit or research task takes a certain number of turns, so players will need to strategize effectively to claim victory.
What I think is the double-edged sword of ARA: History Untold is its aforementioned density. While it provides players with a lot of interesting options on how they want to progress, it also means there’s A LOT to keep track of, and in some ways, it makes the game feel a lot slower and a bit duller than its predecessors in the genre.
“But what ARA: History Untold lacks in a proper narrative, it makes up for ten-fold in its gameplay.”
The biggest problem for me is the length of time required to construct almost everything in this game. Necessary buildings like Farms or Logging Camps can take four to six turns and even crucial units like Settlers—which are required for establishing cities on occupied territories—can take SIX whole turns to become active.
If you’re playing even remotely democratically and not waging war every turn, it just becomes a lot of waiting around, clicking the “Next Turn” button to get the buildings or units you need to start running things effectively. Furthermore, resource buildings like Workshops can craft a variety of different special items that are essential for making more specialized buildings or upgrading existing buildings for higher yields or faster production times, so it just adds to the amount of time you need to wait for things to happen.
However, some of the monotony is broken up by diplomatic events that will test your mettle as a leader and have tangible positives or negatives for your advancement. This can come from minor unaligned settlements or from the other leaders present on the map, so the terms of what you receive or possibly lose can be both short-term and long-term. Plus, there’s the added benefit of getting unaligned settlements to join your nation if your relationship with them remains positive, so there’s a lot to consider besides avoiding unnecessary war.
“Visually, ARA: History Untold is incredibly impressive.”
Perhaps it’s the structure, or perhaps it’s because the last 4X game I played was Nexus 5X—which was specifically designed to be a lot faster—but ARA: History Untold just felt a bit too slow and a bit too dull for me to enjoy, even compared to Civilization which it seems pretty heavily inspired by. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying that it’s a bad game; I’m only saying it didn’t really hold my attention, and unless you’re a diehard fan of the genre, it might not hold yours, either.
Visually, ARA: History Untold is incredibly impressive. While it looks great from a technical standpoint—being beautifully coloured and richly detailed—the way it builds its game board to feel like a living, breathing world is truly commendable. Since it eschews the more traditional board game style, watching the world unfold and evolve from a more naturalistic perspective feels really unique and satisfying.
Furthermore, both the music and the in-game narration do a lot to add a sense of urgency and gravitas to the proceedings. The music ranges from a whimsical “sense of discovery” to a kind of tense “war may be coming” that really does a good job of pulling you into the proceedings.
ARA: History Untold may not have hooked me, but I genuinely think it has enough and more to hook fans of the genre. It’s a lot to unpack—even with the in-game tutorials guiding you—but if you can take the time to process it or have the fortitude to do so, I think there’s definitely an interesting and engaging game here. Just be ready to stay in it for the long haul.
