Gamers anticipating Age of Empires 4 were shown a history lesson on the fan-favorite medieval weapon, the trebuchet. World's Edge, the studio behind Age of Empires 4, shared the educational video at the Xbox Showcase for Gamescom 2021.
Age of Empires 4 is set to release more than 15 years after Age of Empires 3, which has been bolstered by expansions and spinoffs over the years. In previous showcases for Age of Empires 4, the developers revealed that players will be able to play through the Norman Campaign and the 100 Years War, with The Mongol Empire and The Rise of Moscow campaigns coming in the future. Age of Empires 4 seeks to modernize the real-time strategy formula while pushing the genre forward by passionately educating gamers of its historical content.
Adam Isgreen, Creative Director of World's Edge, stopped by the Xbox Showcase at Gamescom 2021 to reveal a new storytelling element for Age of Empires 4, Hands on History. This educational series of 28 unlockable videos are three to five minutes each, interspersed throughout the campaign. Fans got a look at one of the videos showing how a counterweight trebuchet worked in action. Filmed by Lion TV on location at Warwick Castle in England, expert Mechanical Engineer Dr. Shini Somara provided insight into how the fan-favorite weapon worked and was operated.
Hands on History offers a deep dive into cultures, warfare, and other subjects represented within the game, giving players passionate about history some context. In this instance, a full-scale trebuchet replica was shown to players how powerful and accurate the medieval weapon can be. When pressed for more information, Adam Isgreen revealed the Hands on History series will cover a wide variety of subjects, including castle building, armor creation, flaming arrows, and his personal favorite, medieval surgery.
Age of Empires 4's developers are working hard towards connecting the past to the present by including educational shorts on world history within the campaign of an easily accessible game. The videos can provide players a solid opportunity to learn more about medieval culture and civilizations outside of a traditional classroom setting. It shows that video games can not only be fun, but also informative and engaging with their subject matters. Features like Hands on History could help break the stigma that video games have no educational value. Instead, games like Age of Empires 4 could be seen as interactive pieces of media that teach players about the history that the game is based on.
Age of Empires IV comes to PC on October 28, 2021.
Source: Xbox/YouTube