Detailed information about Oxide Games’ new 4X work ‘Ara: History Untold (hereinafter referred to as Ara)’, created by the main part lead of Sid Meier’s Civilization 5, a representative 4X game, was delivered through the developer’s mouth.
Oxide Games’ major developers appeared in person and introduced the core contents of the game through Microsoft’s Developer Direct held on the 19th.
The game was introduced on this day by Oxide Games President Mark Mayer, game design director Michelle Menard, lead designer Michael Khalif, and art director Dorian Newcombe, who explained various parts. They captured everything from the game’s design to the art, the player’s goals, and the direction the game pursues in the video.
Ara is a game with the core 4X mechanics of exploring new lands, developing culture, and becoming the greatest ruler in the world through diplomacy and war. Director Menard also said that in line with these characteristics, it contains various homages to historical gamers, strategy gamers, and 4X gamers. At the same time, he explained that in order to break the prejudice about 4X games, he added innovative new elements and introduced a number of friendly approaches.
Ara leaves a variety of strategic choices for each user in line with the purpose of the game, which is exploration itself. History itself and the exploration of more diverse parts of history are also included so that players can vary the actual history through their choices. The player’s various choices change everything from the cultural style of buildings to the direction and appearance of citizens’ lives. In the released video, each region is not just a simple tile, but it depicts the area where actual citizens live in detail, giving a city builder-like feel.
In addition, there are various quantifiable scores such as art, culture, military power, and scientific development that can determine superiority between rulers. Here, the presence of Triumph reminds us of the wonders of the Civilization series, like the Great Pyramid of Giza. We pursue unique play through a combination of the familiar and the new, such as the production system and weapon manufacturing that were difficult to find in 4X.
In addition, we maintained immersion through a simultaneous turn system where multiple players take action at the same time.
Meanwhile, Oxide Games, which developed the game, also attracted attention as a company founded by key figures who developed Civilization 5 at Firaxis. Dan Baker, Tim Kip, and Brian Wade led the development of Civilization 5 as graphics, system, and program leads, respectively.
Ara is scheduled to be released on Windows PC, Steam, and PC Game Pass in the fall of 2024.
