Summary
- Ara: History Untold introduces a Prestige system where players can earn points in various categories to build the most influential civilization.
- Players can earn Prestige in areas such as Commerce, Culture, Government, Industry, Military, Religion, and Science.
- The Prestige system determines rankings at the end of each game act, eliminating civilizations in the lowest tier and introducing late-game challenges to test strategies.
While Civilization 7 may or may not arrive this year, it has a potential major competitor in the upcoming Ara: History Untold. Developed by Oxide Games, a studio founded by former Firaxis developers, Ara is not the first game to step forward to challenge Civ’s dominance in the tun-based 4X genre. However, while Civilization undoubtedly inspired it, History Untold shakes up the formula in several important ways.
One of the new ideas in Ara: History Untold is the game's Prestige system. The player’s goal in Ara is to build the most influential civilization of all time, but there are many paths to achieving that. Unlike Civ, where there is a list of specific victory conditions, victory in Ara requires the player to build up a score called Prestige. However, some fans might not be clear on what Prestige actually is.
Prestige in Ara: History Untold
Oxide spoke briefly about Ara: History Untold’s Prestige system during the Xbox Developer Direct on January 18. As Design Director Michelle Menard explained, Oxide’s design philosophy can be summed up as “Rule how you want to rule.” Ara encourages players to do that by awarding them Prestige points for a wide range of actions. This allows players to play however they want while progressing towards victory instead of building their playstyle around predetermined objectives.
Gaining and Losing Prestige
Oxide's Ara: History Untold divides Prestige into seven categories: Commerce, Culture, Government, Industry, Military, Religion, and Science. Players earn Prestige in each category, which contributes to their total Prestige. While there are still a few things that Oxide hasn’t explained about Prestige, the studio has given a general idea of what each category means.
- Commerce Prestige comes from establishing trade routes.
- Culture Prestige comes from Masterpieces and Masterpiece Sets
- Government prestige comes from completing Quests, earning respect from Independent Settlements, and having a Golden Age
- Military Prestige comes from winning wars and capturing Cities.
- Religion Prestige comes from founding and spreading a religion.
- Science Prestige comes from researching technology.
Some of these requirements are self-explanatory, though others require further explanation. Quests, for example, are optional objectives that players get starting in the Middle Ages. Triumphs, meanwhile, are Ara’s equivalent of Wonders, while Masterpieces are probably its answer to Civilization 6’s Great Works. However, fans haven’t revealed exactly how players go about collecting them. The same goes for Golden Ages, which sounds a lot like the mechanic from Civ 6’s Rise and Fall DLC, but Oxide hasn’t explained exactly how they work in Ara: History Untold.
It’s also possible to lose Prestige in Ara: History Untold. The gameplay trailer from August 2023 included a brief look at warfare. This includes the detail that declaring war costs a small amount of Prestige. It also appears that failing a Quest might incur a Prestige penalty. Presumably, losing wars and other failures might also cost Prestige, though Oxide hasn’t clarified whether that’s the case.
Prestige Decides Who Wins and Loses in Ara: History Untold
The Prestige system is also crucial to winning the game, thanks to Ara’s three-act structure.
- Act 1 – Ancient to Antiquity
- Act 2 – Middle Ages to the Enlightenment
- Act 3 – Industrial Revolution to the end of the game.
At the end of each Act, the game ranks civilizations in four tiers based on their Prestige. Civilizations in the lowest tier are considered Forgotten and eliminated from the game. Their empire falls into ruins for other players to claim and pick over. This turns Ara into what Oxide calls a “historical battle royale.”
However, winning does not necessarily mean being the last player standing. Instead, Act 3 will introduce various challenges to test the player’s strategy. These include new quests starting in the Industrial Revolution and various crises that will emerge as players get closer to the end of the game. Navigating them will help players achieve victory in Oxide Games' Ara: History Untold. Oxide Games hasn’t detailed what those late-game challenges are or explained the specifics of how victory works. However, Prestige will be the deciding factor in winning the game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
- Released
- October 21, 2016
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- Civilization
WHERE TO PLAY
Civilization VI offers new ways to engage with your world: cities now physically expand across the map, active research in technology and culture unlocks new potential, and competing leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical traits as you race for one of five ways to achieve victory in the game.
Expansive empires
See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each district, wonder, and improvement is built on its own hex, allowing you to customize your city to your heart’s content. From the Commercial Hub to the Spaceport, every district provides unique and powerful bonuses. Pick and choose which districts to build to fit your needs! Build better than your opponents, place yourself strategically for your allies, and become the best civilization on Earth.
Active Research
Boost your civilization’s progress through history to unlock powerful bonuses before anyone else! To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures. Research isn’t just limited to science. Explore the Civics tree to unlock powerful new governments and cultural policies Cultivate the civilization that fits your playstyle, or switch it up every time you play!
Dynamic diplomacy
As the game progresses, so do your diplomatic relationships. From primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations. Carry influence with nearby city states to gain its diplomatic allegiance and earn game-changing city-state bonuses. Enlist spies to gather crucial intel on rival civilizations, steal precious resources, and even topple governments.
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
