Wonders are far too common

Looking at my Heroes of Might and Magic-history, it surprised not least myself that I had so few points of contact with the Age of Wonders-series. Turn-based fantasy with world exploration and challenging tactical battles - wasn't that meant to be the perfect match? However, after just a few hours in its predecessor, Age of Wonders III I was out of steam (quite literally). I didn't feel like delving deeper into the game, perhaps I just wanted to play Heroes again. Nevertheless, I won't miss the opportunity to listen to the scores of the series and this time I'm starting antichronologically with the latest installment.

As with all AoW, composer Michiel van den Bos, who I know particularly well from his work on the two Overlord-games. His unmistakable fantasy style is also used in the fourth part: Dominant strings in combination with powerful drums are juxtaposed with spherical harp playing, transporting us orchestrally at the usual high level into worlds full of mythical creatures and magic. However, I find the OST a little too formulaic and lacking in climaxes. For people who are hearing something by van den Bos for the first time, it will all be new and exciting, but for me the parallels to his other works are too clear.

This may be justifiable within a game series, but if the music could also easily be placed in the above-mentioned Overlord , I don't think that's enough. Where Jeremy Soule, for example, succeeds in giving each Elder Scrollsalbum its own spin (Morrowind = Departure, Oblivion = Fantasy, Skyrim Scandinavia), van den Bos blurs the boundaries. And thanks to the work of Paul Romero and Rob King, the HoMM-series has also managed to remain varied with ever new facets over the course of seven spin-offs.

All of this is missing here, which is why the OST for Age of Wonders 4 delivers a more-of-the-same rather than an evolution. My conclusion is therefore quite insignificant and ends with the words that every good reviewer uses: fans should give it a go, everyone else give it a try.