SupremacyKing2
Deity
I see ARA is on Steam at a 50% discount. I am tempted to get it. I know the game had a big update recently that made it better. Is it worth getting?
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ARA at 50% discount on Steam, worth it? (also: Free until Dec 1)
- Thread starter SupremacyKing2
- Start date
Bonyduck Campersang
Not staring into the distance
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2022
- Messages
- 4,932
You can try it, it's free to play until 1 December
japanatic2
Chieftain
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2025
- Messages
- 4
"Good point about the free trial. If the OP has time before Dec 1, trying it out first is probably the safest way to see if it clicks for them."
SupremacyKing2
Deity
Thanks to all. I will most likely buy the game.
I started playing the free trial. I tried the tutorial for a little bit and then started a new game without it since I felt like I could navigate things on my own. The tool tips are very helpful. I got about 3.5 hours of gameplay time and I feel like I understand the basics. I am playing as Washingon on the preset map so I am starting on the East coast of the US with Canada to my North. I got about 150+ turns in, finishing up the antiquity age. I feel like I have experienced many of the core concepts, including tribes, laying claims, culture traits, paragons, advisors, cities, crafting, economy, amenities, diplomacy, war, battles, prestige, events.
Honestly, I like everything I have seen so far.
The game feels like civ while not being civ. By that I mean, there are mechanics like the regions, economic model and abstract battles that remind you that it is not civ. But mechanics like choosing one civ/leader and playing from ancient age to modern age as well as the general 4x vibe of exploring, expanding with new cities, meeeting tribes and other civs, researching techs, feels very civ.
I know I am playing the game after the big update that fixed a lot of issues at launch. But bravo to the dev team. I've played a lot of other civ clones like Humankind and Millennia, that never felt right. Ara feels like the first civ clone that gets it right while also being its own thing.
I started playing the free trial. I tried the tutorial for a little bit and then started a new game without it since I felt like I could navigate things on my own. The tool tips are very helpful. I got about 3.5 hours of gameplay time and I feel like I understand the basics. I am playing as Washingon on the preset map so I am starting on the East coast of the US with Canada to my North. I got about 150+ turns in, finishing up the antiquity age. I feel like I have experienced many of the core concepts, including tribes, laying claims, culture traits, paragons, advisors, cities, crafting, economy, amenities, diplomacy, war, battles, prestige, events.
Honestly, I like everything I have seen so far.
- I like picking one leader with their historical civ and playing the same civ from ancient age to modern age.
- I like that it has a true start location earth map.
- I like the way the map is divided up into regions which are subdivided into zones. It makes the map look more natural and is a nice way of organizing where you build stuff. And the map graphics are nice.
- I like the prestige system. The idea of the last civ getting eliminated at each Act transition is a nice innovation imo.
- I really like mechanics like claims, culture traits, paragons.
- I like the tech tree and being able to choose when to progress to the next Age.
- I find the city management to be very engaging. I can see why people call Ara a city-builder game. The economic model is deeper and more complex while not being too obtuse. It is definitely a big change from civ where you can build any wonder you want. Crafting might be the one mechanic in the game that I probably have not fully mastered yet. But the UI is good. It is pretty easy to get info and find what you need to do.
- diplomacy is ok but probably could use a bit more options. Relations do seem to change quickly. In my game, the leader of Canada loved me and then like 20 turns later, he hates me and goes to war.
- I do like the different casus belli for war. I love that it feels like you are fighting for something and not just warmongering for the sake of conquering everything. In my current game, Canada declared a war of expansion to take my capital. I successfully defended my capital. I then declared a war of retalation and took his capital. So I felt like the wars made sense.
- I was especially interested in battles. They are very different from civ. I don't mind that they are abstract since I don't care for the one unit per tile mechanic in civ. The battle animation is nice eye candy. It feels like battles can be epic and big, especially in the late game. And you do get sone control over how you organize your units (batalions), formations and tactics. I like the emphasis is on the "big picture" and not on the nitty gritty of fighing each unit. I also like the reserves mechanic.
The game feels like civ while not being civ. By that I mean, there are mechanics like the regions, economic model and abstract battles that remind you that it is not civ. But mechanics like choosing one civ/leader and playing from ancient age to modern age as well as the general 4x vibe of exploring, expanding with new cities, meeeting tribes and other civs, researching techs, feels very civ.
I know I am playing the game after the big update that fixed a lot of issues at launch. But bravo to the dev team. I've played a lot of other civ clones like Humankind and Millennia, that never felt right. Ara feels like the first civ clone that gets it right while also being its own thing.
KayAU
Emperor
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2014
- Messages
- 1,516
@SupremacyKing2
Sounds like you're learning it quickly, but feel free to ask if there's anything you need to know.
Your impression of the game mirrors how I felt when it first clicked for me, way back in the third alpha test. It feels familiar to Civ and other Civ-likes, yet different, most of the time in a good way. It tackles the same concepts as Civ, and scratches much of the same itch, but it is definitely not Civ. I love the city builder/production chain stuff too.
For me it's the best of the Civ-alternatives, while also being the one I feel has the most potential for future improvement and expansion. I just hope more people become aware of it, as it deserves far more attention than it's got so far.
Sounds like you're learning it quickly, but feel free to ask if there's anything you need to know.
Your impression of the game mirrors how I felt when it first clicked for me, way back in the third alpha test. It feels familiar to Civ and other Civ-likes, yet different, most of the time in a good way. It tackles the same concepts as Civ, and scratches much of the same itch, but it is definitely not Civ. I love the city builder/production chain stuff too.
For me it's the best of the Civ-alternatives, while also being the one I feel has the most potential for future improvement and expansion. I just hope more people become aware of it, as it deserves far more attention than it's got so far.
