Koei suddenly launched the first enhanced version of its Age of Exploration series - "Age of Exploration 4 Enhanced Version". What surprised us even more was that three new characters were added. Although the game graphics and style are still based on the fourth generation, improvements have been made in many aspects. The game is undoubtedly more perfect than the fourth generation.
New characters, more touching plots:
The enhanced version has added three story characters, each with a touching plot as a prelude. The game, like Age of Exploration 4, uses seven proofs of dominion over the seas to unfold the game's storyline. Sajiki Kyojiro, a Japanese descendant of a powerful clan in Kyushu, his family was attacked by enemies, and his father committed seppuku. He was pursued and drifted out to sea in a small boat, leaving his fate to heaven. He encountered a storm and was rescued by Lin Sen, a Malay. Later, Lin, moved by Kyojiro's spirit of forging ahead despite difficulties and his strong determination, gave the ship to Kyojiro and decided to follow him. Kyojiro is the inheritor of the East Asian proof of dominion and must find the proof of dominion for the secret of his family's murder. Abraham Ewen Wudin, an Arab tycoon, but resolutely went to explore the four seas. On the surface, it was to collect antiques for interest, but in fact, it was to investigate the secrets of his own family's ancestry that he began his world voyage. And all the clues are also on the proof of dominion. Ja Waman Chaska, a mestizo who inherited the bloodline of a local royal family ruling over part of the Inca Empire, was promoted by Admiral Fen Blanco, engaged in trade in America, and competed for markets with the rival force Vasco. Later, Chaska will realize that the responsibility of his life lies in the revival of his homeland, and all this hope also lies in finding the proof of dominion. The game uses the proof of dominion to naturally connect the plots, showing Koei's planning skills. What makes the game more perfect than the fourth generation is that the plot has become much richer. The plots of the three characters can be completely three role-playing games. Moreover, not only that, but some processes can also lead to multiple endings, meaning that apart from the main line, some plots can even be chosen, giving players a reason to play the game several times. The plots are also touching, with love, friendship, responsibility, family, country and other emotions intertwined in the plots of the three characters. I was particularly moved by Chaska's story. When love and responsibility are difficult to choose, people must make a choice, and Koei portrayed the helplessness at that moment vividly. The other newly added characters also have their own plots. Even the old characters from the fourth generation have increased and changed stories. The progress of "Age of Exploration 4 Enhanced Version" compared to the fourth generation in this aspect is obvious, and it cannot help but make players admire Koei's spirit of continuous innovation. However, there is one point I would like to point out: sometimes the hints in the plot are not enough, and you have to bump into the plot city by city. The Age of Exploration series has always had this disadvantage. Of course, this is absolutely a minor flaw that does not overshadow the virtues.
Improved game system:
In this game, every time you get a proof of dominion, you need to first collect two related mysterious small objects, then get the map to find the proof of dominion. Moreover, the proof of dominion in the enhanced version is different from the fourth generation. Fortunately, the map has not changed. There are more details changes in the game, including: Trade Union, a new "Accept Commission" option has been added, which can be used to earn influence and money; Square, more realistic than the fourth generation, with people walking around in the square; Deck Screen, characters are cartoonized, three fixed configuration modes of "Trade, Adventure, Battle" have been added, while allowing players to log in their own deck character configurations; Shipyard, a custom order (build identical ships) has been added to the purchase options, the renovation options have reduced cumbersome operations, all integrated into one screen, if the deck is configured with carpenters, a 7% to 15% discount (depending on the ability value of the carpenter) will be obtained when renovating ships; Power Color, power color is no longer one color per power, changed to your own fleet (blue), subordinate fleet (light green), allied fleet (dark green), enemy fleet (red), leader power. Port: Each power has several fleets, its main port will occupy at least a few percent of the market share, must use naval battles to reduce it, thus strengthening the necessity of naval battles, goods can be temporarily stored in the port, waiting for the next processing, may return and become trendy goods, really can make a small fortune, because the game has no concept of shelf life; Stock Exchange, if you have a "Chief Accountant", the instruction "Purchase Price Display" will appear in the trading menu, so you can see very conveniently, clearly, and understand the purchase price of the goods you are going to sell, to decide whether to sell, with this setting, trading becomes much simpler! Held treasures: options integration, using graphics instead. Apart from the change of the proof of dominion to bring new fun to the game, all others are for the convenience of players. And according to my Japanese friends, many changes are adopted from player suggestions. This point may well be the reason for Koei's repeated brilliance. There is another innovation that I think is particularly great. There is a plot in the game to build cities, although it is actually a simple investment, but can it represent a trend? Can this innovation be better developed in the fifth generation? Seeing the city you created become increasingly prosperous under your efforts feels extremely rewarding.
Still outstanding graphics and sound:
In fact, for the graphics and sound of the Age of Exploration series, I probably don't need to comment. Many players regard Koei's seemingly concise yet practical, simple yet extremely gorgeous graphics as the highest standard of computer game graphics. I deeply agree with that. Koei is different from Square Enix, not winning with gorgeous animations, but those exquisite pictures are still so wonderful. In fact, this is much simpler than making animations, can it give some domestic game manufacturers a hint? Regarding the sound, the Age of Exploration series is always so melodious. In different harbors, you hear the beautiful music of the locality. And when the game needs to be majestic, romantic, sad, or exciting, sounds that match your mood will immediately appear in your ears. I think, I can't pick any faults. Comparing with the fourth generation, the game has again made significant progress in these two aspects. Much more luxurious. Of course, this might just be due to technological advancement.
Approaching perfection, but still has flaws:
Apart from the aforementioned consistent lack of plot hints in the Age of Exploration series games. The enhanced version itself still has some problems. A question raised more often on our forum is whether the game supports WinME. This seems a bit strange. In fact, the game does not support it. Since the game basically adopts the core of Age of Exploration 4. At the time of the fourth generation, WinME and Win2000 had not appeared, so the game runs best on Win98. I don't know programming, but I believe programmers are capable, maybe this is just a small mistake by Koei. Another relatively big bug is that if the player accidentally wipes out a power that should help them before the game plot develops, the plot may not develop further. Unlike the fourth generation, where there will always be barmaids to help.
Overall evaluation:
Apart from some bugs, the game comprehensively surpasses the fourth generation. Perhaps this is just the normal progress of the gaming industry, but we can always see Koei's continuous improvement. The enhanced version of Age of Exploration is even much better than other enhanced versions made by Koei. Saying that this game is extremely excellent, I think no one would oppose it. How much did the Age of Exploration series affect my teenage years? Is it just about the understanding of the world and the longing for dreams? In this sense, it is far more than just a game for our leisure!