Underappreciated 4X game Ara History Untold just got a lot better, and harder

Ara History Untold is one of those games where I'm almost confused about why it's not more popular. Especially in the aftermath of Civilization 7's muted reception, the appetite for an alternative historical 4X game should be greater than ever - detailed, difficult, and strategic, Ara has a lot of the qualities that I think players are missing from Civ 7. Moreover, after a difficult launch back in September, thanks to a series of new updates Ara's reputation has been quietly recovering. In collaboration with Sins of the Solar Empire creator Stardock, developer Oxide has just released one of the most significant overhauls in Ara's history. If you've burned through Stellaris, need a break from Age of Empires, or want a swap from Civ, this is definitely one to try.

The original release period might have been rough (probably not helped by the fact that Ara arrived after Firaxis had announced Civilization 7) but recently, the 4X game has been fighting back. The overall rating on Steam remains mixed, but after a series of patches and updates, recent reviews - reviews posted in the last 30 days - are 'mostly positive,' with 75% of respondents giving Ara the digital thumbs up. It's a small but notable sign that things are improving. Now, Ara History Untold's Living Strategy update is here to make the game better - and tougher.

First up, the map generation system has been revised so that players' starting positions are more suitable and resources are dispersed more carefully. Part strategy game and part city-builder, one of Ara's main focuses is resource production - as well as the sweeping, zoomed-out overview, you can bead right in to examine your townships in detail. The problem so far, however, is that when you zoom back out, a lot of the vital information you need about factories, citizen happiness, and output disappears. With Living Strategy, that's all fixed. The close-up stats remain visible even when you pull back to the wider world map.

When you reach the modern era, your cities should now be more densely packed and populated. Ara History Untold has also been optimized, so there should be a lot fewer frame rate drops, lower CPU usage, and each turn should be calculated and resolved more quickly.

The two biggest changes, however, are to the game's resource gathering systems and the opponent AI. First up, Stardock and Oxide have reworked Ara's menus to reduce micromanagement. Instead of having to direct your citizens' behaviors bit by bit, and tell them specifically what you want them to collect and focus on, you can now set policies that govern their actions on your behalf.

Secondly, Ara players have consistently noted that the opposition AI is too complacent and too easy, especially in the late game. With the Living Strategy update, your rivals will build better, more productive cities and train more efficient armies. Nations with an 'aggressive' personality are more likely to amass a military and your opponents will no longer keep trying to bribe you to bring a war to an end.

The Ara History Untold Living Strategy update is free for all players and available today, Wednesday June 18. It arrives alongside the game's new DLC, Untold Scenarios, which you can buy for $9.99. Just head here.

Otherwise, try some of the best RTS games, or maybe the best grand strategy games on PC right now.

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