April 29, 2021 Yup, they're still angry, but there's also plenty of appreciation going around as well
On April 10, 2021, we were treated to our first real look at the highly anticipated RTS game Age of Empires IV. We learned about the campaign, two new civilisations, some of the new features, and even a little bit about the Age of Empires 4 release date. Also on April 10, concerns appeared on the official Age of Empires forums regarding the game's art style. Weeks later, that debate is still raging.
User Jimmy19846071 started the main thread, voicing their opinion that Age of Empire 4's art style looks "cartoonish". It wasn't the only thread to emerge regarding the graphics, but they've all since been merged into one super-thread keeping the debate in one place. You can also see similar concerns being raised in places like r/pcgaming, as well as the game's official Steam forums.
The debate is multi-faceted; generally speaking, there seems to be a lot of concern from some that the graphics are 'cartoon-ish', although most take umbrage with the game's more subtle visual effects, such as what some fans think are oversized weapons, large arrows, and other less 'realistic' effects.
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Age of Empires 4's biggest challenge will be its own legacy
Age of Empires 4: release date, civilisations, and everything else we know
Age of Empires 4 - everything we learned from the recent RTS fan preview