Summary
Ara: History Untoldis an upcoming 4X game from Oxide Games. With a development team that includes former Firaxis employees, the game can potentially be a major competitor to theCivilizationfranchise. However, as explained in therecent Xbox Developer Direct,Ara’s developers want to set the game apart by approaching history from new perspectives.
This can be seen in the game’s approach to leaders. As in Firaxis’Civilization, each nation’s leader plays a significant role inAra: History Untold. However, whereasCivilizationprimarily focuses on military and political leaders,Aratakes a broader view of leadership. While the upcoming game’s leaders include great kings and generals, scientists, poets, and philosophers have also made their way onto the roster.
Confirmed Leaders
Likely Leaders
The upcoming 4X gamefeatures 45 leaders, according to the selection screen shown in the Developer Direct. Oxide Games has revealed the identities of 28 of them, though there is still some room for interpretation. For example, the game’s concept art for Boudica describes her as “Queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe,” but it’s unclear whether that means she will lead England or the Celts inAra: History Untold.
Similarly, Alexander the Great was King of Macedon, but it’s unclear if the game considers the Macedonians a distinct civilization from the Greeks. Meanwhile, the concept art for Nicolas Copernicus didn’t mention his nationality. The real Copernicus came from an ethnically German part of Poland, so while he is probably Polish inAra: History Untold, this has yet to be confirmed.
As for the other 17 icons, some are hard to identify. However,the Roman Emperor is probably Julius Caesar. Another character looks like Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald. A third icon closely resembles the typical depiction of Charlemagne but could conceivably be another medieval European monarch. If it is Charlemagne, he will most likely lead France, but could also rule the Holy Roman Empire, if it exists in the game. Finally, the woman two spaces to his right might be former Argentine First Lady Eva Peron.
Ara: History Untold’s Unusual Leaders
Ara’s leaders reflect Oxide’s visions forHistory Untold. Most were military or political leaders; even the slightly more obscure ones wouldn’t be out of place inaCivilizationgame. However, Howard Florey was a pharmacologist, Sappho was a poet, Beccaria and Confucius were philosophers, and Copernicus was an astronomer and mathematician. All of them were very influential in their own ways, though none of them wielded political power. Confucius and Beccaria at least wrote on politics, but the others might seem like odd choices for a 4X strategy game.
However,this is part of Oxide Games’ pointabout how leadership doesn’t necessarily have to be confined to a military or political context. While most of her work has been lost, Sappho was regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets in the ancient world. Florey helped discover penicillin and was the key figure in turning it into a useful and effective drug, while Copernicus developed the heliocentric model of the Solar System. Meanwhile, Confucius was one of the most influential philosophers in history, while Beccaria is regarded as the father of modern criminal law.
One could argue that these figures have as much historical influence or more than some ofAra’s more conventional choices of leaders. Given Oxide Games’ stated desire to approach historical strategy games from new perspectives, they may actually be perfect fits forAra: History Untold.
