I have to say I’m much disappointed with the choice of Malta.
On one hand Italy, possibly the last major European civilization missing, eventually is released; the European continent is finally tackled along new Minor civs styles; and apparently current European civs will enjoy a facelift too. The shift from the Age of Discovery core, to the larger scale of European theater warfare has officially started (it wasn’t so far, contrary to what I could read here and there).
But on the other hand, we get Malta, perhaps among the least significant entities of the possible European civs left. I mean if we’re going for another European civ, let’s go for a much more pertinent Nation like the Danes, who are ideal for AoE3! Heck, I never was for the immediate introduction of Poles-Lithuanians, but if the European theater is addressed, they offer (after the Italians and the Danes) a more logical choice than Malta!
Really my first and foremost concern is that some tremendously deserving civs, from the other much smaller categories, are left abandoned. Iranians, Brazilians, Koreans, Moroccans, Thai or Mapuche definitely constitute better contenders than the Maltese! I especially sorrow for the Asian category that is still longing for a newcomer. We’re now amounting to a whopping 11 civs for the Europeans, compared to the 4, 3, 2 and 2 for the other categories! And its’s not like there isn’t much candidates for them!
Now, I understand Malta is a special thing for AoE3: we play them during the very 1st campaign that set the iconic story for much of the franchise. Therefore, it is indeed a nice nod. Plus, I have no doubt the devs have found astute gameplay ideas for both the Italians and the Maltese.
Yet, I can’t help but have a strange AoE4 aftertaste when I look at these two new civs, they seem so far to heavily emphasize on the Renaissance era, the very 1450-1550 early era of the game.
With Venezia preferred to Roma even if in a contradictory manner the Italian flag used is the modern one from 1946 (not even the Kingdom of Italy flag of 1861!), but above all with the full Maltese roster: its inclusion seems almost anachronistic or at least severely restricted to a century.
That being said, you could answer back the Aztecs ended in 1521: true, nonetheless, they did establish a powerful empire that ruled unmatched their area whereas Malta was always under the vassalage of the Kingdom of Sicily, the French or the British! Again, the European category offer moreover a more solid contender with the Danes whereas there are less choices for the Natives when looking for highly organized entities.
Finally, I wonder how the Royal Houses will render. It’s an innovative choice, but perhaps I would have preferred to shine a light on local Europeans Natives like the Basques, Bretons, Sámi or Bohemians.