Anno 1404 / Dawn of Discovery
Anno 1404 / Dawn of Discovery is a PC strategy game released in 2009 developed by Ubisoft Mainz. It centers on battlefield assessment, unit or resource management, and turn or phase decisions, with controls and information arranged around mouse pointing, keyboard shortcuts, and configurable interfaces.
- AI score · out of 10
- 8.3 / 10
About this game
Anno 1404 / Dawn of Discovery is a PC strategy game centered on battlefield assessment, unit or resource management, and turn or phase decisions. Missions add map constraints, new rules, and tougher opposition, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Maps, unit states, and action feedback determine whether complex situations remain readable, while resolution, graphics settings, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio, text scaling, and hardware performance need to preserve action, state, and text readability together. The genre-specific limitation is that tutorial depth, dense menus, controller pointing, and long scenarios increase the learning curve. Platform conditions also include OS and hardware requirements, installation media, patches, drivers, DRM and launchers, key binding and controller support, save locations, mod compatibility, servers, and era-specific OS compatibility affect the current release. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
Anno is a city-building strategy series about turning small settlements into connected economies. Homes, production buildings and trading ships all depend on one another, so a growing city gives you fresh supply problems to untangle.
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Windows PC
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Deep economic planning with a steep PC learning curve.
The original Windows Anno 1404, titled Dawn of Discovery in North America, links exploration, settlement and maritime trade into a demanding economy. As residents advance, goods such as leather and spices require several producers and routes, while taxes and running costs keep growth from being automatic. Watching ships traverse established trade lanes and streets fill with residents makes the result of that planning tangible. A linear campaign introduces the systems but can feel like running errands for nobles. The customizable continuous mode is the stronger long-term attraction, with adjustable islands, rivals and victory conditions. Busy citizens, vessels, smoke, regional music and ambient sound give the abstract supply network a lively setting. A direct PC review finds building placement, taxation and routing easy to operate. It also reports poor instruction about efficient layouts, an unhelpful manual and a chapter-five bug that required loading an earlier save. Patient players seeking complex economic planning have much to master. Later expansions and the History Edition are outside this launch-release judgment.
Strengths
- Production and trade support long-term goals.
Weaknesses
- Campaign errands, weak manual and a release bug.
Who it is for: Patient city-builder players seeking economic depth.
Play notes: Original 2009 Windows release, excluding later editions.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Rich sandbox outlasts campaign errands. | Reviewed | 8.0 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Interlocking systems make expansion rewarding. | Reviewed | 8.6 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Lively PC towns strengthen immersion. | Reviewed | 8.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Good PC controls face poor instruction and a bug. | Reviewed | 7.3 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Ubisoft Mainz
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Release date
- 2009
- Platforms
- Windows PC
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Management & Building · Primary genre
- Tags
- 3D GraphicsTurn-based TacticsCommand-based CombatReplayableMain Story 20–50 HoursSolo-friendlyResource ManagementLong-term ProgressionTop-downSlow Burn
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Not provided
- Perspectives
- Not provided
Release editions
- Windows PCWorldwide2009
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided