This is one of the best, if not THE best 4X I've ever played. Where other games tend to go into auto-pilot pretty quickly, this game adds a ton of meaningful choices throughout the game. The AI is very competent, combat requires positioning, flanking, and logistics to be able to win any battles and the AI will use any opening you let it. You will need to use bait and accept that losses are inevitable. No single unit is win-all, they all have their uses! Oh and sea-combat that actually matters! (you need to setup ships anchorages that allow you to ferry units around, even if just along the coast for extra speed).

Then you have the order system that requires that you focus on certain aspects, which means other will suffer (if you're in a war, your orders will be going into that, and your workers will be idle or you may lose! Or you can (try) andtech your way out of that. Laws are also pretty interesting and the events keep every game fresh!

Even diplomacy is interesting because of the many personalities and the events that form them! And diplomacy is not just against the other nations. Tribes and families need to be managed and can be an asset or a detriment.

Only thing I will say is take the mod (by the devs) that allows for the turn lengths to be seasons rather than semesters or years. Because otherwise your leaders go by so fast there's not enough interesting things that happen to them to make it memorable.

(Oh and I bought it back in the day on EPIC... and just recently here and I have at least as many hours on that one, if not more. It is my favourite game of the last few years and my go-to if I need to clear my head and be so focused that time flies by...)