Age of Empires is a legendary franchise. I consider myself privileged to have grown up playing the games at their peak and now Age of Empires Definitive Edition allows newer generations to experience some of the greatest games ever made with a bit of a modern touch.
AOE:DE brings back the same charm the original game used to win over millions of fans across the world, with modern visuals and higher resolutions. It stays true to its Age of Empires roots but that’s a double-edged sword.
The gameplay, barring a few minor tweaks is largely untouched. Which is great, because if isn’t broken don’t fix it; however, AOE’s simplistic gameplay mechanics might not be enough to hold onto today’s audience. The game doesn’t have the depth like that of a lot of modern RTS games have, but adding new mechanics could and probably would break the game and require a lot more work than a remake of this scale. Some important additions, which of course are at par for the course in modern RTS’ but given how old AOE is they are more than welcome in the Definitive Edition. These include an Attack move button, Unit Queue’s in buildings, Rally points to name a few.
The AI itself is another cause of concern. While in the campaign it seems way more challenging than before, with an extremely aggressive approach that makes life tougher even on easiest difficulties. In Custom games it’s a slightly different story. After early stages, it’s fairly simple to survive as the AI doesn’t really change up tactics. So it might just get boring after a while.
The game’s main selling factor has to be the nostalgia factor with the modern touch. The same great game, with upgraded visuals. The higher resolutions (up to 4K by the way) help it make a natural fit in today’s world of gaming. A neat feature even allows you to switch on the fly between modern and classic visuals.
The iconic soundtrack that really rounded off the AOE experience makes a comeback with a fully re-recorded score that will most definitely send chills down your spine!
Overall, Age of Empires Definitive Edition is a great trip down memory lane for fans of the franchise. However, while it gives new fans a taste of what the classic had to offer, it might not be enough to hold onto audiences for long. Regardless, it’s definitely worth picking up if you’re an RTS fan.
