SHOWING ITS AGE

The problems with Age of Empires III start when you zoom in, seeing how messy things are up close. Combat neither looks nor feels great – your own units often struggle to get around each other, pathfinding is dodgy and inflexible. For a game gloating about its updated physics engine, it’s strange that the physicality of its combat makes it seem like everyone’s wielding weapons and armour forged from monopole north-facing magnets.

Age of Empires III remains a solid skirmish-style RTS that would fare better were it not released shortly after a game that’s so clearly Microsoft’s favourite strategy baby. Where Age of Empires II received several expansions over the last decade, including an all-new one for the Definitive Edition, there are no new campaigns here beyond the base game and its two expansions released at the time. And while there are a couple of highlights in there, most notably the tale of Native American soldiers in the WarChiefs expansion, they don’t really add up.

If you care little for single-player campaigns and are looking for a brisk RTS to play online with friends, then this is an easy path into a stalwart series and a timelessly fun strategy formula, with plenty of touches that make it easy to acclimatise to. If you’re an Age of Empires III fan, then this is the best way to play it going forward, even if the extent of the improvements reflects its status as the least loved entry in the series.

Age of Empires III may require less patience than Age of Empires II, but it’s also less rewarding over the long term, struggling to match the elegance of a game that’s been updated and refined for 21 years.

AgeofEmpiresIII is a modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that’s stuck in its predecessor’s ever-lengthening shadow.

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