Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
TRYING IN VAIN TO HIDE ITS AGE. $22.45 | PC | www.ageofempires.com
THE FIRST AGE of Empires introduced the world to Ensemble’s Warcraft- meetsCivilization concept and got two years in the spotlight before being overshadowed by its follow-up. Two decades since launch and it’s been resurrected, with a couple of new conveniences stitched on for good measure. AgeofEmpires:DefinitiveEdition is prettier and slicker, but still not as good as its sequel.
We’ve had enough remasters now that it’s pretty clear what people want from them: the game we remember, rose-tinted glasses included. We want our memories of the game, not the messy reality. When it comes to the sights and battlefields of the ancient world, at least, developer Forgotten Empires has given us exactly that.
The DefinitiveEdition’s visual upgrade is a significant one, though you might not notice how significant it is until you fire up the classic mode to see what it looked back in 1997. It’s an overhaul rather than just a bit of HD polish, full of new art and animation, but it’s all in keeping with the original style. And it goes beyond aesthetics; the game’s simply cleaner and easier to parse. The result is that it certainly doesn’t look 20 years old, but neither does it look completely new.
It’s not just the visual identity that’s been maintained despite the 2018 facelift. Growing your towns and conquering other empires feels broadly the same as well. The rhythm of gathering, expanding and conquering is still hypnotic despite how familiar it is. The systems that set it apart, things inspired by Civilization, were a bit half-baked even in 1997, with trade, diplomacy and research existing in name only. The focus then and now is on micromanaging lots of fiddly units — up to 50 in the campaigns and over 200 in custom games — and constant expansion. Later additions, such as the idle worker button and the ability to queue up units, have made their way into this version, which means there are fewer headaches.
The 19 empires share the small roster of units and list of buildings, with their most notable differences being some unique upgrades. Age of Empires manages to do a lot with very little, however. The Definitive Edition contains the Rise of Rome expansion, so that’s 10 campaigns in total. Missions run the gamut from anythinggoes sandboxes to asymmetrical challenges with limited resources and fortified enemies. In a nod to Warcraft, there are also hero unit stand-ins in the form of mythological and historical generals.
I predict you’ll tire out before you finish every mission. A mountain of maps and objectives can’t disguise that you’re playing with the same small deck in every campaign. By the time you finish the Egyptian tutorial campaign, you’ll have seen all of it.
The terrible pathfinding and dull AI have made the jump to 2018. They do seem less pronounced, but every unit is still useless without micromanagement. Since warfare doesn’t get much more complicated than growing a horde and clicking on targets, fights are like herding confused cats.
These aren’t problems that are only apparent now, 20 years later, but time has certainly made them stand out. For a trip down memory lane, it sure is expensive.