REVIEW: Age of Empires II Definitive Edition

Age of Empires II Definitive Edition was developed by Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios. It's a remaster of the 1999 game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original. The game will be available both on the Microsoft Store and on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on January 31,.

Being the “owner” of civilizations that are part of our history is quite an honor; war is never the best option and never will be! But that's the magic of videogames, we can leave the real world, enter different worlds and be whoever we want, which is masterfully done in Age of Empires II and all titles in that franchise.

Starting with Age of Mythology nostalgia

Age of Mythology was released in 2002, when two games of the franchise had already been released Age of Empires. This game provided me with hours and hours of genuine happiness, I felt lonely and it made me very happy, one for containing mythical creatures and another for containing strategy, which has always been something that captivated me and still captivates me. That said, I met Age of Empires because of that game, and that's why it's being mentioned; I needed a text about how amazing this game is!

And then we have Age of Empires I

the much acclaimed Age of Empires, launched in 1997, is one of the biggest and most famous real-time strategy games in history, I have a huge attachment to the RTS style, it is no mystery to anyone that human beings like to govern, many do it wrong, but how we are playing we can afford to be wrong! I played a lot age of empires in my adolescence and I am very grateful for every hour I spent in front of the computer!

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

And here it is, the game that inspired Age of Empires II Definitive Edition, the game where we begin our journey with the illustrious Joana D'Arc, one of the great names in our history, for a France that was losing the war to the British. We find ourselves at a crossroads and at that point we take control to recover the glory days of that nation.

Age of Empires II Definitive Edition

The “magic” we felt with this game in 1999 is sharper now with the remaster of Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition: the game has 83 maps, 42 civilizations in the Multiplayer, 34 campaigns single player, 10 modes multiplayer and 7 co-op campaigns. It took hours playing this game and the gigantic nostalgia of when I spent hours on the computer trying to conquer another civilization, which brings me so many good memories that I can't even express how happy I am to return. The game is very complete, everything is well explained and easy to understand, even having a bunch of functions you don't even notice, because everything is very well detailed, which shows us the affection applied by the developers.

graphic difference

The differences are stark, as the first game was made in 1999, the graphic change is clear as the 2023 one had the look of a generation with much more resources and technology at its disposal, becoming clear through the images!

The sharpness as well as the focused coloring warrant kudos to the art direction; the team did an excellent reimagining of the work and that certainly makes the immersion even more palpable.

Gameplay

Being a passionate fan of video games computer, I felt a lot of difference playing in Xbox Series X, usually strategy games I tend to play on PC. Even so, Xbox provides the option to play with a keyboard and mouse, something that used to be impossible, but today it has become common, and that does not mean that it is a defect in the game, on the contrary, I felt more connected to the console, and the gameplay, when understood, flows very well, since the game has an unusual and very well done tutorial.

Multiplayer

The game has a mode multiplayer and also with crossplay, that is, it is possible to play with the PC crowd. You can play in modes: creation, quick game, find custom game and host game, which shows a wide variety of things you can do playing online and meet new people or even play with your friends, making the experience even more exciting.

Nostalgia takes hold of people who had the opportunity to do LAN party in the 2000s, where people gathered to appreciate the beauty that this style of game has to offer, where you need to join forces and resources to reach a certain goal.

game audio

The game's audio has its own identity, that characteristic ambient sound is present just like in previous titles, some aspects bothered me, especially when it comes to the repetition of phrases that villagers and soldiers usually do.

Accessibility was also a positive point in this new game, there is a narrator for those with vision problems and it is working masterfully, which, obviously, there was not in the 1999 version, due to lack of technology.

Recorders

The game's graphics are simple for being a remaster, but there is certainly an improvement over the previous game, we are talking about 24 years of difference from the original game. For anyone who loves beautiful graphics and played the 1999 game, you will surely love the work done by Forgotten Empires.

Stories

The part I thought was the coolest Age of Empires II it was the gigantic variety of stories, many kings and queens of France and other countries are also at your disposal to know the trajectory, something very interesting to explore and understand, which gave an extra “Q”; so many tragic and incredible stories simultaneously, you get a taste of what every moment of history could have been like through a 2D game and that's a sensational experience.

Without a doubt, the one that most caught my attention was Joan of Arc, I found it very interesting how this woman's strength is explored and how she encouraged hundreds and thousands of people to fight for her cause and that is something that few succeed.

Conclusion

I say with all sincerity, Age of Empires II Definitive Edition it's an amazing game just like the original, full of magnificent stories that make me understand much more about how cruel humanity was in its history, although not all facts are believable and, of course, these stories serve so much for us to learn from the mistakes of our ancestors as well as understanding how we arrived in the present day. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the style of strategy in video games, which I think is a shame, but whoever gets the chance will get a history lesson and also a gigantic and phenomenal experience!

The game lacks artificial intelligence a bit, as expected, so many commands are still not computed and as in any game of the genre, there are bugs. And the audio also bothered me a little in the gameplay, something that can be easily solved by turning down the sound.

See also:

We have other reviews on our website, such as the game The Callisto Protocol and on the Age of Empires IV. For more content about the technology, check out the showmetech.

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim