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Age of Empires

Age of Empires

|United States|Strategy

8.3 /10

Aww Great!

Very hot

679 ratings
Time to beat
Complete
4,806h
Where to get it
Trailers & screenshots
Why play it

Age of Empires (AoE) is a history-based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. The game uses the Genie, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.

Story and worldbuilding

Age of Empires requires the player to develop a civilization from a handful of hunter-gatherers to an expansive Iron Age empire. To ensure victory, the player must gather resources in order to pay for new units, buildings and more advanced technologies. Resources must also be preserved, as no new resources become available as the game progresses, meaning if you cut a tree down, the tree will not grow back. Twelve civilizations are available, each with individual sets of attributes, including a varying number of available technologies and units. Each civilization has technologies unique to them, so that no civilization possesses all the technologies possible within the game. A major component of the game is the advancement through four ages. These are the Stone Age (Mesolithic/Paleolithic), Tool Age (Neolithic/Chalcolithic), Bronze Age and Iron Age. Advancement between ages is researched at the Town Center and each advancement brings the player new technologies, weapons, and units.

Game highlights
Rating momentum

Aww Great!: 8.3/10 across 679 ratings. Word of mouth is strong — if you like the genre, go for it.

Play style

Leans into Strategy — a quick read on whether that fantasy matches what you usually enjoy.

Reviews

20 media reviews

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GameSpotDaniel Starkey · 22 Feb, 2018
6/10

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition introduces gameplay tweaks and 4K visuals to a 20-year old classic, but not everything holds up to modern standards.

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EurogamerRick Lane · 19 Feb, 2018
7.5/10

The 90s classic has never looked better, but beneath the makeover it can creak.

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PC GamerFraser Brown · 21 Feb, 2018
6/10

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a solid remake of a game that's past its time.

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DestructoidChris Carter · 19 Feb, 2018
8/10

The Windows 10 restrictions simply do the development team a disservice. A lot of work went into Age of Empires: Definitive Edition and just enough tweaks were made to ensure that it's still relevant in 2018. I have an incredible amount of respect for the folks who brought this classic back to life, and for their restraint to ensure that this remaster doesn't abandon its roots.

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WccftechChris Wray · 24 Feb, 2018
6.5/10

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition has certainly got the nostalgia factor going for it. Despite its age, and the numerous problems that come from it, Age of Empires is still a good strategy game. The major issue is that everything about the game has been refined and done better, even by its own successors. As a way to promote Age of Empires IV, it's a sensible move. As a way to revive the series using older titles, that was already done best with Age of Empires II HD.

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RedTieGuyBasil Frank · 10 Apr, 2021
7/10

Age of Empires Definitive Edition is a not only a great trip down memory lane but it will also introduce new players to a fantastic RTS series.

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PixelophobiaŁukasz Ankudo · 25 Sep, 2018
8.5/10

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition shows how remasters should be done. It's a game that looks better, plays better, but still feels the same as years before. Every strategy buff should play this game, everyone should at least take a look at it.

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DigiatoShayan Karami · 4 Apr, 2018
6.8/10

Developers' precision in remastering has made Age of Empires: Definitive Edition gorgeous in terms of graphics but the AI bugs and issues are a pain the neck which will probably solved in the remasters of second and third installments of the series.

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ZTGDSophie Halliday · 9 Mar, 2018
6.5/10

However, it's also likely to leave those older players thinking some things are better left alone as happy memories. It's the same reason that new players are unlikely to be enamoured. It's difficult to play a game like this in isolation. Sooner or later, the mind wanders back to the present – the truth is, the genre has come on in leaps and bounds since Age of Empires came on the scene all those years ago and this is one remaster that feels like it doesn't really belong.

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AtomixMiguel Reyes · 7 Mar, 2018
7.7/10

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition its a good remaster with great visuals but with a formula that, sadly, feels limited and kinda simple for the genre standards of nowadays. Nevertheles, iIt's an ejjoyable game that will appeal mostly to those fans and players who enjoyed the original title from two decades ago.

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