Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

Presentation

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a remastered version of the original Age of Empires, the real-time strategy game released in 1997. Unlike later installments, which mainly focus on the medieval and early modern periods, this first adventure explores the origins of great civilizations, from prehistory to Antiquity. Players lead a people through its development, from founding modest settlements to constructing cities and armies capable of conquering new territories. This edition brings together content from the original game and its The Rise of Rome expansion, with modernized graphics and several gameplay improvements. It preserves the franchise's founding principle: developing an economy, mastering technologies and conducting military operations in real time.

Each match revolves around gathering four main resources: food, wood, stone and gold. Villagers construct buildings and exploit the territory, while military units protect settlements and confront rival civilizations. Development is structured around four ages: the Stone Age, Tool Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Each advancement, researched at the Town Center, grants access to new technologies, buildings and units. Natural resources do not automatically regenerate: forests disappear as they are harvested, and mines eventually become depleted. This limitation places particular importance on exploration and territorial expansion, as an empire must discover new resource deposits to sustain its growth.

Civilizations possess distinctive economic and military characteristics that influence how they develop and fight. The Egyptians can notably rely on their chariots, the Greeks on their hoplite formations and the Persians on their war elephants. Other peoples specialize in archers, siege weapons, economic production or naval forces. No civilization has access to every technology in the game, requiring players to adapt their decisions to its strengths and limitations. Battles combine infantry, cavalry, archers, siege units and ships, with technological improvements, army composition and resource control directly influencing the chances of victory.

The historical campaigns trace several stages in the rise of the great powers of Antiquity. They notably explore the unification of Egypt, the development of Greek city-states, the history of Babylon and the emergence of the Yamato people in Japan. Campaigns inherited from The Rise of Rome extend the setting to Roman conquests, the Punic Wars and the conflicts accompanying Rome's expansion across the Mediterranean. Scenarios feature specific objectives, such as establishing a colony, defending a position, destroying an enemy army or conquering a city. The Definitive Edition preserves this succession of historical episodes, with renewed narration and a presentation adapted to the new version.

Outside the campaigns, the game offers skirmishes against artificial intelligence and multiplayer battles supporting up to eight participants, with the possibility of forming teams. Maps feature different land and naval configurations, changing the opportunities for expansion and defense. A scenario editor also allows players to create custom maps and situations. Technically, the Definitive Edition introduces remastered graphics supporting 4K, reworked animations, a reorchestrated soundtrack and an improved interface. New features make managing units and buildings easier, including rally points and attack-move commands. These improvements modernize the original formula while preserving its structure built around economics, technological progression and ancient warfare.

Key points

• A remaster of the original Age of Empires (1997), focusing on prehistory and the great civilizations of Antiquity.
• Progression structured around four historical ages, from the earliest settlements to the empires of the Iron Age.
• An economy based on four limited resources, whose exploitation requires players to anticipate their needs and expand their territory.
• Sixteen playable civilizations, featuring different economic characteristics, military units and technologies.
• Real-time battles combining infantry, archers, cavalry, war elephants, siege weapons and naval forces.
• Ten historical campaigns, notably covering Egypt, Greece, Babylon, Japan and the expansion of Rome.
• Single-player, multiplayer and team-based modes, alongside 4K graphics, a modernized interface and a scenario editor.

Conclusion

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition restores the foundations of the franchise's first installment through a technically modernized version. Civilization development depends on balancing resource gathering, settlement construction and technological progression, while the diversity of peoples and their armies directly influences military strategies.

The campaigns place this formula within several major periods of Antiquity, from the earliest cities to Roman conquests. Skirmishes, multiplayer battles and the scenario editor extend these mechanics beyond the historical missions. This edition therefore combines empire building, limited resource management and ancient warfare, while preserving the principles that gave rise to the Age of Empires series.

Good to know

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition was released on February 20, 2018, for PC, initially through the Microsoft Store. A Steam version was subsequently released on August 19, 2019. The game revisits the original Age of Empires, released in 1997, alongside its The Rise of Rome expansion, and uses a modernized version of the Genie Engine.

The original game featured twelve civilizations, with The Rise of Rome adding four additional peoples. The Definitive Edition therefore brings together sixteen playable civilizations, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Phoenicians, Macedonians, Carthaginians, Romans and Yamato. Each civilization has technological advantages and limitations that influence its economy, units and military capabilities.

The historical content includes ten campaigns, bringing together the adventures of the original game and its expansion. They notably cover the rise of Egypt, the glory of Greece, the history of Babylon, the Yamato Empire and the different stages of Roman expansion. The campaigns feature renewed narration and revised pacing, providing more than 40 hours of content according to the official presentation.

The remaster introduces resolutions of up to 4K, new graphical assets, improved animations, a rerecorded orchestral soundtrack and numerous reworked sound effects. Gameplay improvements notably include rally points, the attack-move command, a customizable interface and a population limit reaching 250 units per player, depending on match settings. Updates have also introduced automatic farm reseeding, improved production queue management and adjustments to artificial intelligence.

Matches can be played solo against AI, in competitive multiplayer or in teams cooperating against computer-controlled opponents. Online battles support up to eight players, with ranking features and customizable match settings. The scenario editor allows players to construct maps and define their own objectives, extending the creative possibilities inherited from the original game.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition offers voice acting, text and subtitles in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and several other languages, with availability varying by language. The game also supports multiplayer matches between compatible PC versions and remains exclusively focused on real-time strategy experiences, without an action campaign or direct control of an individual character.