near-complete disaster, Tantalus Media has created a new version of a classic that will entice veterans and newcomers alike.
Visually, Age of Empires III has aged the best out of the trilogy and its changes in content and gameplay.
From the first launch screen, players will get a taste of the more meaningful changes to the RTS icon. A text box describes the reasons for changing the representation of Native American cultures, which was insensitive and inaccurate in a game which presents itself as rooted in history. All units will speak in their native language, and parts of the campaign concerning the Sioux and Iroquois - now referred to by their preferred name, Haudenosaunee - have been reworked to be more respectful and give them more agency and unique features. Two new civilizations have been added, the Incas and Sweden, which bring the total number of playable factions to sixteen.
New game modes and maps have also been added. "The Art of War" focuses on different strategies that can be carried over into competitive online play. New Historical Battles allow players to fight through recreations of real-life conflicts. An "Extreme" AI difficulty has been added, and the AI generally improved. However, there are still some frustrations with armies and units not engaging nearby enemies or attacking the wrong building, which can be difficult to manage in the late game when several skirmishes can occur across the map at once.
RTS games struggled greatly in the between the original Age of Empires III and its Definitive Edition, largely overtaken by MOBAs and character-based shooters on the top of the competitive multiplayer charts, but there has been something of a renaissance in recent years. The a new Age of Empires game to release in the future, it's more than enough to get players old and new on board with Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition releases October 15th on PC. Screen Rant was given a Steam key for the purposes of this review.
Age Of Empires 3: Definitive Edition
- Released
- February 1, 2020
