Age of Empires: Age of Kings Review

If you’re a PC gamer, especially a PC strategy gamer, then the name Age of Empires is certainly familiar to you. The Age of Empires games are one of the premiere series of real-time strategy games on the PC. Now Age of Empires has gone mobile, shrunk down to fit the Nintendo DS. The process has transformed the game from a real-time strategy game that rewards quick reaction times to a turn-based game that gives you plenty of time to plot out each move. While hard-core RTS gamers may feel that this is tantamount to sacrilege, the game has been translated into a turn-based strategy game quite nicely and is well worth a look from anyone who enjoys a healthy dose of strategy in their gaming.

Age of Empires uses the DS’ touch screen to display the game map. The game map is shown from an angled perspective to give it a 3D feel, but it is effectively a 2D grid like a chessboard. Each square on the map is given a particular terrain type and all of the standard ecologies are represented: plains, forests, mountains, rivers, etc. The terrain has an important effect on gameplay, both for movement and combat. Units can travel farther on a turn across plains or along roads than over mountains and rivers are completely impassable. Cavalry units perform well on plains, but suffer a penalty in forests, while archers benefit from taking the high ground. In addition to the terrain type, certain squares also contain resource sites which come in two varieties: wheat and gold. If you move a villager unit onto a resource square, you can build either a mill or a mine to automatically generate food or gold for your empire.

Unit production in the game begins with the town center. The town center produces villagers who are used to build both resource and unit-producing structures. Each structure you build will have a particular specialty, such as a stable which produces cavalry units or a barracks which produces foot soldiers. Other structures such as the blacksmith are prerequisites for certain unit types or new technologies. All structures must be built around an existing town center, so you’ll build little cities rather than spreading barracks across the map. The town center acts as the heart of the city, and if you destroy an enemy town center you can capture all surviving structures surrounding it by building your own town center in its place.

The game is played in turns, with each player (or the player and the computer-controlled AI) completing all of his or her actions for the turn before handing over control to the other side. Each unit can move and attack once per turn, although some units are restricted to one or the other action per turn. In addition, villagers can create structures if there are enough resources available, new units can be purchased, and new technologies can be researched. All of these actions can only be performed once per turn by a unit or structure, and the action is always complete by the beginning of your next turn.

The game uses a unit counter model for its battles – cavalry are strong against foot soldiers, soldiers are strong against pikemen, and pikemen are strong against cavalry. Other factors are taken into consideration when resolving battles such as the terrain, any special unit bonuses, and the presence of special hero units. One you initiate a battle it is carried out automatically as you watch the action on the top screen and are given the final strengths of each unit after the battle. The real-time component may be gone, but there’s a lot of strategy in maneuvering your units and trying to set up advantageous match ups with the enemy units.

The game comes packed with plenty of gameplay. First of all there are five different civilizations to play in the game and over 40 different types of units to command. There are plenty of maps and more can be unlocked by playing through the game’s three campaigns. Speaking of the campaigns, each is a series of missions that follows the exploits of a famous leader of the Middle Ages, Joan of Arc, Saladin, and Richard the Lionhearted. The Joan of Arc campaign also serves as the game’s tutorial and does an excellent job of teaching players how to play the game. This does not mean that it’s not a full-fledged campaign on its own – it certainly is and will provide you with some challenging gameplay for a learning experience. Each campaign mission is introduced by a handful of nicely illustrated static cutscenes that put the upcoming battle into historical perspective.

The gameplay is challenging and provides a surprising amount of depth for a portable strategy game, but it also suffers from that portability. When battles begin to heat up you can have a fair number of units on the screen at a time. It can then start to become difficult to distinguish which unit is where which can lead to some strategic blunders. This is especially true during sieges, when you have to contend with animated burning buildings along with the crowd of units as you try to select your units and give them orders.

While Age of Empires on the PC was elevated to its lofty status among strategy gamers in a large part due to its multiplayer play, the opposite is true on the DS. Multiplayer games can be played wirelessly, but you’ll end up spending a lot of time looking at your screen and wondering when your opponent will finish his or her turn. The game also supports alternating play with a single DS, which is actually a bit more preferable as you know exactly when your opponent has finished his or her turn.

It might have a few minor annoyances, but overall Age of Empires is an enjoyable game that will provide you with many hours of good strategy gameplay on the go. 

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 85%. The dawn of a new age of strategy gaming on the go.