Age of Empires II HD

It's time to create an empire of your own in Age of Empires II HD, a remastered version of one of the best strategy games of all time! After choosing from one of the many civilizations available, your main task is to improve your cities while fending off attackers who threaten your safety. Full of hectic yet strategic battles, time management, and a collection of impressive campaigns, Age of Empires II HD is an epic remaster that will have you sinking hours into your civilization.

Main Game Features

• Five single-player campaigns
• Build up your empire
• Dominate other kingdoms in battle

Story

Age of Empires II HD contains all of the single-player campaigns seen in the original Age of Empires II, all set in the medieval ages. Based on real people and places, all five of the different storylines see you commanding a civilization as they progress through the various eras of history. The tutorial campaign helps you learn the basics as you control commander William Wallace as he leads the Celts to victory during the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English. Additional campaigns see you playing as Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War, sultan Saladin as he battles the Crusaders in the Middle East, and much more.

Although the story campaigns are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of content included in Age of Empires II HD, they're a wonderful way to familiarize yourself with the game. Each campaign offers a rise in difficulty, continuing to challenge the player and rarely growing stale. Thanks to the variety of people and places, these campaigns feel immersive and even educational at times, putting you directly in charge of major moments in history.

Gameplay

Age of Empires II HD mixes the kingdom-building mechanics of games like Civilization with the real-time strategy combat seen in games like Warcraft, which is an excellent combination. There are thirteen civilizations to pick from, and when you begin, you'll start off in the Dark Ages with minimal resources and townsfolk. Using clever planning and tactical military techniques, you'll slowly overtake nearby towns and expand your civilization as you progress through the four Ages of history. In order to build up your city, you'll need to set up various buildings to mine resources, task villagers with researching technology, and more. It's always smart to form a solid military early, as combat plays a big part in the experience as well.

There are five types of military units to unlock and use, including archers, infantry, and more. You can even build seaworthy ships to form a navy or hunker down with siege weapons to catch attackers off-guard. Each unit has strengths and weaknesses and it's your job as commander to recognize when and where units should be used. Depending on what civilization you choose at the start, you'll also have a couple of specialized military units to use, such as healing monks, brutal knights, and more. As you survive the different Ages of history, you'll also unlock new military resources and technologies to use, changing the battlefield in major ways.

Conclusion

Age of Empires II HD is the full package for anyone who enjoys real-time strategy games. By taking real historical conflicts and putting total control in the player's hand, it's a game that feels meaningful and fun at the same time.

Pros

• Updated graphics look good
• Deep strategy gameplay
• Intriguing history and story

Cons

• Battles can be overwhelming
• Lackluster sound effects
• Only a few new features