Age of Empires II: HD Edition

Age of Empires II has been re-imagined in high definition. With the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, this product will not be updated further.

85/100

Released

April 8, 2013

Developer

Ensemble Studios

Publisher

Microsoft Studios

Age Rating

Co-op Features

PC (Windows)

Online Co-op

8 players max

Local Co-op

8 players max

LAN Co-op

About

Developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Studios, Age of Empires II: HD Edition is a Real Time Strategy (Rts) and Strategy game that came out in 2013 for PC (Windows).

You can play together using Online co-op (up to 8 players), Local co-op (up to 8 players), and LAN co-op.

Description

With the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in 2019, this edition is not the most current and will not be updated further.

In Age of Empires II: HD Edition, fans of the original game and new players alike will fall in love with the classic Age of Empires II experience. Explore all the original single player campaigns from both Age of Kings and The Conquerors expansion, choose from 18 civilizations spanning over a thousand years of history, and head online to challenge other Steam players in your quest for world domination throughout the ages. Originally developed by Ensemble Studios and re-imagined in high definition by Hidden Path Entertainment, Skybox Labs, and Forgotten Empires, Microsoft Studios is proud to bring Age of Empires II: HD Edition to Steam!

Story

The player has control over a society and guides them through four different time periods or "ages". The game begins in the Dark Age, where very few buildings and units are available. After a short time when requirements are met, the user gains the ability to advance their civilization beginning with the Feudal Age, where more upgrades, buildings, and units become available. The next age is the Castle Age, in which the powerful Castle may be built, and used to produce powerful units including the unique unit of each civilization. Finally, the user can reach the Imperial Age, which is reminiscent of the early years of the Renaissance. Once the user has reached the Imperial Age, they gain access to all the upgrades, units, and buildings that may be built and researched for their specific civilization. The player directly controls Villagers, which are the most important economic unit in the game. The player has the power to order them to move or attack (all units except for Trade Carts, Transport Ships and Trade Cogs), construct new buildings, gather necessary resources (Villager units), and perform a range of other tasks, such as repair damaged buildings or garrison inside Castle or Town Center for safety.