Age of Empires III

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Age of Empires III is a warfare real-time strategy game that covers the time period of 1500-1850, with a focus on European powers exploring, colonizing, and conquering North and South America. Exciting new features include the Home City and an advanced combat system, while stunning graphics are made possible by a cutting-edge graphics engine. The game offers multiplayer and single-player options, including a unique campaign experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 11,770 reviews

graphics384 positive mentions

stability34 negative mentions

graphics
789 mentions
49 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of Age of Empires III have received mixed reviews, with many praising their impressive quality for a game released in 2005. Players appreciate the detailed environments, realistic animations, and vibrant colors, which contribute to an immersive experience. However, some critics note that the graphics can feel dated compared to modern standards, and there are opinions that the game leans towards a more cartoonish aesthetic, which may detract from the historical accuracy that fans of the series expect. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered a strong point, they are not without their criticisms.
- “The graphics in Age of Empires III are impressive, even by today's standards.”
- “The game features stunning visuals with detailed environments, realistic animations, and breathtaking particle effects.”
- “It's a game that successfully combines historical accuracy, strategic gameplay, and immersive visuals to create an unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “The graphics are poor and the gameplay is extremely boring.”
- “The graphics are not the best, but overall it still holds up to fairly modern RTS games.”
- “The graphics may be a bit lacking but doesn't take away any of the game's appeal.”
gameplay
780 mentions
42 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Age of Empires III is characterized by its blend of classic real-time strategy mechanics with innovative features like the home city and card system, which add depth and customization to the experience. While some players appreciate the streamlined mechanics and engaging multiplayer options, others feel that it lacks the complexity and balance of its predecessor, Age of Empires II. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic yet distinct gameplay experience that remains enjoyable, particularly for fans of the series.
- “It's a game that successfully combines historical accuracy, strategic gameplay, and immersive visuals to create an unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “The gameplay is addictive and challenging, with a variety of missions and campaigns that provide hours of replayability.”
- “The seamless transition from Age of Empires II to Age of Empires III feels like coming home, while the enhanced graphics and improved gameplay mechanics take the experience to new heights.”
- “Some may find the gameplay to be too slow or repetitive, and the AI opponents may at times seem too easy to defeat.”
- “Unlike its predecessors, AOE3 is a game that went wrong in so many ways and despite some enjoyability, the only reason I am not recommending it is because of its limited gameplay and take away experience.”
- “The gameplay has been simplified down and is generally just too easy.”
story
498 mentions
39 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative that follows the fictional Black family across multiple generations, while others criticize it for being campy, historically inaccurate, and lacking depth compared to previous installments like Age of Empires II. Many players enjoy the variety of missions and the blend of historical and fictional elements, but some find the storytelling to be simplistic or repetitive. Overall, while the campaign offers a decent storyline and enjoyable gameplay, it may not resonate with everyone, especially those seeking a more serious historical narrative.
- “The voice acting is excellent, with memorable performances that bring the characters to life and add depth to the story.”
- “The campaign mode offers a compelling story that is both educational and entertaining.”
- “The campaigns are well-written and offer a good mix of story and gameplay.”
- “The campaign is, unfortunately, the weakest point of the game because the story departs from the historical set-piece battles of Age of Empires 2; the storyline instead tries to tell a unique 'pseudo-historical' tale of intrigue and conspiracy with its own fictional characters, but it just lacks adequate character development or compelling writing.”
- “The story is too fast-paced to get the feel of the campaigns.”
- “The single-player campaign story is hammy and terrible, but that was always the case with Ensemble.”
music
125 mentions
49 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience with a beautiful and fitting soundtrack that reflects the historical setting. While many players find the music engaging and enjoyable, some note occasional sound issues and a desire for more variety in the tracks. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The sound design is also top-notch, with an epic and immersive soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience.”
- “The music and soundtrack is also so beautiful and calms you.”
- “The soundtrack... it's honestly breathtaking.”
- “Right now the game stalls when saving, gradually loses unit sound, voices, and eventually music.”
- “The voices and music often start skipping and you have to constantly restart the game to fix it.”
- “Sound issues abound occasionally where the music will stop playing, and the unit voices will be muted.”
replayability
99 mentions
52 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
Age of Empires III is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to its diverse civilizations, engaging skirmish modes, and the innovative home city and card systems that allow for varied strategies and customization. While some players note it may not reach the replayability levels of its predecessor, Age of Empires II, many still find it offers countless hours of enjoyable gameplay, especially in multiplayer settings. Overall, the game maintains a strong appeal with its mix of addictive gameplay and extensive content, ensuring it remains a classic choice for strategy enthusiasts.
- “The gameplay is addictive and challenging, with a variety of missions and campaigns that provide hours of replayability.”
- “All-in-all: awesome game with almost endless replayability, thanks to it being a package in which you can fight your very own way by using your own strategy and perks.”
- “The home city mechanic adds endless replayability and the civilizations are far more diverse and distinct in their playstyles than 2.”
- “It's a solid game, it's not quite as classic and replayable as 2 though.”
- “Not very replayable, the graphics can be a bit of an eyesore, and the campaign is repetitive and short.”
- “The main limitation to replayability is lack of options for multiplayer games and a fairly predictable AI.”
stability
42 mentions
17 % positive mentions
2 % neutral mentions
81 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth gameplay and minimal bugs, particularly in single-player modes, others experience significant issues such as sound glitches, UI problems, and online connectivity troubles. Some users highlight that the game runs well on modern systems, but online play can be particularly buggy, leading to frustrations with matchmaking and unit pathfinding. Despite these issues, many still find the game enjoyable and worth playing, especially for its nostalgic value.
- “Great gameplay on LAN, not buggy or laggy like the newer versions; it just works.”
- “No bugs, no freezes, just fun.”
- “The complete collection is amazing with no glitches and great gameplay.”
- “Fun game but sometimes clicks off screen when scrolling left/right and glitches when trying to alt+tab back in or clicking back in.”
- “The steam version is very buggy; sound disappears, UI glitches appear, and units get stuck where they should not be able to.”
- “The online servers have plenty of glitches and a low player base; there are also very few rules, so game rules are usually based upon trust.”
humor
42 mentions
98 % positive mentions
-5 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players enjoying funny cheat codes, amusing AI interactions, and humorous voiceovers from leaders. Many find the comedic elements, such as quirky taunts and absurd gameplay moments, to enhance the overall experience, making it entertaining and lighthearted. However, some players note that the humor may diminish during extended solo play, suggesting that the game's comedic charm is best enjoyed with others.
- “Also, cheat codes exist and can be extremely funny.”
- “There's lots of maps you can pick with beautiful scenery, different nations each with their own leader that automatically quote funny taunts at you in-game, as your enemy or ally.”
- “Love this game, it's a real time burner, sometimes funny; shoot a horse with a cannon and watch it fly over a tree, lol.”
- “I will not recommend buying this game unless you have someone to play it with; it's not funny at all if you play alone.”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced, making the experience more cringeworthy than enjoyable.”
- “I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes are stale and the comedic timing is off.”
grinding
34 mentions
9 % positive mentions
24 % neutral mentions
68 % negative mentions
Reviews on the grinding aspect of the game are mixed; while some players enjoy the farming and resource-gathering mechanics, others find the grinding tedious and time-consuming, often suggesting that it requires excessive playtime to achieve meaningful progress. The game offers options to mitigate grinding, such as altering settings for quicker advancement, but many still feel that the necessity of grinding for home city cards and experience detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the balance between fun gameplay and grinding remains a point of contention among players.
- “It's also more fast-paced than most other RTS games, but fast in a way that avoids the tedious slowness found in many other RTS games, which often have very slow movement and less fighting.”
- “- Not too grindy - I like games where I can invest a few hours and get something out of it.”
- “Can be grindy.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grind mechanic can seem a bit tedious though.”
- “The pace of the game is tedious and annoying.”
optimization
20 mentions
35 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
35 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and beautiful graphics on various systems, while others report significant issues, particularly with compatibility on Windows 10 and poor multiplayer optimization. Many users noted that despite the game's strengths, it suffers from glitches, stuttering, and inefficient resource usage, leading to a less than ideal experience for some players. Overall, while some aspects are well-optimized, there are notable areas that require improvement.
- “It runs smoothly.”
- “Beautiful graphics which are still beautiful to this day, great performance and beauty even with not so good PCs.”
- “Performance is also great, no issues that can ruin your play.”
- “Its a great game but is not optimized and playable right away.”
- “This is one of the few games where I'd strongly advise you to pirate the original games or find a way to make the CDs run on Windows 10, because this port is absolutely disgustingly optimized.”
- “It has compatibility issues with Windows 10 (it's possible to make it work, but it's not obvious and by now there should be a patch available to fix it without looking for workarounds) and it could have been better optimized.”
atmosphere
13 mentions
38 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive music, sound effects, and detailed art design, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the unique 3D presentation and the distinct cultural elements that contribute to a rich, historically absorbing environment. While some comparisons to previous titles in the series highlight its strengths and weaknesses, the game's atmosphere is consistently recognized as a standout feature.
- “The gameplay is great, the atmosphere and sound are really immersive.”
- “This game has a special spirit, atmosphere, realism.”
- “It was inevitable, I thought, a done deal: Age of Empires III was going to be the most beautiful, expansive, historically absorbing, atmospheric RTS game ever created.”
- “It's a classical game which does not shine as the series of Age of Empires 2 (AE2); still, it's a well-refined version of the game in this series. The art design for this game is AAA level, with every structure detail being clear and breaking down piece by piece when damaged. The music suits the atmosphere throughout the whole game, not perfect, but you know the developer team tried their best on this game.”
- “This Age of Empires game is like no other in its series due to the fact that it is presented in a three-dimensional atmosphere, allowing the player to experience the series like never before, which gives this game a new and interesting flavor.”
- “The atmosphere, the feel, the graphics—it's all beautifully done.”
emotional
10 mentions
90 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, often finding themselves moved to tears by the stakes involved and the experiences with their villagers. While the campaigns can be engaging and occasionally emotional, the overall focus is more on enjoyable gameplay and social interaction rather than a deeply heartwarming narrative. Nonetheless, the emotional support and nostalgia it provides resonate strongly with many players.
- “Man, I thought I was playing a game until I cried over my villagers getting rushed.”
- “The campaigns are decent, especially the vanilla campaign, which gets quite engaging and somewhat emotional at times.”
- “So many memories @_@ and the fact that the servers are still up, and even updated from how they used to be... just makes me want to cry every time. 10/10 would cry again.”
- “It is common for an AOE game to have a bland or boring storyline.”
monetization
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
71 % negative mentions
The monetization in the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players criticizing the introduction of cosmetic microtransactions and additional paid content, which they feel detracts from the experience. While some appreciate the absence of in-game purchases in certain versions, others perceive the current model as a cash grab, particularly in comparison to previous iterations of the game. Overall, there is a sentiment that the monetization strategy could be improved to enhance player satisfaction.
- “It doesn't tax your computer and has no in-game purchases.”
- “No microtransactions, replayability for ages; what is there not to like?”
- “They have added more paid content, which is not that bad in terms of civilizations, but cosmetic microtransactions are making their way into the game and it just doesn't feel... right.”
- “If you want to play AOE3 multiplayer, try AOE3: Cash Grab Edition, I mean, Definitive Edition.”
- “It was a mistake buying it hoping I could like it; they need to remake AOE2 with these graphics. Maybe even add in a choice to slowly upgrade yourself from the Feudal Age to this time period, but it's been years and all they made was a failed cash grab of some online free version of itself dumbed down for 8-year-olds.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the campaign is criticized for being weak, as the story shifts away from historical battles to a fictional narrative filled with intrigue and conspiracy. Reviewers feel that the characters lack depth and the writing fails to engage, resulting in a less compelling experience.
- “The campaign is, unfortunately, the weakest point of the game because the story departs from the historical set-piece battles of Age of Empires 2; the storyline instead tries to tell a unique 'pseudo-historical' tale of intrigue and conspiracy with its own fictional characters, but it just lacks adequate character development or compelling writing.”