Empires Apart
- March 29, 2018
- DESTINYbit
- 450h median play time
Looks like a newer version of Age of Empires 2, and plays like a modern RTS. Good faction differentiation isn’t enough to save Empires Apart from being less than mediocre due to weak single player.
Get on Steam"Empires Apart" is a free-to-play Real Time Strategy game set in medieval times, where you lead uniquely designed factions in procedurally generated maps. Gather resources, build structures, raise an army, and wage war against enemies in skirmish, survival, challenge mode or online ranked and custom matches. With various units, heroes, and relics to choose from, this game offers a fresh take on classic RTS gameplay.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features unique civilizations with distinct mechanics, providing a refreshing take on the RTS genre.
- The graphics and art style are appealing, offering a modernized aesthetic that many players enjoy.
- The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, showing commitment to enhancing the game experience.
- The AI is poorly designed, often leading to unchallenging gameplay and frustrating pathfinding issues.
- There is a lack of single-player content, with no campaign mode available, limiting the game's appeal for solo players.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay100 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a blend of classic real-time strategy elements reminiscent of Age of Empires, enhanced with modernized controls and unique mechanics for each civilization, offering varied playstyles. While many players appreciate the solid mechanics and diverse factions, there are significant concerns regarding technical issues, bugs, and a lack of meaningful single-player content, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game is noted for its fast-paced action and potential for enjoyable multiplayer engagements.
“The gameplay is really fun and they made a few tweaks to Age of Empires II that I like, even though pathfinding and movement bugs are still far too common, but I'm optimistic this will be fixed at some point.”
“This is a game that takes the Age of Empires gameplay we know and love and builds on it in small but fun and thoughtful ways.”
“Empires Apart is a more than competent real-time strategy game featuring solid mechanics and unique features.”
“Lags like crazy, 8 fps after a few minutes of gameplay...”
“Edit: the game is now finally playable... barely... and the horrid gameplay shines through. I don't get how people can perfect this game type 20 years ago yet today we can't make a basic RTS game... clunky mechanics... laughable army clashes... linear maps through woods... damn you mobile gaming.”
“Very disappointed with the game's mechanics.”
- graphics80 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a low-poly art style that has received mixed reactions from players; some appreciate its unique charm while others find it lacking compared to other titles. Despite technical issues such as lag and crashes, many users feel that the visuals are adequate and contribute positively to the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the aesthetic is seen as a divisive yet interesting choice that adds a distinct flavor to the game, reminiscent of classic RTS titles like Age of Empires.
“The graphics are simple, yet elegant, and the gameplay can range from slow, turtle-like strategies to fast-paced assaults on the enemy base.”
“While the aesthetics of it being polygon-y is surely a matter of taste (I like it to be honest), it's cool to be able to enjoy a good strategy game while enjoying the scene.”
“The art style is also fun and charming in its own way, even though there are a few uneven elements to it, and the sounds and music and voices are surprisingly well-done and nicely tailored to each civilization, considering this is very much a small, low-budget project.”
“Game is laggy and broken, even on a 1050 Ti graphics card that can play Conan Exiles, Battlefield 1, Fallout 4, and other large titles.”
“Every map play either ends up with fatal errors and crashes or I get 9 fps on every graphics setting.”
“This despite the updated graphics, combat has very basic animations and the game is not enjoyable to look at.”
- music39 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its stirring orchestral quality and memorable themes, with many players finding it enjoyable and well-suited to the gameplay. While some reviewers note that the soundtrack may not be as iconic or memorable as those from older titles like Age of Mythology, it still enhances the overall experience. However, there are mixed opinions regarding the sound effects, with some feeling they are lacking in quality compared to the music.
“The soundtrack is very stirring and orchestral.”
“The old games, namely Age of Mythology, had very memorable soundtracks which, despite being almost or even more than a decade old, I can still fully remember because they were so catchy and well-designed.”
“From the menu music all the way to the music in the game itself, the general or civ-based themes are so good to listen to while you do your own thing!”
“To finish, a good song is ruined with poor and nonexistent game sounds.”
“The graphics and music are mediocre; the concept of art was nice though.”
“[almost complete lack of single player content, mediocre graphics and soundtrack]”
- optimization32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly on AMD CPUs, rendering it unplayable for some. While a few users have experienced smooth gameplay and noted improvements from recent patches, the overall consensus highlights persistent lag and poor performance, especially on larger maps. Despite some optimism for future fixes, the game's current state is seen as lacking polish and user-friendliness.
“I have not had the optimization issues experienced by other players.”
“In the early days after launch there have been issues - some serious performance problems on large maps and some occasional pathfinding goofs - but I'm already really enjoying the game as I'm able to play it, and the developers seem active and are working towards improving it; they've already released a few small patches that fixed one or two issues I was seeing.”
“Performance on my machine is fantastic, no surprises there.”
“I have given it several months before I wrote this review because I wanted the game to improve and do well, but even after several performance patches, the game is still so laggy that it's unplayable.”
“I can run any game on ultra quality, but when I explore a map, even a small one and with some units in it, I realized it's really poorly optimized.”
“Perhaps someone with a little more perseverance would have messed around with their settings enough to get the skirmish mode working; however, having already tired of this mess of a game, I see little point in wasting more of my time trying to get this poorly optimized, half-hearted, half-finished game to run.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, particularly with its AI, which often behaves erratically, prioritizing incorrect targets and demonstrating poor pathfinding. While players appreciate the game's character and potential, the persistent bugs and glitches, including a problematic user interface, detract from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, some players find enough enjoyment to continue playing.
“The AI, however, can sometimes be somewhat buggy, such as prioritizing the wrong targets, ignoring player troops that massacre theirs whilst their cavalry chase down villagers into a fortified base, etc.”
“Still very buggy, but finally a decent and modernized Age of Empires 2!”
“Very buggy AI; on survival mode, I was able to trick the AI into simply walking back and forth and never attacking due to pathfinding.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The replayability of the game is largely dependent on the player's interest in improving their skills, typical of competitive and RTS genres. However, the absence of a campaign and limited content options detracts from its overall appeal, leading to a perception that replayability is lacking.
“Replayability: Competitive games and RTS can be inherently replayable depending on your interest in them, since they're the kind of games you want to get better at and keep playing. However, as I've mentioned before, there's no campaign, and it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot else to do. This ultimately makes the game less interesting, which in turn affects the replayability.”
“Replayability: Competitive games and RTS can be inherently replayable depending on your interest in them, since they're the kind of games you want to get better at and keep playing. However, as I've mentioned before, there's no campaign, and it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot else to do. This ultimately makes the game less interesting, which in turn affects the replayability.”
“Replayability: Competitive games and RTS can be inherently replayable depending on your interest in them, since they're the kind of games you want to get better at and keep playing. However, as I've mentioned before, there's no campaign, and it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot else to do. This ultimately makes the game less interesting, which in turn affects the replayability.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is visually appealing, but it lacks a compelling storyline, which detracts from the overall experience. Players can explore individual civilizations through skirmishes or demo missions, but the absence of a narrative leaves much to be desired.
“Really pretty game, but gameplay isn't fun and there is no storyline.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with multiple users highlighting it as a standout feature that contributes to an enjoyable experience.
“Really funny game.”
“Really funny game.”
Critic Reviews
Empires Apart Review
A capable yet somewhat unfinished strategy game.
80%Empires Apart Review – Aztecs Against The World
Empires Apart is a more than competent real-time strategy game featuring solid mechanics and unique features. Sadly, the almost complete lack of single player content damages the experience a bit, making the game recommended, at the current price point, only to those who are willing to play online against other human opponents.
67%Empires Apart Review
Looks like a newer version of Age of Empires 2, and plays like a modern RTS. Good faction differentiation isn’t enough to save Empires Apart from being less than mediocre due to weak single player.
50%
