I went behind the scenes at Gamescom to see Age of Empires Cellular in-person, getting a hands-on preview of the sport’s newest construct forward of launch later this 12 months. TiMi Studio’s iOS and Android iteration of the beloved technique sport franchise is already shaping as much as be a winner, nevertheless it was the sport’s superior extraction mode that has me past excited to revisit Age of Empires Cellular at launch.
Bringing an enormous expertise like Age of Empires to cellular isn’t any straightforward feat. Though there are heaps of cellular technique video games to get my mitts on today, the Age of Empires franchise has that particular one thing. Throughout my Gamescom unique preview, I’m proven Age of Empires Cellular‘s tackle the extraction style in an expansive presentation, and whereas on paper this concept shouldn’t work, TiMi Studio seems to have pulled it off.
Gamers will have the ability to drop into the battlefield with their mighty military, conquer enemies and purchase fascinating gadgets, after which select to extract at any time. It’s a mode that I by no means anticipated to see woven into the Age of Empires system. Nevertheless, simply because it riffs off the extraordinary system that FPS sport juggernaut Escape from Tarkov has popularized, don’t fear about it feeling alienating.
To make such a predominantly painstaking and calculated mode approachable for iOS and Android gamers, the mode’s magic comes by embracing the character of getting your repair of the finest cellular video games in bite-size bursts. I’m informed by the TiMi Studio group onsite that by specializing in participant habits, like getting in good ten minute chunks of gameplay on public transports or whereas enjoyable on the sofa, the mode is notably straightforward to dip into everytime you really feel prefer it.
That sentiment echos throughout Age of Empires Cellular as an entire, too. Whereas I didn’t get to check out the extraction mode in my hands-on preview as the sport isn’t stay but, I did get caught into the core of any good Age of Empires expertise: taking a civilization into greatness.
All of it feels splendidly streamlined, whether or not I’m upgrading totally different POIs in my metropolis, or diving into the sport’s complete talent timber, or roster of a historic figures. Should you occur to be a fan of Arthurian lore like me, you then’ll get an enormous kick out of how Age of Empires Cellular blends collectively factual figures of historical past with legendary heroes like King Arthur.
When we beforehand spoke to TiMi Studios in regards to the sport earlier this 12 months, producer Robin Xin and normal supervisor Brayden Fan promised a “very totally different” expertise for newcomers and AoE professionals alike. That’s definitely the large takeaway from my time with Age of Empires Cellular. However even in its new handheld residence, that distinctive Age of Empires model of spectacle remains to be spectacular.
You’ll have the ability to get in on the motion too when the Age of Empires Cellular launch date arrives on October 17, 2024. Within the meantime, you may pre-register to play the sport in your iPhone and Android units.