Age of Empires II: DE - The Three Kingdoms Review Summary

New civilizations appreciated: The addition of new civilizations is well-received, with players finding them unique, fun, and interesting to play.

Entertaining campaigns: The campaigns are described as enjoyable, well-made, and engaging, providing high-quality and fun gameplay experiences.

Fun and engaging gameplay: The overall gameplay is described as fun, enjoyable, and well-done, with high playability and engaging storytelling.

High-quality DLC: The DLC is praised for its high quality, good value for money, and excellent content, making it one of the best DLCs.

Impactful mission choices: Players appreciate the decision-making system where choices impact later missions, adding depth and replayability.

Campaigns are repetitive and uninspired: Many players find the campaigns to be few, boring, and lacking in variety. They are criticized as being too similar to each other, short, and poorly executed, leading to a lack of interest and disappointment.

Missing campaigns for Jurchens and Khitans: Players note the absence of campaigns for the Jurchens and Khitans, which were expected to have their own unique storylines and voice acting. This lack of content is seen as a significant omission.

Historical inaccuracies in the game: The game is criticized for its historical inaccuracies, including misrepresentations of characters and events, an inconsistent timeline, and a lack of respect for historical accuracy. These issues detract from the game's credibility.

Game is overpriced: Many players feel that the game is not worth the price due to its lack of content and value. The DLC is considered overpriced and underdeveloped, leading to poor value for money.

Hero units are unbalanced: The addition of hero units is seen as problematic, with players noting that they are unbalanced, barely make a difference, and feel out of place. Some believe hero units should not be in the game at all.

New Chinese civilizations added: The game introduces several new civilizations, particularly focusing on Chinese-based kingdoms and civilizations such as Khitans, Jurchens, Shu, Wei, Wu, Liao, Jin, Dali, Western Xia, and Tubo. These civilizations bring unique elements and fresh mechanics to the gameplay.

Unique units for civilizations: Each civilization comes with its own set of unique units, adding to the diversity and strategic depth of the game. These unique units are not limited to castle units and include various specializations and bonuses.

Campaign storytelling and structure: The game features a rich single-player campaign with a strong emphasis on storytelling and narrative experience. The campaign structure includes varied mechanics and complex mission designs, affected by player choices.

Three Kingdoms focus: A significant portion of the game is dedicated to the Three Kingdoms era, including civilizations like Wu, Wei, and Shu. The campaign involves historical battles and the unification of China, providing a historically rich experience.

Hero units with special abilities: The game introduces hero units with special abilities, both active and passive. These heroes play a crucial role in both single-player campaigns and multiplayer matches, adding a new layer of strategy.

Frequent crashes and black screens: The game experiences crashes, often resulting in a black screen. This issue is prevalent and disrupts gameplay significantly.

Numerous bugs and inconsistencies: Players report frequent gameplay bugs and inconsistencies, affecting the overall experience and immersion.

Optimization and performance issues: The game has optimization issues, particularly on older computers, leading to performance problems.

Campaign-specific bugs: Bugs specific to the campaign mode are reported, including a notable crash during the final level of the Cao Wei campaign.

Freezing during animations and loading: The game freezes during skill animations and loading screens, causing interruptions in gameplay.

DLC highly recommended: Many players strongly recommend purchasing the DLC for its value, unique civilizations, and enjoyable gameplay experience, especially for true fans.

Recommended for specific player groups: The game is recommended for fans of Dynasty Warriors, Age of Empires, Three Kingdoms, and beginners. It is also suggested for campaign players and multiplayer-focused players.

Hero units for all civilizations: Players suggest that every civilization should have a hero unit, each with unique abilities, to enhance gameplay diversity.

Mixed recommendations on purchase: While some players recommend the DLC for single-player and team games against AI, others advise against buying it or suggest it is better suited for Chronicles.

Gameplay options and improvements: Suggestions include adding options to disable hero units, ban certain civilizations in competitive play, and fix balance issues quickly.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 15.0h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

Session length: 1.0h.

The game is fun immediately for players who enjoy single-player campaigns and team games with friends against AI, while multiplayer experiences may have friction due to balance issues and hero units.

Friction: Multiplayer balance issues; Inclusion of hero units in multiplayer.

Unlock drivers: Enjoying historical content; Playing with friends.

Campaign Enthusiast: Single-player focused, enjoys narrative and creative aspects. Motivation: Enjoyment of single-player campaigns and new mechanics. Stance: sale.

Veteran Historian: Focused on historical and cultural aspects, with a preference for content that aligns with their historical knowledge. Motivation: Historical accuracy and cultural representation. Stance: sale.

Critical Purist: Critical of new additions that deviate from historical accuracy or disrupt game balance. Motivation: Maintaining historical accuracy and game balance. Stance: no buy.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant stability issues with the game, including frequent crashes and instability during specific missions. Additionally, there are concerns about the game's content, with some users finding it lacking or derivative. These issues collectively impact the user experience negatively.

Linux and Proton: The expansion pack for Age of Empires 2 focusing on the dynasties of China has received mixed feedback. While players appreciate the immersive narrative and campaign design, there are notable criticisms regarding the implementation of heroic units and character representation. The heroic units are seen as unbalanced and out of place within the game mechanics, and some characters are felt to lack depth and heroic qualities.

Monetization: The analysis of user reviews for the DLC reveals several concerns related to monetization and perceived greed. Key issues include the perception of the DLC being a cash grab, significant game balance issues that may drive sales, and complaints about the high price. These factors contribute to a sense that the DLC may be prioritizing revenue generation over providing a fair and enjoyable gaming experience.

Outsource DLC development: Players suggest that the development of downloadable content (DLC) should be outsourced.