The Age of Empires series is considered by many the standard bearer for real-time strategy gaming. Combining the meticulous planning of outright warfare with the bean-counting analysis involved in building and maintaining an empire, AOE has become known for its depth and hues; a strategy empire in its own right. With Age of Empires: Age of Kings, the franchise has now landed on the Nintendo DS. But how can the encyclopedic details of pure strategy gaming translate to the console-based DS?
 
Age of Kings presents less of a strategy title and more of a turn-based strategy RPG for empire-building on the go. And the transformation really works! Part Fire Emblem, part Civilizations, Age of Kings is a hybrid of successful parent genres, and the progeny takes the best aspects of the prior generation in an attempt to create something entirely new.
 
It’s good to be king, or so they say, and Age of Kings wants to make that clear, providing several “historical” plot scenarios ranging from Joan of Ark’s aiding of the King of France in the 100 Years War to Genghis Khan’s assault on the known world. Tired of the Anglo-Saxon slant of western society? Try living as Saladin as he expands his empire. Each of the five heroes is provided with a unique and historically-based storyline, replete with empire-specific units and civilization advancements. The main crux of the gameplay comes in the form of these multi-chapter scenarios, following the rise and fall of the main character, controlled by the player. Other gameplay options are included, such as connected multi-player, Play-and-Pass multiplayer, and single player Empire Map mode, where the player can choose a map and up to 3 enemy armies to compete against, at varying difficulties.
 
Gameplay is turn-based in Age of Empires, with each turn representing a day in battle. By setting up goals at the beginning of scenarios, players are given free-reign to complete the tasks at hand, with bonus tasks outlined as well. By completing bonus tasks, players can earn points to spend on a whole slew of unlockables, like new maps and new units to be used in-game. These tasks range greatly, and the type of mission task determines the gameplay of the mission. Early on, missions may simply be to reach a certain point on the map and defeat a certain foe, while later missions may involve building a castle and creating a wonder while defending the gates of a besieged castle. Don’t worry – in-game tutorial modes explain everything!
 
The gameplay is set up on an isometric grid map. Heroes and other units may only move a certain number of squares each day, determined by the type of unit and the terrain. Cavalry, for example, can move extremely far on plains or roads, but are greatly hindered by mountains, while footman experience less of a penalty for traveling through forests but cannot move nearly as far on roads. On any given day, all units can be moved and take an action, such as having villagers build a mine or having archers attack incoming knights. On levels with a central town or castle, money and resources can be spent to build new units, build expansions to the town, or work on civilization advancements, which in turn allow for better units or increased production. At the end of the day, once all units have been moved, bought or engaged in battle, the player must select to end their turn. Then the bad guys get a chance to wreak havoc.
 
The action moves quickly in Age of Kings. Undiscovered areas of the map may hold untapped mines or fields for capturing resources, or may hide enemy castles guarded by the nastiest archers this side of the Thames. With many goals set at completing certain tasks before a set number of days, being as efficient as possible becomes a necessity. Surprisingly, engaging in battles quickly lends a helping hand to this cause, as friendly units gain levels as they win battles, becoming all the more difficult to defeat. On top of this, civilization advancements can add a percentage of armor or attack to all ally units, meaning a smarter civilization wages better war. He who learns the fastest, discovers the most, taps the most resources, builds the best town and army and vanquishes all of his foes truly reigns supreme … phew! That’s a lot of hard work for a handheld!
 
But take a seat, poindexter! This is a game about waging war, and nothing wages war like a manly tough battle unit. Borrowing a page of Fire Emblem’s weapon-versus-unit weakness system, varying unit types are matched up against enemies which they will defeat easily and enemies which will defeat them easily. Knights and cavalry, for instance, can engage most any foe on the plains and defeat them easily… except pikemen, whose lengthy spears pierce right through horse armor. Pikemen quell in fear, however, against the mighty ranged attacks of skirmishers (who throw spears) and various archer units. Archers, in turn, run in fear before the stampeding Elephant Brigades and Siege Machine units. And of course a good rule to follow: Villagers lose to everything, fast. Every unit type has a nice gimmick and some good bonuses, meaning that field placement and a survey of the enemy lines can mean the difference between success and defeat. There’s no buying of victories in this game, only strategy.