Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome Review (FavoR)
Age of Empires II: Return of Rome delivers a satisfying expansion. Three new campaigns are introduced, each with exceptional voice acting, captivating narratives and diverse gameplay challenges.
Sargon of Akkad presents a compelling story with a well-balanced difficulty curve and plays on your moral compass, while Trajan's campaign offers a gradual increase in complexity - although certain scenarios are quite restrictive forcing you to use cheese strategies to complete the scenario. Pyrrhus of Epirus stands out as one of my favourites. It introduces innovative gameplay mechanics such as diplomacy and large-scale warfare, increasing the replayability, and features a particularly engaging narrative.
The addition of remastered Age of Empires I campaigns were welcomed, though they primarily serve as a nostalgic purpose. While the updated graphics, AI and minor scenario improvements resulted in the scenarios being more enjoyable, the gameplay does feel quite dated compared to the more modern and engaging campaigns introduced in Return of Rome and AoE2. They introduced Yamato as a playable civilisation in multiplayer although did not remake the campaign under Return of Rome which was disappointing. The overall multiplayer scene for Return of Rome is dead.
The addition of challenge achievements was also welcomed, as they force you to play the scenario in a different way with a few changing the win conditions of the scenario and providing a reason to go back to revisit the scenarios.
Overall, Return of Rome is an amazing expansion for Age of Empires II fans who prioritise single-player content. The new campaigns are exceptional, offering engaging stories, diverse gameplay and challenging scenarios. While the remastered Age of Empires I campaigns offer a nostalgic experience, their campaigns are quite dated. I highly recommend the DLC for players who enjoy the single-player campaigns and content of AoE2, although players need to keep in mind that the AoE1 campaigns may not offer the same level of engagement or enjoyment. Multiplayer on the other hand, is most certainly dead. I would only recommend it for the new civilisations to play against AI or friends.