When something is done well we are the first to celebrate it. When something doesn’t work as it should, it’s also time to be there, have a panoramic vision of the problem and be even clearer, if possible. Age of Empires II Definitive Edition is a delight on consoles, but the mobile experience shows the seams of Xbox cloud gaming. It’s not that the mouse is missing, but that its touch control is a real calamity.
First things first: We are fully aware that Xbox Cloud Gaming is in Beta. A beta that, by the way, has been with us since 2020 and has improved at its own pace. Finding its own way into Apple devices and being the gateway for Xbox One gamers to 9th generation games. To Caesar what is Caesar’s.
And yet my story with the cloud version of Age of Empires 2 gives to make a manual of everything that remains to be done in the face of what should be its final version. Which does not mean that there are lots of games that do take advantage of the touch controls on Xbox Cloud Gaming very well.
Although, in iGamesNews we had access to the console version before its launch, it has been since then that we have been able to test the version for Xbox Cloud Gaming on mobile phones. Our impressions of the game have not changed one iota: is a must from top to bottom and a gift for Game Pass subscribers. However, it is undeniable that all the milestones of Xbox by replacing the mouse with traditional controls are completely diluted when playing on touch screens.
Playing AOE2 on mobile without a controller is technically possible, but I don’t recommend it
Paradoxically, the technology when playing on mobile and through the cloud Age of Empires II Definitive Editionn is not a barrier. To no one’s surprise, the quality of the game is directly proportional to the internet connection we have and being connected to a Wi-Fi network is highly recommended. The real problem is the very nature of the game.
As we commented, Age of Empires II Definitive Edition for Xbox Cloud Gaming it is exactly the same PC experience with all its content and, in addition, it is the version optimized for use with a controller. Consequently, and as you can see just below, the Xbox Cloud Gaming version of Age of Empires superimposes the game interface itself, with its shortcuts and shortcuts, to the tactile buttons. A disaster.
During the course of any game, so many problems and unnecessary complications appear on the screen that it is difficult to decide where to start, but I am very clear which is the worst of all: intermingle visual references and screen icons that do not respond to our actions with the redistributed buttons of the remote that we will use to navigate, select, cancel and even as a pointer.
If we’re getting fussy, you can hide or tweak the game’s interface thanks to the game’s ton of customization options, but we’re here: if you’re going to use the shortcuts you need or automate the production of your civilization, you need them to be in plain sight. Yes or yes.
In fact, using color options and interface customization is crucial on mobile. It doesn’t matter if you’re color blind: when your civilization has advanced too far the screen is overloaded with so much button and guide, but the worst thing is when you are on a screen where there is a lot of snow, it is difficult to find the sticks and touch pads. The solution? Find the left stick and leave the game area or fog of war areas to find the D-pad and other buttons again.
But the thing does not end there: to the above we must add the importance of the radial menus of the console edition. The key to its success, by the way. The default way to deploy these resources and manage them is with the two sticks and the buttons, so you need to tap the screen with three fingers of both hands. With a command, everything is reduced to a simple gesture, but that way we are going to get more than one upset.
We could even say that it is a problem that is solved by getting used to and internalizing the controls. But that’s where the biggest challenge comes from: Age of Empires is a strategy game in which we compete to dominate the stage, and as you stumble through the interface and menus, you see the AI progressing right under your nose. About online multiplayer, with cross-play, we better not even talk.
That said, it is totally unfair to say that it is not possible to enjoy this version in the cloud from mobile phones Age of Empires II Definitive Edition. The key is to connect a controller via Bluetooth or a device like the Razer Kishi. Thus obtaining the same experience as on consoles.
The arrival of touch controls to Xbox Cloud gaming was an absolute hit and there are tons of games perfectly optimized for them. Age of Empires II Definitive Edition Technically it allows you to play without controls, but it is one thing that it is possible and another very different thing is that it is recommended.
While trying to play the game and typing these words I have come up with loads of resources on the fly to optimize the experience. Things as simple as zooming in on the map with your fingers, in the same way that we do it with an image on our mobile, instead of raising or lowering the virtual right stick.
Which leads us to a very clear conclusion: Age of Empires returned to mobile via cloud play, but what strategy buffs really need is a delivery with a custom-designed gaming experience. The good news is that is on the way.
Age of Empires has its own legacy on mobile, and it’s worth learning from
That today you can play the same Age of Empires II from PC to mobile is a milestone. A very important one. Being able to share games with desktop and console players is another that is not far behind. But the experience that we literally have in our hands today lacks something essential: it is optimized for the controller and the console player profile and not so much for the mobile player. When it comes to playing in browsers it is an advantage, but on touch screens the best solution is to make a custom game. Microsoft knows this well.
Given its nature as a strategy game in real time, the saga Age of Empires has always been associated with the PC , but the truth is that to date and since 2005 Microsoft has experimented with up to seven games and versions of Age of Empires for mobiles and portable consoles. To put it in perspective, the first of them came out the same year that the third installment was released and there would still be two years left for Steve Jobs to present the revolutionary iPhone.
The common denominator? More than transferring the same experience to PCs, a delivery tailored to the device was offered. Age of Empires II Mobiledeveloped by In-Fusio, could be classified today as a very limited port in Java ME that did what it could to bring some elements to mobile phones and players who, essentially, used the numeric keypad on vertical screens.
A year later, on Nintendo DS and by Backbone Entertainment, a custom version of Age of Empires II He took advantage of the double screen system and the touch functions of the console to accommodate his strategy proposal in real time.
These two examples will be followed by a multitude of pocket versions with much less PC content or ambition. Different or alternative free-to-play bets that were discontinued despite the weight of the franchise, but in which something essential is present: the gameplay must be adapted to both the system and the player.
And, although Forgotten Empires and Tantalus nailed it by bringing the same desktop game to desktops in 2023, the cloud and mobile version stands out for its content and ambition, but demands the use of a controller no matter what. The good news, on the other hand, is that Microsoft hasn’t put all its eggs in one basket.
My experience when boarding Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition on mobile and through Xbox Cloud Gaming is not positive, but it is not fair either. Unlike other Game Pass games, and despite what it says in the application, it is not optimized to be played on a touch screen. Once again it is time to remember that the fact that it is possible does not make it advisable. But instead of closing on a sour note, I think there is still room for optimism.
Although it is expected that in the future it will be possible to play games in the cloud of Xbox Cloud Gaming with a mouse and keyboard, the future of the saga on mobile phones does not go through a better optimization of the console version or the promised fourth installment, but a completely tailor-made game: the new Age of Empires Mobile. The legitimate return of the cult saga to iOS and Android whose launch is scheduled, by the way, for 2023.
No matter how many years pass: play Age of Empires 2 it’s a treat. And despite the fact that its Definitive Edition has not convinced us on touch screens, our plans for this momentous year for the Xbox Game Studios saga remain intact: conquer the world while we wait for our bus to arrive. Play the penultimate game from the bed and with the lights off. Always the penultimate.
