Age of Empires III

In Age of Empires III, the main goal is to lead a nation as they colonize the Americas. This classic strategy game puts you in charge of building a settlement from the ground up while competing against other powers for total control. Everything comes down to how fast you can grow your economy and assemble a massive army to wipe your opponents off the map.

Released back in 2005, this is the third installment of the series. Unlike the older games, this one moves the timeline forward to the age of gunpowder, so you are managing musket-wielding infantry and massive cannons instead of just knights and archers. 

Features and Highlights

Age of Empires III has two expansion packs. The first one to arrive was The WarChiefs, which hit the scene about a year after the base game came out. It added three Native American civilizations into the mix. The second was dropped in October 2007, introducing three new Asian civilizations. It’s called The Asian Dynasties, which shifted the focus over to Asia, along with the reintroduction of Wonders. 

The game takes place during the era where robbing lands seems to be a trend. You have to deal with enemies that want your land, and for that you need a strong army. The more money you have, the bigger military you have. So, you’re struggling on two fronts here. The first is the enemies, and the second is growing the economy of your colony.

As with the older games, you start with minimal resources. Most of the map is blacked out, so you need to explore to make them visible so you can find out where to go to gather more resources, which are crucial for your colony development.

Creating buildings and training units are some of the actions that require resources. These actions give you experience points to earn cards, which you can then redeem for Home City shipments once you’ve collected enough. 

The biggest innovation in the game is the Home City. It functions as a persistent base that supports your efforts on the ground by sending over shipments of troops, resources, or technology. Instead of just relying on what you can gather from the wilderness, you can call for help from across the ocean to get out of a tight spot.

Age of Empires III Free Download for Windows

Age of Empires III was a massive leap forward in terms of visuals compared to Age of Empires I and II, but it is much more than just a face-lift. New features are added to spice things up. Home City, cards, experience points that have been mentioned above are some of them. The rest include an infantry unit called Explorer, new unique units, treasure hunting, and trade posts, among others.

The strategy game was a massive hit at launch and quickly became one of the most-played titles on PC. Even with so many modern games flooding the market today, it still draws a crowd, though it’s not quite the powerhouse it once was. You can click the link below to download Age of Empires III for Windows: