Head to head
Which one will break you first?
Two fingerprints on one grid. Both are scored through your profile, so this answers the question for you rather than for the average player.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the harder of the two for you, by 1.1 points. The gap is widest on strategy, where Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition asks considerably more than Dead Cells. If you want the gentler run, start with Dead Cells.
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
DEAD CELLS
Runs are fast and deaths are total. Boss cells stack modifiers until a loadout that felt comfortable dies to two hits, and there is no difficulty setting hiding under them.
Real resistance. Expect to work for it.
AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION
Build orders are the curve, and the campaigns teach almost none of what the game actually asks for. The hard AI does not forget its economy while it fights.
Sustained pressure. Progress is earned.