Myth-tery solved.
I remember spending countless hours in the original Age of Mythology, optimising base build orders in skirmish mode, and trying new strategies online. I’d also study the latest meta strategies shared in the AoTS (Age of Titans Sanctuary) forums, and watch as clans like eXcalibur and Vagabond dominated the leaderboards. Players like eX_Hope and KS_Josey_Wales were like celebrities.
I was thrilled at the opportunity to dive into Age of Mythology: Retold. This remastered version of the 2002 classic brings the mythological real-time strategy game into the modern era with updated graphics, new features, and quality-of-life improvements. Does it succeed in recapturing that same magic while bringing the game into the modern age? Let’s find out.
The heart of Age of Mythology: Retold lies in its campaigns. The game features a whopping 50 missions across multiple storylines, taking players on an epic journey through Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean mythologies.
The main campaign follows Arkantos, a Greek hero, as he embarks on a quest that spans the ancient world. From the legendary walls of Troy to the frozen wastes of Midgard and the shifting sands of Egypt, the story is a thrilling ride through familiar mythological landscapes.
Voice acting in the campaign is generally solid. The main characters and major players all seem to have new voice work recorded for their parts. Villains like Gargarensis sound appropriately menacing and powerful. There had been some concerns during the beta about Arkantos’ new voice, but I’m happy to report that in the full release, his lines appear to have been re-recorded. The new voice is a marked improvement that even sounds reminiscent of the original actor from decades ago.
In addition to the main Greek campaign, players can dive into:
These additional campaigns are available right from the start, so you’re not locked into playing the main story if you’d prefer to jump straight into a different mythological setting.
The variety in mission objectives keeps the campaigns fresh and engaging. Occasionally, you’ll start with a fully-fledged town centre, tasked with building up an economy and army. Other missions might give you just a handful of units, challenging you to complete objectives with limited resources. This variety ensures that you’re not just repeating the same build-and-conquer pattern in every mission.
At its core, Age of Mythology: Retold follows the tried-and-true Age of Empires formula. You (typically) start with a town centre and a few villagers, then work to gather resources, expand your base, and eventually build an army to crush your opponents. However, the addition of mythological elements adds a unique flavour to the gameplay.
As you progress through the ages (Archaic, Classical, Heroic, and Mythic), you’ll gain access to more powerful units, upgrades, and pagan god powers. The interplay between human units, mythical creatures, and special powers creates a strategic depth that sets Age of Mythology apart from its historical counterparts.
Each major pagan god and minor pagan god grants you access to unique myth units, upgrades, and special powers. These powers escalate in potency and pomp as you advance through the ages. By the time you reach the Mythic Age, you’ll be calling down meteor strikes, summoning earthquakes, and unleashing legendary creatures like the Egyptian Son of Osiris or the Norse Nidhogg.
The variety of special powers is impressive. Some are straightforward, like summoning a healing spring or imbuing your units with temporary flaming swords. Others, like the Norse Ragnarok, are high-risk, high-reward abilities that can turn the tide of battle—or leave you in peril if they fail.
This game also carries forward features from the Age of Mythology: The Titans expansion pack released in 2003: Titan units are back and more bombastic than ever, auto-queue, for better or worse, returns and effectively puts your military production on autopilot.
Age of Mythology: Retold features four distinct pantheons (referred to as ‘civilisations’ in the original game): Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean. Each offers a unique play style and set of strengths:
Each pantheon has at least three major pagan gods to choose from, each specialising in different areas. For example, Greek players can serve Zeus (infantry and hero bonuses), Hades (ranged and building bonuses), or Poseidon (cavalry and economic bonuses). The variety of skills and bonuses among the available deities adds another layer of strategy to your gameplay choices.
While the campaigns offer a rich single-player experience, the real longevity of Age of Mythology: Retold lies in its multiplayer offerings. Whether you’re playing online or in local skirmishes against AI, there’s a wealth of options to keep you engaged.
Multiplayer modes include:
Online play offers both casual and ranked matches. The latter uses a rating system to match you with players of similar ratings and skill levels. Winning increases your rating, while losing decreases it, helping to ensure that the matchmaking component pairs you up with suitable opponents. For real-time strategy purists, you can search for ranked match opponents who have military auto-queue set to disabled, too.
The game runs smoothly online, with minimal hiccups. You can filter unranked lobbies by region to ensure low-ping connections, and there’s even cross-play support with Xbox players.
For those who prefer offline play, the skirmish mode offers similar options against AI opponents. You can set up massive battles with up to 12 players (including AI), tweak various settings, and even disable Titans if you prefer to do without overpowered serving as a crutch.
Age of Mythology: Retold is a significant visual upgrade over the original and even the more recent Age of Mythology: Extended Edition. Characters and units are more detailed, buildings have additional embellishments, and the mythical creatures look more imposing than ever. Special powers, in particular, have received a spectacular makeover, with effects that really sell their divine nature.
The game supports modern graphical features like ray tracing, dynamic lighting, and antialiasing. Weather effects are now visible on buildings, adding to the overall atmosphere. On my mid-range system (Intel i5 13600K, AMD Radeon 7800 XT, 32GB DDR4 RAM), the game ran smoothly at over 100 FPS on high settings at 1440p resolution. There were occasional dips during large battles or when casting particularly flashy powers, but nothing that significantly impacted gameplay.
It’s worth noting that while the visual upgrade is substantial, this is more of a remaster than a full remake. The familiar aesthetic of the original game is still very much present, which might disappoint some hoping for a complete visual overhaul.
The audio in Age of Mythology: Retold is a mix of old and new. Many sound effects, including unit attack and death sounds, as well as special power effects, have been carried over from the original game. The music appears to be a remastered version of the original soundtrack, which is no bad thing—the original score was a banger.
Unit voices are well done, with different civilisations responding to commands in their native tongues. Mythical creatures have appropriately otherworldly sound effects—the Greek Pegasus neighs as it scouts the skies, while the Atlantean Heka Gigantes snarls and thumps the ground with bassy dominance.
Age of Mythology: Retold introduces several new features and improvements that enhance the overall experience:
These additions help bring the game up to modern standards without sacrificing the core gameplay that made the original so beloved.
Another fine addition is the overhauled Scenario Editor. This tool allows players to design their own custom maps and mini missions using a comprehensive suite of tools for landscape design, unit placement, and event scripting. You can shape the terrain to your liking, placing everything from rolling hills and arid deserts to lush forests and expansive bodies of water. Populate your world with trees, rocks, animals, and resources to create a rich, detailed environment.
One of the editor’s standout features is its scripting capability. You can create complex trigger systems to craft engaging narratives, complete with in-game cutscenes and dialogue. This allows for the creation of story-driven scenarios that rival the official campaigns in depth and complexity.
The game runs smooth as silk on the Steam Deck. The developers have clearly put in the work to ensure that Valve’s portable platform is well-supported. The UI and HUD icons automatically adjust to reflect the Steam Deck‘s button layout, but there are a few minor considerations to keep in mind:
Whether you’re a commuter looking to squeeze in some gaming time, or just someone who enjoys the flexibility of handheld play, the game translates well to this portable format.
As a game centred around pagan mythology, Age of Mythology: Retold naturally contains content that may be concerning to some Christian players and parents. The game features depictions of various pagan gods and mythological creatures, and players are encouraged to call upon these deities for aid during gameplay.
The game’s narrative touches on themes of heroism, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil. These elements can spark interesting discussions about morality and faith when viewed through a Christian lens. However, the game does not offer any explicit Christian content or perspective.
It’s important to note that the game presents pagan elements in a clearly fictional, fantastical context. The developers have taken care to present the mythologies in a respectful manner, focusing on their narrative and strategic elements rather than promoting their religious aspects.
The violence in the game is relatively tame by modern standards. There’s no blood or gore, and unit deaths are handled tastefully without graphic depictions. The game focuses more on the strategic aspects of warfare rather than glorifying violence.
One area of potential concern is the portrayal of some deities in the game’s artwork. Some male deities are depicted shirtless, while female deities like Gaia are presented in a somewhat suggestive manner, with curves accentuated by floral wrappings. Parents may want to review these depictions to determine if they’re appropriate for younger players.
Age of Mythology: Retold is a solid remaster of a beloved classic. It successfully brings the game into the modern era with updated graphics, new features, and quality-of-life improvements, all while maintaining the core gameplay that made the original so engaging.
For Christian gamers, the mythological themes may require some discretion, but the game treats its subject matter more as fantasy than religious content. It offers rich strategic gameplay, an engaging campaign, and robust multiplayer options that can provide hours of entertainment.
Whether you’re a returning fan or new to the series, Age of Mythology: Retold offers a unique blend of history, mythology, and strategy that’s difficult to find elsewhere in the genre. Just remember to approach it with the understanding that it’s a work of fiction, and you’ll find a game that’s both challenging and rewarding.
If you can look past the pagan themes and treat them as purely fictional elements, Age of Mythology: Retold offers a deep, engaging strategy experience that’s well worth your time. It successfully modernizes a classic game while retaining the core elements that made it special in the first place.
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