Age of Mythology: Retold PC Review – An Outstanding Remake

Age of Mythology: Retold is a fantastic reimagining of the classic RTS game from 2002, offering a fresh perspective on its mythological themes of gods and heroes. With stunning visuals, a revamped campaign, and enhanced multiplayer, this remake has been a great blast from the past and reminds me of how older RTS games were and continue to be.

I played the heck out of Age of Empires 1-3; however, I don’t recall ever playing Mythology, so I was excited to get the opportunity to review this version thanks to Microsoft/Xbox. Thinking back to 2002, this was a time when I was heavily involved with MMORPGs, and I have recollections of being burned out with RTS games due to playing a ton of Command & Conquer and Dune 2. Having now played through one of the campaigns of Age of Mythology, I can now see why it had mass appeal at the time as it features a fantastic meld of AoE gameplay with the addition of mythical creatures and God powers.

From the towering Olympus to the lush forests of the Amazons, every corner of this world feels vibrant and immersive, and I enjoyed watching my scout units uncover the map. The unit and creature animations are smooth and fluid, bringing the mythological creatures to life. I did notice some occasional pathfinds niggles that give a nostalgic nod to the development challenges of these early 2000’s games.

The campaigns in Age of Mythology: Retold is a captivating journey through the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse pantheons, with the addition of the Atlanteans. The first of three campaigns follows the Greek hero, Arkantos, as he battles against the invading Titans. Each mission is connected by excellent story cutscenes that offers a mix of historical and mythological elements and drives the story forward. Missions are well-designed and challenging, and really ramped up after the first few, requiring you to use strategic skills to scout ahead and fortify your base as you gather resources and build an army. Scroll arrows in the campaign screen indicate the possibility of future campaigns being added – let’s hope this is the case!

The core gameplay remains largely unchanged from the original. You build a base, gather resources, train units, and engage in real-time battles while achieving specific mission objectives. The game’s unique mythological units, such as gryphons, cyclops and minotaurs, helps to nail the mythology part of the game and adds depth to the RTS gameplay. The AI has been improved in this retold version, providing a more challenging and rewarding time for experienced players.

However, Age of Mythology: Retold also introduces some new gameplay elements and quality of life features. As an example, you can now set a balance of priorities for your villagers in terms of resource gathering and this allows you to pump a particular resource to build an army or switch it up to work on upgrades or base defences. We can also re-use god powers now based on building up favour compared to the single use of the original. I thought this was going to be too overpowered, but I quickly appreciated being able to build up favour and tip the balance of battles to my side. Being able to smash an oncoming army with lightning, lay waste to an enemy base with a meteor shower, or make it rain so that you gain a boost to villager resource collection rates, made for some fun missions over the campaign.

The audio in Age of Mythology: Retold is exceptional. The soundtrack is composed of atmospheric music that perfectly complements the game’s mythological themes. The sound effects are crisp and clear, adding to the immersive gameplay experience. Voice acting in the game aids in bring the gods, heroes and mythological characters to life. My only gripe is when you click to move a squad, their comments occur every single click, which isn’t uncommon, it was just noticeable in this game.

Overall, Age of Mythology: Retold is an outstanding remake that features three engaging campaigns, improved gameplay elements, multiplayer skirmishes, stunning visuals, and immersive audio. I never played the original but the addition of Gods and mythological creatures to the Age of Empires formula is an excellent one and is an easy recommend for fans of RTS games.

This review utilised a Steam key provided by Microsoft/Xbox and Age of Mythology: Retold launches on September 5 on Steam and Xbox, with early access already started for premium edition owners.

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