Age of Mythology Retold review: A mythical remaster worth playing

Age of mythology was originally released in 2002, and now you can return to this real-time strategy classic with the fully remastered Age of Mythology: Retold.

Not only has the development team given the game a thorough graphical overhaul, but it also includes several modern gameplay adjustments for point-and-click fans and several modern features that make small changes to an already excellent final product.

If you’ve been waiting for this remastered version, you definitely don’t want to miss your chance to play it. And for anyone who never bought it, now’s a good time to give it another try after more than 20 years.

A remaster through and through

Similar to other real-time strategy games from the early 2000s, Age of mythology is eerily similar to the Age of Empires, WarcraftAnd Star Wars: Battlefields point and click strategy game titles. You build your base from the ground up on a section of the map, cultivating precious resources scattered across the map using workers to build a robust army before sending them out to besiege your enemy. Your armies are made up of individual units with varying stat and health bars, which you carefully control with your mastery of mouse and keyboard controls.

As someone who grew up on Age of Empires II and have thoroughly enjoyed the return to this gameplay approach with Age of Empires IV, Age of Mythology: Retold is a delightful throwback. While the core gameplay is similar to the Age of Empires formula, adding mythical creatures and focusing on historical epics makes it stand out. These epic creatures come from Greek, Norse and Egyptian myths, allowing your armies to play epic battles against your enemy. Whichever faction and god you choose, the gameplay changes noticeably, giving you different play styles to choose from for each situation.

The annoying part comes from the deep-rooted nature of the Age of Mythology: Retold‘s mechanics, such as gathering resources and tirelessly caring for each unit. Those who enjoy micromanaging these careful details will be in for a treat, but someone who might tire of the build-up may find themselves dragged down and limited by it. There was a formula to the early 2000s strategy game; it was the norm, and Age of Empires IV proved that you can successfully return to these roots with modern titles, but it’s not for everyone, even if you like strategy games.

Robust Unit and Tactical Control

The natural ebb and flow of Age of Mythology: Retold is figuring out how to build your army and what units to include, because everything has a weakness. You want to protect your ranged units from enemy melee units and provide a solid frontline to protect your slower siege units when attacking large bases.

There’s nothing better than creating a small army of foot soldiers, led by a giant Troll or a powerful Scorpion Man, to tear down an enemy’s wall. It’s a satisfying combination, and the updated models of Age of Mythology: Retold make the whole experience satisfying to watch an enemy building collapse.

Still, the overall gameplay and the way specific units dominate other units can be problematic for players new to the series. Age of Mythology: Retold is undoubtedly a game made for diehard community fans waiting for a new remaster. However, those new to the game might find it difficult, at least without investing time with a steep learning curve.

Redesigned for a modern audience

Age of Mythology: Retold is packed with small, carefully layered quality-of-life features that make it a fantastic experience for players of every real-time strategy skill type. The main campaign is where you’ll pick up most of the basics of the game, giving you the chance to try out nearly all of the factions for a hands-on experience before taking your skills to custom matches. The campaign is a hefty 50-mission long narrative, with three unique campaigns and a Mythical Stories section for standalone scenarios.

There are also multiplayer and custom games available where you can fight with your friends, fight against them, or fight against the AI ​​to try your luck in open games. You can choose from a variety of maps and factions to play. Your sheer number of choices allows you to explore multiple scenarios with your friends or fight endlessly against the AI. I only played a handful of games in this mode, but they were an excellent way to show off what I learned from my campaign games.

The developer also went beyond just updating the graphics for the core gameplay. Unit and character models have been revamped, making them pop up on screen during cutscenes and hectic battles. Don’t expect heavy cutscenes or dramatic, recreated storylines. Age of Mythology: Retold still feels like it’s from the early 2000s.

I haven’t had a chance to try an online multiplayer game, so I can’t say how smooth or polished the connections are for this game. If multiplayer games are smooth and easy to make, Age of mythology players have a new space to play with Retold.

If you haven’t had the chance to play yet Age of mythology earlier, or you are a fan who has played the original for hundreds of hours, Age of Mythology: Retold provides the perfect opportunity to jump into the game. The core campaign and overall gameplay haven’t been changed much, but that’s not a bad thing. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed Age of Empires IV When it came out, it was an excellent reminder of why these games are still popular.

8

Age of Mythology: Retold

If you haven’t played Age of Mythology before, or you’re a fan who has played the original for hundreds of hours, then Age of Mythology: Retold is the perfect opportunity to pick up the game.

Advantages

• Extensive graphics update
• Smooth gameplay and quality updates
• Adjustable AI difficulty for all skill levels

Disadvantages

• Challenging entry-level game that is not suitable for diehard fans
• Steep learning curve

Xbox provided a copy of this game for review. Reviewed on PC.