Age of Mythology: Retold

Age of Mythology: Retold
Developer(s)	World's Edge Forgotten Empires
Publisher(s)	Xbox Game Studios
Director(s)	Adam Isgreen
Series	Age of Empires
Platform(s)	Windows Xbox Series X/S Playstation 5
Release	Windows, Series X/S September 4, 2024 PlayStation 5 March 4, 2025
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Age of Mythology: Retold is a real-time strategy video game developed by World's Edge, Tantalus Media and Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios. It serves as a remastered version of Age of Mythology, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and released in 2002. It was first revealed on October 25, 2022. The game was released on September 4, 2024, for Windows and Xbox Series X/S. The game received generally positive reviews from critics.

Gameplay

Top-down view of an Atlantean town in the game

Age of Mythology: Retold combines elements of the original game with modern real-time strategy design and visuals. Built using Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition's version of the Bang Engine, all units and animations were completely redone for the remake. The remake features a new fully symphonic version of the original soundtrack, featuring numerous tweaks and modernizations, and offering more options for players.

Players can choose mythological gods from the Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean pantheons, using their powers to summon powerful creatures and cast spells against their enemies. The game features a 50-mission campaign that takes players across various mythical worlds, including locations such as Troy, Midgard, and Egypt. Notably, Retold's description only refers to the Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Atlantean cultures, excluding content from the Tale of the Dragon expansion, unlike the Definitive Edition re-releases of Age of Empires I, II, and III, which included all previously released official content at launch. However, the Chinese pantheon – alongside one other, as yet unspecified – has been confirmed as post-release content for the game. Players can command units inspired by world mythologies, such as Centaurs, Trolls, Mummies, and Cyclops.

Myth unit abilities can be activated by players at will, rather than automatically cast by the unit. A unit's charged ability can also be set to trigger automatically, similar to the original game. The favor cap of 100 is changed or removed. God powers are now generally multi-use with cooldowns, and reusing some of the most powerful god powers, like Son of Osiris, costs favor. A new Wonder Age introduces cheaper god power casting, though its relation to the current Titan Age is unclarified. An auto-economy feature is added through systems such as Villager Priority. Resource drop site foundations can be selected from a resource's command panel, and when placed, a nearby idle Villager will be automatically tasked to it. The population limit is increased, and the game now includes ray tracing. Hotkey buttons are displayed on icons in the command panel, while crush armor, reload time, and attack multipliers are shown next to other unit/building attributes in the information panel. The Scenario Editor has a text filter option to find objects faster, and all upgraded myth units have unique visuals. Additionally, the game notifies the player when approaching the population space capacity.

Campaign plot

See also: Age of Mythology

Players enter a world where ancient mythological pantheons from various cultures coexist and vie for dominance. The Greeks, Norse, Egyptians, and Atlanteans are all embroiled in a struggle, wielding their divine powers in war. The narrative arc of the game is centered around this conflict, with each civilization bringing its myths and legendary creatures to the battlefield. Players choose a pantheon and lead their chosen gods and heroes to victory, shaping the fate of the world with each decision.

Fall of the Trident

Arkantos, an admiral for the atlantean navy and once reveered war hero now turned lowly pirate-hunter, is visited in his dreams by the goddess Athena, who warns him he will play a pivital role in an upcoming clash of the Gods. The next day, Arkantos is tasked by Krios, an atlantean theocrat, to assist king Agamemnon at the Siege of Troy, in order to earn back their failing favor of Poseidon, Atlantis' patron god.

Firstly reluctant, Arkantos finds motivation when the trident of Poseidon is stolen by the minotaur pirate Kamos. After retrieving the trident, and chasing away Kamos, he arrives at Troy where he meets Ajax and Odysseus. Together, they win the siege, and as Arkantos prepares to leave, Ajax suggests getting his ships repaired at the shipyard city of Ioklos.

Upon arrival at the city, they find it in flames and its people imprisoned by Egyptian raiders led by the bandit Kemsyt. Once the people are freed, they encounter the centaur Chiron, who informs them some of the prisoners were sent to work further inland on a dig site for Kemsyt. As they arrive, they find the prisoners have unearthed a passage to the underworld, which the cyclops general Gargarensis, who organized the digging operation, raid on Ioklos, as well as staged the Trojan War to distract Greece and Atlantis from his operation, enters. Arkantos, Ajax, and Chiron fall suit, and discover that Gargarensis is attempting to ram open a large, adamantine door inside of Hades, leading to Tartarus. After destroying the ram, Gargarensis escapes, trapping them inside Hades. Arkantos prays to Poseidon for help, but receives no answer. As he prays to Zeus, a staircase appears leading them out of the underworld and into Egypt.

Confused, the trio is greeted by Amanra, a mercenary captain, who orders them to help her defeat the army of Kemsyt, by awakening the Guardian, a living stone statue. The army defeated, the quatuor finds that by the Guardian was stored a piece of Osiris, which Amanra aims to collect, alongside the remaining others, to resurrect the assassinated, dissected god and have him chase Gargarensis off Egypt before he unearths a second underworld passage in the city of Abydos, the capital of Osiris' kingdom.

During their travels, Arkantos is once again visited by Athena, who cryptically warns him that the enemy is closer than he believes, showing himself raiding Atlantis, known only as "the Enemy", whilst reminding him that it was through Zeus' power that they escaped Hades. She reveals to him that behind the adamantine doors is bound Kronos, father of the Olympian gods, and that Poseidon aims to free him in exchange for the throne of Olympus. After waking from his dream, they find the last piece, guarded by Kamos, and Arkantos kills the minotaur as repayment for previously stealing the trident. The pieces are reunited at Abydos, Osiris is reborn, the passage is sealed and Gargarensis flees north.

On their way to Scandinavia, Arkantos and Ajax find Odysseus' ship wrecked on Circe's island. Odysseus explains he was close to returning home, but was visited by Athena in his dreams, guiding him somewhere else.

In Midgard, Gargarensis unified the Giants and begun bringing about Ragnarök. Amanra discovers two dwarves, Brok and Eitri, were spying on them. They explain that their underground forge was taken over by Gargarensis' monsters, and that they were tasked with an important, secret mission, making them distrustful of any more outlanders. The forge retaken, Brok and Eitri guides the heroes to Midgard, whilst secretly planning on following them. The group are welcomed by Skult, an elderly hermit, who advises them to use his family banner to unite the warring clans. The plan proves useless, when the clans recognize the banner as Folstag's, a Frost Giant who previously ravaged the clans. After calming the clan war, Arkantos tries getting Skult to explain the situation, only for Skult to shapeshift into a murder of ravens and fly away, revealing himself to have been Loki in disguise.

Guided by Reginlief, a Valkyrie, they manage to unite all the clans not under Gargarensis' thumb, and follow him to the Well of Urd, secretly another passage to the underworld. Stepping foot in Niflheim, they immediately hear the familiar sound of a ram hitting another adamantine door. Unsuccessful at breaking the ram, and overpowered by Gargarensis' monsters, they flee, chased by an army of Fire Giants. Chiron sacrifices himself, breaking a bloulder to block the way, giving the others ample time to escape but losing his life in the process. Trying to find another way to stop the cyclops, they encounter Brok and Eitri again, who are carving a gigantic handle out of a taproot of the world-tree Yggdrasil. They explain that they are rebuilding Mjölnir, Thor's hammer, after Loki destroyed it. As the ram finally breaks open the lock, Mjölnir is reforged, and flies directly into the adamantine door, sealing it shut. The heroes chase Gargarensis down, now joined by Odysseus, catch the cyclops, and, as repayment for his plot and the death of Chiron, behead him on the spot.

When Arkantos and the others approach Atlantis, they brandish Gargarensis' severred head, only to realize it was Kemsyt's, who was disguised into the cyclops as a decoy by Loki. Looking on, they realize Atlantis is in flames, with godly earthquakes slowly tearing the island apart. Arkantos understands that the last Adamantine door is on Atlantis, and that the Trojan War was plotted to empty Altantis' army to leave it defenseless against Gargarensis, who has now animated the statue of Poseidon, which in turn used the trident to break open the ground and reveal the last adamantine door, directly accessible from the ground. Making it up to shore, they evacuate the civilians. With the help of Egyptian and Norse forces, Arkantos fights off Gargarensis' army for long enough to build a Wonder, attracting Zeus' benediction, overpowering Arkantos with Zeus' lightning, now strong enough to take down the army by himself. He destroys the statue, which, as it falls, impales Gargarensis with the trident, and the island is destroyed.

As Ajax, Amanra and Odysseus lament the loss of the admiral, Athena arrives on the ruins of the island, and resurrects Arkantos as a new God.

The New Atlantis

10 years after the destruction of Atlantis, Kronos observes as the Atlanteans struggle to survive in a small colony in Scandinavia, abandonned by the Gods. He summons a demonic henchman, which attacks theocrat Krios in the middle of the night.

The next day, Krios announces to the colony that the gods revealed in his dreams a secret passage out of the frozen north and onto a paradisiac island where they can rebuild Atlantis. After reaching the island, Krios reveals the gateway was in fact a Sky Passage, erected by the Titan Oranos, and suggests repairing their overgrown temples strewn around the island, to which everyone disagrees, afraid of committing blasphemy against the Olympians, until Kastor, son of Arkantos and fierce warrior, recalls how the Olympian gods abandonned them, whilst the Titans were the only ones willing to help them.

Unbeknown to all is the presence of a Greek colony with them on the island, who take notice of their blasphemy and attacks, much to the surprise of the Atlanteans. Krios brushes off all doubts from the soldiers and orders them to destroy the colony. His outpost in flames, general Melagius, leader of the Greek colony, escapes to Greece, where he is promplty followed by Kastor and the atlantean soldiers, who attack his forteress at the city-state of Sikyos. When Norse and Egyptian reinforcements arrive, Kastor orders a retreat. Krios asks if he'd abandon their plans on revenge, but Kastor merely suggests that there are too many to fight here.

Back in Scandinavia, Kastor uses the powers of Kronos to deconstruct the Tower of Odin, a local wonder and centre of Odin's power. At the same time, the atlantean soldiers travel to Egypt and steal their holy relics. Amanra, now queen, is about to lament of Kastor's betrayal, but is visited by god Arkantos, who reveals to her Kastor is being manipulated.

On their way back to Sikyos, Krios reveals to Kastor another Sky Passage, though he claims not to know where it leads. Upon exiting the passage, Kastor finds himself on Mount Olympus, and notices the Sky Passage is only one-way, thus, he has to fight his way out. Upon reaching the summit, a feat he recounts has never been done by a mortal man before, the Great Temple of Zeus crumbles, and the earth quakes, prompting Kastor to use an underworld passage to escape.

Now back at Sikyos, Kastor is horrified to see a Titan, Prometheus, running amok, destroying the city-state. As he asks a joyful Krios how he could let it happen, Krios reveals himself to be the disguised demonic henchman of Kronos, and corrects Kastor by telling him he was the one who freed Prometheus, and promises more will come with time. As fanatic atlanteans blame Kastor for their misfortune, the warrior is saved by queen Amanra and the elder Ajax. Arkantos arrives, informing them that the titan Cerberus has opened a Tartarian gate in the Egyptian city of Abydos, and the titan Ymir is ravaging the allied clans of the North. Concerned for her people, Amanra assures they go to Egypt first.

Just north of Abydos, the heroes meet the Son of Osiris, a hawk-headed demigod pharaoh attempting reawaken the Guardian, the only creature strong enough to slay the titan. As Cerberus approaches, the Guardian awakens, and slays the beast. Many days later, in the North, the heroes encounter Folstag, king of the Frost Giants, who offers his help and those of his people to slay Ymir, as Folstag's icy breath is the only one strong enough to freeze the titan in place. The titan falls, and the heroes return to Sikyos to make amends.

There, they discover that among the burnt wreckage, plants have begun to grow rapidly, to which an appearing Arkantos reveals it to be the work of Gaia, mother of the titans and the only force of good among them. Using Gaia's lush to scatter the smog surrounding the city, the pacing Prometheus is severely weakened, allowing the atlateans to slay him. Now looking for Kronos' servant, the heroes return to the atlantean colony on the paradisiac island, now a bustling city, yet strangely empty of civilians and adorned with thousands of soldier statues. In an ambush, the statues reveal themselves to be warrior automatons, and the people have barricaded themselves out of fear of Kronos' servant and his monsters. Kastor frees the civilians, destroys the automatons, and chases the crony to the topmost hill of the island, where lays a final Sky Passage. Taking it, they find themselves on the ruins of Old Atlantis.

Among sunken ruins and overgrown vegetation, the last adamantine door is being rammed into from the inside. Noticing new, lush pools strewn around the island, Kastor understands them to be sacred pools of Gaia, with which they can summon her. When the adamantine door finally gives way, the titan Kronos walks the earth, and begins tearing down the sacred pools. However, Gaia is summoned, and sends him back to Tartarus, sealing the entrance with boulders and vegetation.

Defeated, the crony begins his escape, but is caught and slain by Kastor. Arkantos arrives, congratulating his son on stopping the titans and giving his people a home, and gives his son the Staff of Atlantis, a mark of leadership passed among the atlantean theocrats, previously held by Krios.

The Golden Gift

In this shorter, spinoff prequel to the Fall of the Trident campaign, Brok and Eitri, estranged brothers, are each approached by the elder Skult, warning them the other brother plans on building the golden boar Gullinbursti on his own, a project they planned on building together as offering to the god Freyr.

Travelling back to their forge, they clash as they each try and finish the boar first. Once finished, the boar is stolen by Skult, revealing himself to be Loki, and the brothers, understanding they have been tricked, decide to join forces to take the boar back. Following Loki to a meadow, they destroy his temples, fight off living trees, and return Gullinbursti to its intended owner, Freyr, who welcomes it cheerfully.

Development

Age of Mythology: Retold was co-developed by World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media, CaptureAge, and Virtuos Games.

The game was first announced on October 25, 2022. World's Edge announced the game's release date on June 9, 2024, at the Xbox Summer Showcase. It was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on September 4, 2024. A PlayStation 5 version is scheduled to be released on March 4, 2025, alongside the release of the Immortal Pillars expansion. This also marks this game is the second game in the Age of Empires series to be released on Sony platforms since Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was released by Konami in 2001.

The beta version of the game was made available to play to those who had pre-bought the premium edition from July 12–14, 2024.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PC) 83/100 (XSXS) 79/100
OpenCritic	85%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Hardcore Gamer	3.5/5
PC Gamer (US)	75/100
PCGamesN	8/10
Shacknews	7/10

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Age of Mythology: Retold was received "generally favourable" based on 28 critic reviews for PC and 7 critic reviews for Xbox Series X. As per OpenCritic, 85% of the 34 critic reviews recommend the game.

PCGamesN complimented the enhanced UI, describing it as clearer and more vibrant while offering a more user-friendly experience. Criticism was aimed at the upgraded visuals; some players may find the new detailed art lacks the original's charm and feels too generic. Windows Central commented positively on the enhanced visuals and the faithful recreation of the audio and soundtrack. They also noted the improvements in gameplay and the range of accessibility options. Some criticism was directed at pathfinding issues and a few bugs and glitches.

Awards

The game received a nomination as "Best Microsoft Xbox Game" at the Gamescom Awards 2024. It was nominated for "Best Sim/Strategy Game" at The Game Awards 2024.

External links

• Official website