| Age of Mythology: Retold | |||
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| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Age of Mythology: Retold is a remaster of the original 2002 RTS game of the same name by World’s Edge, now featuring updated graphics and mechanical improvements. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Age of Mythology: Retold Review Overview
What is Age of Mythology: Retold?
Age of Mythology: Retold is a stunning modern remaster of the beloved 2002 RTS classic. Originally a spin-off from World’s Edge’s iconic Age of Empires series, Age of Mythology has earned its place as a timeless legend—and now, it returns in glorious HD, enhanced with a host of quality-of-life improvements.
Immerse yourself once more in a world where ancient pantheons aren’t just myths—they’re real forces that shape the lives and battles of their mortal followers. Command legendary heroes, mythical leaders, and divine beings as you navigate through epic campaigns and skirmishes inspired by history and mythology. Unleash godlike powers to smite your enemies or bless your lands, guiding your people to prosperity in this richly strategic 3D RTS experience. Lead your civilization into a new golden age, and claim the divine treasures that await in Age of Mythology: Retold.
Age of Mythology: Retold features:
⚫︎ 4 playable pantheons, including Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Atlantean
⚫︎ 12 patron gods with unique bonuses and passives
⚫︎ Strategic RTS combat
⚫︎ Upgradable units, structures, equipment, and god powers
⚫︎ Campaign mode with three playable campaigns
⚫︎ Skirmish and Multiplayer battles
⚫︎ Expansive compendium with entries for all units
⚫︎ Full mod support
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Age of Mythology: Retold's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
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 Steam |
 Xbox |
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| $29.99 | |||||||
Age of Mythology: Retold Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Full Mod Support Map Editing Functionality New God Portraits Look Amazing! Great Variety In Mission Types |
AI Pathfinding Isn’t The Best Crashes and Bugs |
Age of Mythology: Retold Overall Score - 92/100
Immortal. That’s the word that best captures the timeless essence of Age of Mythology. Even now, remade for a new era with fresh values, its addictive gameplay and enduring storytelling continue to evoke the splendor of RTS greatness for a new generation of players. Yes, it may still bear some of the quirks and flaws of its original incarnation, but it also carries with it the brilliant game design that the world has long since forgotten. This is a tale retold—and one I’m eager to experience all over again.
Age of Mythology: Retold Story - 10/10
Age of Mythology: Retold lives up to its name, immersing players in interactive tales of legendary myths with a captivating blend of timeless storytelling and challenging gameplay. The game’s narrative is as enduring as the myths it draws inspiration from, skillfully balancing authenticity with just enough creative liberty to keep things engaging. It’s a story we’ve loved before, and with its thoughtful retelling, we can’t help but fall in love with it all over again.
Age of Mythology: Retold Gameplay - 8/10
Age of Mythology: Retold brilliantly showcases World’s Edge’s mastery of the RTS formula, delivering addictive unit-based real-time combat and strategic base management. The game retains the deep complexity of classic RTS titles while incorporating the quality-of-life improvements expected in modern gaming. Though some familiar AI pathfinding quirks and bugs may still linger, the enduring appeal of Age of Mythology’s gameplay is undeniable—cementing its legacy as a divine force in the world of RTS for a decade past a decade more.
Age of Mythology: Retold Visuals - 9/10
Age of Mythology: Retold masterfully blends the nostalgic charm of the original game's retro design with the sleek quality of modern 3D graphics. The updated visuals breathe new life into god portraits, unit models, UI elements, and stages, all beautifully remade with a fresh polish that enhances without overshadowing the beloved early 2000s RTS aesthetic. It’s a perfect harmony of classic and contemporary, capturing the essence of what made the original a fan favorite.
Age of Mythology: Retold Audio - 9/10
Age of Mythology: Retold’s audio experience is a symphony of orchestral background music, exhilarating battle crescendos, and soothing base-building rhythms. The voice acting, too, shines like Apollo himself, bringing life to the game’s diverse cast of units and campaign characters. It's a masterful audio lineup that's hard to top, though I do wish there was more variety in the unit voice lines to keep things fresh.
Age of Mythology: Retold Value for Money - 10/10
$30 might seem like a lot for a game, but when it comes to an RTS that has already proven itself as a classic, it's worth every penny. Age of Mythology: Retold didn’t need to prove its quality—it’s already a legend—but it went the extra mile, elevating itself even further. With a vast campaign, challenging single-player AI skirmishes, 12 gods across 4 pantheons to master, a vibrant multiplayer community, and endless strategic possibilities, finding an RTS more deserving of its price tag would be a labor more befitting Heracles than anyone else.
Age of Mythology: Retold Review: Befitting A Seat Amongst Gods
Few things feel more fitting for a game about gods and their enduring presence in human memory than a remaster that preserves the timeless magic of its original. Capturing the essence of a bygone era is no easy feat, but if any game could achieve it, it’s Age of Mythology. I was just a young pup when it first debuted, yet its influence was impossible to ignore, echoing through my formative years and well into the present day.
Now, with the release of its remaster, I’m finally able to witness its full glory—no, an ascended version of its former self—and I can’t help but feel a sense of awe. I’ve missed out on so much, but Age of Mythology: Retold is more than worth the wait.
The first thing that struck me about Age of Mythology: Retold was its gameplay. At its heart, it’s an RTS, but it stands apart from today’s strategy games. It’s deeper, more intuitive, and every element works seamlessly together. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why it felt so refreshing until I realized: this is a remaster of a game crafted before the modern gaming industry’s pressures took hold. It feels inspired and genuinely magnificent because it wasn’t rushed to meet a deadline, designed as a cash grab, or built to squeeze every minute or dollar from its players. Instead, it’s a well-crafted classic, lovingly remastered for a new audience to enjoy.
For those unfamiliar, Age of Mythology: Retold is a strategy RTS game where your objective is to be the last settlement standing. You begin with basic units and limited resources, and through careful gathering and management, you can build everything from a thriving settlement filled with gatherers and diverse structures to a formidable, well-organized army. Similar to World’s Edge’s flagship series, Age of Empires, this game offers a familiar formula, but with a divine twist—every aspect of your settlement’s progression is deeply intertwined with the power of the gods.
At the start, you choose a major deity from your pantheon to serve as your patron, granting your settlement and units unique bonuses that shape your entire playthrough. This divine guidance helps define your strategy, influencing which units, buildings, and upgrades you prioritize. As you advance, new units and structures become available, enhancing your settlement’s capabilities until you reach an age progression—a significant leap in technology and power. This milestone not only elevates your civilization but also allows you to adopt a minor god from a selection tailored to your initial patron deity. Each minor god brings a fresh set of blessings, upgrades, and units, further expanding your strategic options and adding layers of depth to your divine journey.
Speaking of units, Age of Mythology: Retold offers an astonishingly diverse roster of units, resulting in countless combat and strategic permutations in every playthrough. While the core lineup includes standard infantry, ranged, and cavalry units—each uniquely distinguished across different pantheons—you'll also gain access to powerful siege engines and upgraded versions of basic units as you progress.
But the true spectacle lies in the mythological creatures at your command: Hydras, Minotaurs, Cyclopes, and even avatars of the gods themselves, provided you’re willing to invest the necessary resources. This vast gallery of units unlocks an incredible level of tactical variety, allowing players to forge their own path to victory, though I must admit, I have a soft spot for an all-out infantry rush.
However, not everything is smooth sailing with this remaster of a game from 20 years ago. Unfortunately, some bugs from the original have resurfaced, including issues with units getting stuck in buildings or terrain. Mission objectives occasionally fail to appear, leading to frustrating soft-locks in the middle of lengthy campaign marathons. Perhaps most frustratingly, the game’s AI pathfinding remains as unreliable as it was two decades ago—a glaring flaw in a remaster that's meant to improve upon the original experience.
Regarding the game’s story, it is a phenomenal feature exclusive to its expansive Campaign Mode. Rather than following a single narrative, the game brings to life interactive reenactments of famous myths and legends, each tailored to the pantheon you choose. For the Greeks, you’ll experience the epic saga of the Trojan War. The Norse campaign immerses you in Brokkr and Eitri’s quest to forge the mightiest weapons across the Nine Realms. The Atlanteans take you on a thrilling journey through the resurgence of the Titans. While there’s no campaign for the Egyptian pantheon yet, fear not—they’re fully playable in other modes.
The storytelling here is phenomenal, likely because it draws from legends that have endured for millennia. But don’t expect dry retellings from history books. These campaigns are creative reimaginings, introducing fresh characters and plot twists that breathe new life into these ancient tales. On the audio front, the game features full voice acting and a stunning orchestral score. What more could you ask for when recounting the epic tales of gods and mortals?
Now, let’s dive into the game’s visuals. Simply put, I’m in love with them. The remaster does a fantastic job of preserving the iconic designs that made the original so memorable, while updating key elements like God portraits, unit assets, and building designs where it counts. The game still showcases those highly stylized depictions of each pantheon that made it so marketable back in the day, and I imagine this fresh coat of paint will do the game the same favors now.
And with that, we reach the final verdict on Age of Mythology: Retold. This is a legend revived with new flourishes and enhanced passages, making it as timeless as it is grand. It’s a fitting remaster of a title that shaped so many childhoods, and one that’s poised to carry the torch for yet another generation. It’s not perfect—neither was the original—with lingering bugs and imperfect pathfinding, but in nearly every other respect, this game is worthy of a place among the gods.
Pros of Age of Mythology: Retold
| Things Age of Mythology: Retold Got Right |
|---|
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Full Mod Support Map Editing Functionality New God Portraits Look Amazing! Great Variety In Mission Types |
Full Mod Support
This is where the game’s modern enhancements really start to shine, especially considering that modding was virtually unheard of back in 2002. The Mod Workshop, which was introduced with the Extended Edition on Steam, is now fully integrated into this remaster. Whether you're after language localizations, balance tweaks, or entirely new campaigns, the vibrant modding community for Age of Mythology: Retold has you covered. And the best part? It’s all easily accessible right from the game’s main menu!
Map Editing Functionality
One feature that the original Age of Mythology lacked was a map editor. Well, it’s here now, and it’s actually pretty solid. While it’s fairly basic by modern standards, it perfectly captures the spirit of the game’s original era and serves its purpose well. If you ever find the base maps a bit underwhelming, you can now fire up a skirmish against your friends on a map of your own creation.
New God Portraits Look Amazing!
The old Age of Mythology god portraits were iconic, beloved by RTS fans for their quality and ubiquity. Who could forget Zeus frowning down at us with lightning crackling behind him? While I wouldn’t call it a much-needed touch-up, the updated god portraits look absolutely stunning. With grander compositions, more vibrant color palettes, and more endearing character designs, I might even dare to say that the new ones look better than the classics—though I know that’s practically blasphemy.
Great Variety In Mission Types
Despite what you might expect, the game’s campaign mode offers a variety of mission types beyond the typical "get over there and destroy their base" formula. While many missions do follow that pattern, there’s also a healthy mix of sieges against heavily fortified cities, stealth and infiltration missions, resource-gathering tasks, and even naval battles.
Some missions won’t even reveal the location of your objective—you’ll have to find it while fending off relentless enemy waves. This variety keeps the campaign from getting stale too soon. And when you’re ready for a break from the campaign, there are still two other game modes to try out!
Cons of Age of Mythology: Retold
| Things That Age of Mythology: Retold Can Improve |
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AI Pathfinding Isn’t The Best Crashes and Bugs |
AI Pathfinding Isn’t The Best
Where there is fame, there is also infamy, and this is what made the original Age of Mythology infamous as well. The game’s AI pathfinding is serviceable most of the time, but when it fails—and it fails often—it fails spectacularly. Units can get stuck in terrain, vanish from the map entirely, have buildings constructed on top of them, or get trapped in endless walk cycles as they struggle to reach their destination. While Age of Mythology: Retold impresses in many aspects, it's disappointing to see that they still haven’t been fully addressed in the remaster
Crashes and Bugs
While I haven’t experienced it myself, there’s been talk that lower-end systems struggle to handle the game’s newly enhanced visuals, leading to crashes or freezes at key moments—much to the frustration of players. While this isn’t a deal breaker—a crash or two won’t undo more than 20 years of admiration—it’s definitely something to keep in mind if your system isn’t at least mid-tier by global standards.
Is Age of Mythology: Retold Worth It?
Yes, It’s Just As Worthy As The Original
How much would you be willing to pay for a remastered version a game that has dominated the RTS genre for over two decades? If your answer is "not more than $30," then you're in luck! Age of Mythology: Retold is yours for just that. With an expansive campaign, engaging multiplayer modes, endless skirmishes, and immense replayability, you'll more than get your money's worth through countless hours of gameplay.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Xbox |
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| $29.99 | |||||||
Age of Mythology: Retold FAQ
Will Crossplay Be Available For Age of Mythology: Retold
Yes. Crossplay will be available for Age of Mythology: Retold across all of its available platforms.
Will Mouse & Keyboard Support Be Available for Age of Mythology: Retold When Played on Xbox?
Yes, the option to switch to mouse and keyboard will be available when playing on Xbox Series X and Series S.
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Age of Mythology: Retold Product Information
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| Title | AGE OF MYTHOLOGY: RETOLD |
|---|---|
| Release Date | SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 |
| Developer | World’s Edge, Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media, CapturAge, Virtuous Games |
| Publisher | Xbox Games Studios |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam, Microsoft), Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | RTS |
| Number of Players | Single System (1), Online Co-cop, Online PvP |
| Rating | ESRB T |
| Official Website | Age of Mythology: Retold Official Website |
