Civilization 5 was the first hardcore Strategy game that I fell in love with. I don’t say that like as I have 4,000 hours in Civilization 5 and 6. Hear that it is safe to assume that I love strategy games right? Well I do at least some of them. Others I find to be a bit lackluster compared to the highs of Civilization and Age of Empires. Which brings me to Age of Mythology: Retold. At first I wasn’t sure that I was going to do this Age of Mythology: Retold review. This was a game that I didn’t play when it released back in the day, but being a fan of RTS games I felt compelled to check it out. Then something interesting happened… So how is Age of Mythology Retold? Is it a good single-player experience?
Let’s dive into it.
The Narrative:
The single-player game follows Arkantos, the leader of Atlantis, who gets yanked away from his cozy home by a troubling dream and a couple of invasions to join the battle against Troy. If you’re a fan of Homer, you probably have a good idea of what’s going on, but for those who skipped the Classics, just know this conflict is a big deal in the Greek mythology world. The gods pick sides and use the siege as a chance to unleash a whole lot of pent-up anger and chaos.
But things quickly escalate beyond just a simple war. Arkantos and his growing band of heroes find themselves trying to stop a major villain from unleashing an even bigger bad guy on the world. This all unfolds across 32 missions, taking you from the shores of Atlantis to the walls of Troy, then down the Nile, and into the snowy forests of Scandinavia.
The campaign mode is well done, taking the player through a fair amount of Mythology’s greatest wars. Each level is well curated with a variety of main objectives and some nice side objectives that allow you some flexibility about how you are going to strategize and go about your goals. It was about 5 missions into the campaign that I found myself gathering an immense army of soldiers lead by a Centaur and we marched up to the enemy gates, burned it to the ground and then stormed their city that I knew I was hooked. Seeing my village go from small and bullied to a powerhouse was a rewarding powertrip that I wanted more of.
The Gameplay:
The gameplay is very similar to your basic RTS game. If you played Age of Empires or anything like it then you are familiar with the gameplay loop. Simply put, your main objective is to build up your civilization. You do this by assigning villagers different tasks to gather resources or construct buildings. With those resources, you can either pump out more units to boost your economy or whip up an army to defend against enemies or launch your own attacks!
This game introduces a few cool mechanics. First up, there’s a new unit class to add to the usual mix of swords, bows, and horses: Myth Units! These special units can be trained at temples and are particularly effective against human units. Each civilization gets its own unique Myth Units based on their mythology—think centaurs for the Greeks and sphinxes for the Egyptians.
The second standout feature is the Titans. Once you hit the final age, you can start building a Titan Gate. When it’s completed, you can summon a Titan that’s unique to your civilization. These massive and powerful units act as tank units, ready to charge into battle and take on the enemy!
Additional Pros:
Another great aspect of the game is that there is quite the selection of difficulty options. They range from story all the way up to the incredibly challenging Titan difficulty. You can make the game as easy or as brutal as you want.
I was amazed with how good the voice acting is in this game. During the campaign, you encounter Norse, Greek, and Egyptian missions and the characters from those domains are represented well. I thought the Greek and Egyptian voices were especially well done.
Another fun aspect of the game is the God Powers. Each civilization comes with its own unique set of powers, covering everything from offensive strikes to defensive moves. You can unleash earthquakes, summon tornadoes, open warp gates from Hell, conjure snakes, spy on the enemy for a bit, create healing springs, make it rain, and even have a moment of peace where no one can attack. Let’s just say there’s a huge variety to choose from!
Cons/Flaws:
Even though it is a remaster the graphics still look like a bygone era. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but if you care about playing something that is visually appealing then this isn’t the game for you.
While the game runs well, I did run into some bugs. The worst ones were when my units would get stuck in the environment. This occurred mostly on the Egyptian-based levels and I had to restart those levels or reload a previous save file to fix the issue each time it occurred.
Another aspect that is lacking is the AI and how they function in the game. While I found the AI to be quite a challenge, but it still falls into that classic trickle strategy we see in most RTS games, including the Civ and Age series. Even though the AI can coordinate large-scale attacks, they often routinely send in small groups that were pretty easy to handle with fixed defenses and a few lingering units around the camp. If you pick up on habits you can run circles around the AI.
Another gripe that I had with the game is the lack of depth with the game’s soundtrack. While the music isn’t bad, there isn’t a lot of tracks. This results in you hearing the same tracks over and over again.
Overall/Should you Play Age of Mythology: Retold Review:
So it is safe to say that I’m a RTS junkie. I love the strategy and the sense of satisfaction that comes when a play comes together. While Age of Mythology Retold has its cons the game as a whole is addicting and enjoyable. I wish that the writing was bit better in the main quest campaign. Despite that this is a Single Player Experience that fans of RTS games should check out.
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Reviewed on PC and Xbox
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