Age of Mythology: Retold brings the classic real-time strategy experience into the modern era, blending mythological elements with tactical depth. This remake of the 2002 original updates visuals and mechanics while preserving the core appeal of commanding armies inspired by ancient legends. Players take control of civilizations drawn from various mythologies, building empires, gathering resources, and unleashing divine powers in battles that mix strategy with fantasy.
Gameplay
In this real-time strategy game, the focus lies on resource management, base building, and unit command. You gather wood, food, gold, and favor to advance through ages, unlocking stronger technologies and units. Each civilization has unique mechanics, such as the Norse emphasis on aggressive infantry or the Egyptians' reliance on pharaohs for empowerment. God powers add a layer of strategy, allowing one-time abilities like lightning storms or earthquakes to turn the tide of battle. Myth units, from centaurs to mummies, provide specialized roles in combat, while quality-of-life features like the villager priority system automate tasks to reduce micromanagement. Automated god powers further streamline play, making it accessible without sacrificing depth.
Combat involves positioning armies, exploiting unit counters, and coordinating attacks. The game supports controller input with streamlined controls, enabling smooth building and battling. Balance adjustments in recent patches have refined unit interactions, such as improvements to gods like Demeter, ensuring fair play across matches.
Game Modes
The campaign mode spans 50 missions across multiple storylines, including sieges at Troy and battles in Midgard or Egypt. These missions challenge you to complete objectives while managing resources and forces against AI opponents.
Multiplayer includes competitive matches against other players and cooperative play for teaming up in battles. Skirmish mode offers randomly generated maps for endless replayability, with options to face advanced AI.
Arena of the Gods stands out as a new mode where you tackle 35 mythic skirmishes as a legendary hero, facing divine challenges either solo or in co-op. This mode emphasizes unique trials and strategic variety.
Factions and Mechanics
Four core pantheons form the base: Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean. Each offers distinct gods, units, and powers, like Greek access to cyclopes or Norse trolls. Expansions introduce Chinese and Japanese pantheons, adding elements such as storm dragons and yokai for fresh tactical options.
Mechanics revolve around advancing ages to select major and minor gods, which grant specific bonuses and myth units. Favor generation varies by faction, with Greeks praying at temples and Norse gaining it through combat. Recent updates have addressed balance, fixing issues like out-of-sync errors and enhancing god portraits for variety.
Is It Worth Playing?
With an average review score of 83 from critics, Age of Mythology: Retold has earned praise for its faithful remake and improvements. Regular patches, including balance changes and fixes up to early 2026, show ongoing developer support, keeping the game fresh. The release of two expansions has expanded content with new pantheons and campaigns.
Strategy enthusiasts who enjoy mythological themes and tactical depth will find it rewarding, especially with its mix of single-player stories and multiplayer battles. If you prefer real-time strategy with fantasy elements and appreciate active updates, this title holds strong value in 2026.
