In the 90s and 00s, Ensemble Studios became one of the most beloved game developers around. Not only did they launch the epic Age of Empires series, along with some well-received DLC for each, but they also successfully spun off into Age of Mythology. Microsoft disbanded it as a developer in 2009, handing the reins to the newly founded World’s Edge in 2019 to bring back the series.
Last year, World’s Edge made its mark with a new instalment to the core series with Age of Empires IV, which came after the team remastered the second and third games of Age of Empires. All three games received stellar reviews on Steam and from critics. Now, World’s Edge is bringing back the classic Age of Mythology game, but by the sounds of it, this now-rare venture into the world of Greek myth goes far beyond a standard remaster job.
A retelling of the Age of Mythology
Even though it was released in May 2014, Age of Mythology: Extended Edition, which combines the original game with its DLC, still holds a 24-hour peak of around 2,500 players from an all-time peak of 11,000, according to data drawn from Steam. It’s held up well, so a good remaster of that game for modern consoles and even modern online competition clearly has a set-in audience.
This year, Age of Mythology: Retold will arrive for all of the fans of modern and classic real-time strategy games and those who like to dive head-first into the realms of ancient myth. Coming to PC and Xbox consoles, players get to command the gods and their fantastical armies of Norse, ancient Egypt, and ancient Greece, with all of it featuring updated 3D character models derived from life-sized augmented reality models.
It’s going to be rich in detail, from the game mechanics to the aesthetics. As he detailed in an interview, producer Earnest Yuen says that the upcoming release is far more than an update, coming in with ray tracing, a larger population limit for even more epic battles, and more control over the mythical units. On top of this, a change has been made to god powers to encourage competitive games and improve how watchable it is online.
Providing a haven for ancient myths
In recent years, the great tales of ancient myths have become more and more secluded to the realms of gaming in mainstream entertainment. In video gaming, ancient myths and history have long been drawn on in strategy games and even action games, like in the overwhelmingly well-received God of War, and continue to be to this day. In another form of gaming, that of the best online slots, ancient mythical figures are even more prominent.
Among those top 20 slots, Gates of Olympus goes toe-to-toe with Amazing Link Poseidon and Thunderstruck Stormchaser in a battle of famed mythical characters Zeus, Thor, and the ancient Greek god of the sea. With the exception of some animated shows, gaming has become the dominant medium for retelling these myths. There was a time when Hollywood was crazy for Greek myths, particularly, but that faded with the rise of superheroes.
Age of Mythology: Retold, if it lands well with early adopters, could well go down as one of the biggest PC releases of the year, bringing back a beloved classic and its mythical inspirations for intense real-time battles between the gods.