Ancient mythology has always fascinated me. It is the religion of the ancients before monotheism took hold. Although ancient mythology is not quite given the respect it deserves by modern theists, our world would certainly be poorer without it. Tales of heroes, gods and demi-gods have been the subject of legends and epic sagas for thousands of years, and more recently, movies and TV series.

Age of Mythology is a real-time strategy game, and a spin off of the Age of Empires series. Developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Games, it was released in 2002 for the PC. An extended edition was released on Steam in 2014 but I chose to review the original version.

Plot

The civilisations are based on Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology. You follow the story of Atlantean hero Arkantos who is hunting a cyclops. This cyclops is in league with Poseidon, whose plan it is to release the Titans and bring the rule of Zeus, Odin and Ra to an end. To stop the Titans from being freed, Arkantos and his army must travel from Atlantis through Greece, Scandinavia and Egypt to find and re-seal doors to Tartarus.

Gameplay

The gameplay is more or less the same as Age of Empires series. You must collect resources to build a base and an army in order to wipe out the opposition. However, there are a few features that distinguish this from the Age of Empires series. Firstly, you are able to train and use mythological creatures, but in order to do so, you must gain favour from the Gods (favour replaces stone in this game). Each civilisation gains favour in different ways (Greek – send villagers to worship at the temples, Norse – gains favour in battle and Egypt – gains favour by building statues). Secondly, when advancing to the next age (the four ages are: Archaic, Classical, Heroic and Mythical) you must choose which God to follow into the next age. Different Gods offer different units and abilities. You will also gain unique God powers to add to your arsenal. Some will aid in attacking the enemy, others will add to your resources and villager gathering abilities. A great new feature is that whilst building your army, you can now produce up to five units at a time, meaning that five units will be released from the barracks instead of one which rememdies a gripe that I have had with the Age of Empires series. Interestingly, there is also a slight difference in how you gather resources and build with the Norse civilisation. Not only will you have a portable storage caravan, but the Ulfsarks, who are an infantry unit, can also build. Your villagers will gather resources as normal, but you can also produce dwarves who are better at mining gold.

The effectiveness of units is based on the rock-paper-scissors model: Infantry are good against cavalry, cavalry are good against archers, and archers are good against infantry. Mythological units are great against normal units but are vulnerable to heroes. Heroes are few and far between in the Greek and Egyptian civilisations, but any Hersir units can be upraded to hero status provided you have enough resources.

Throughout every map stage, there are hidden relics which are valuable to collect. Your hero can carry them to your temple where they will assist you in either supplying a trickle of a particular resource, making certain improvments cheaper, or regenerating certain units when they die.

How Does It Handle?

The controls are very straight forward and the game is easy to learn. I see no glaring issues that need to be addressed.

Graphics

The graphics have moved into the 3D realm and are stunning by 2002-3 standards. The bright colours of the landscape, the detail of the sea and terrain, and the design of the sprites are fantastic.

Music

The music is memorable and fitting to the atmosphere of the game. Ensemble Studios have a habit of creating great music for their AOE series and AOM is no exception. It is soothing and I enjoy listening to it even when not playing the game.

Replay Value

There is plenty of replay value in multiplayer mode and changeable difficulty settings. I have played through this game multiple times over the years, and even spent hours on Random Map mode. You will quickly learn which civilisations and Gods you prefer to play with and use. In 2016, another expansion pack, Tale of the Dragon was released but I have yet to play this expansion.

Did I Complete The Game?

I have played through and completed these games many times, and I enjoy them so much, I’m sure I’ll play through many times in the future.

What The Critics Said About Age of Mythology:

Gamespot: “Of course, what’s most important is that Age of Mythology plays remarkably well. Featuring lots of interesting, inventive design decisions, plenty of fun-to-use units, and tons of variety, Age of Mythology is the last real-time strategy game you’ll need for a long time. It’s a necessary addition to any real-time strategy fan’s collection, and the game is accessible enough so that even those without much experience with the genre should be able to pick up and enjoy the game without getting overwhelmed. Novices and die-hard RTS players alike will all note the remarkable amount of care and quality that clearly went into every aspect of Age of Mythology–the sorts of things that have already established Ensemble Studios as one of the leading developers of real-time strategy games and that now reinforce the company’s position as a leader and innovator in one of PC gaming’s most competitive and most popular genres.Overall 9.2/10”.[1]

IGN: “I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s particularly gratifying that, in a year with so few RTS games (and fewer good ones), Ensemble has favored (sic) us with such a fantastic complete package. It’s a real ornament for the genre and a benchmark that won’t soon be surpassed. After thousands of words of explanation, the short take is this: if you love the RTS genre, you have to own this game. I won’t take any excuses. Overall 9.3/10”.[2]

My Verdict:

“What can I say? This game looks great, plays great, sounds great, and keeps the player thoroughly interested with the clear distinctions between civilisations and Gods. This game is an absolute  banger and I can’t sing its praises enough.“

Rating:

In 2003, an expansion pack, The Titans, was released.

Plot

The story follows Kastor, son of Arkantos, who is tricked into attacking his allies and helping release the Titans.

What’s New?

AOM: The Titans adds a fourth civilisation, the Atlanteans, to the mix. Although similar to the Greeks, there are some differences including the ability to turn most human units into heroes. They do not require drop off points for resources as each villager is accompanied by a donkey.

There is also the new addition of Titan powers to use. Gaia, Kronos and Oranos are the main Titans and with each age advancement you must choose which minor Titan to follow, again, each offer different units and technologies.

On some of the missions, and in Random Map mode, you will be able to release a Titan to cause the destruction of your enemies. They are slow moving but incredibly powerful. They can be killed but you need a huge army with lots of mythical and hero units or a Titan of your own. Once the Titan is dead you cannot create another.

Did I Complete The Expansion Pack?

I have completed AoM: The Titans many times and will no doubt return again in the future.

What The Critics Said About Age of Mythology: The Titans:

IGN: “Sure, I’d still like to have seen a completely new civilization based on an entirely different set of myths, but The Titans serves as a nice coda to the previous game, which I’m not sure would’ve been possible if the series had branched out a bit more. In the end, the balance and personality are what keep me coming back for more. Overall 8.9”.[3]

Gamespy: “While I was in the game, I was having too much fun to give serious consideration to what are essentially minor quibbles. The bottom line is this: Age of Mythology: The Titans is a great add-on that gives AoM fans plenty of new toys to play with that are not only fun in their own right, but make the game they’re attached to much, much better. Overall 4.5/5”.[4]

My Verdict:

“What a fantastic expansion…a great new story and a new civilisation to learn about and use. The introduction of the Titans as a physical entity that you can use a great addition too.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Age of Mythology and The Titans expansion? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

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[1] Kasavin, G., (November 1, 2002). ‘Age of Mythology Review’. Gamepsot.com. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/age-of-mythology-review/1900-2896451/ Accessed on 14^th July 2020.

[2] Butts, S., (November 4, 2002). ‘Age of Mythology Review’. IGN. (https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/04/age-of-mythology-review Accessed on 14th July 2020).

[3] Butts, S., (September 30, 2003). ‘Age of Mythology: The Titans Review. IGN. (https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/09/30/age-of-mythology-the-titans-review Accessed on 14th July 2020).

[4] Rausch, A., (October 9, 2003). ‘Reviews – Age of Mythology: The Titans.’ Gamespy.com. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/age-of-mythology-the-titans/498508p1.html Accessed on 14th July 2020).