Age of Mythology: Retold [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

Age of Mythology first transported players into a vast world of gods, monsters, and legendary battles back in 2002, and after a successful revival on Xbox and PC last year, it has now brought its real-time strategy action to the PlayStation 5. With enhanced visuals, gameplay refinements, and improved controller support, Age of Mythology: Retold aims to modernize a beloved classic while staying true to its roots. But does this divine reimagining truly stand the test of time?

Check out some screenshots down below:

Unlike its Age of Empires siblings which focus on historical conflicts, Age of Mythology: Retold leans heavily into fantasy, drawing inspiration from Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Atlantean, and – with the release of the new Immortal Pillars expansion – Chinese mythology and legends. However, the core RTS gameplay loop remains unchanged from its counterpart, with players gathering resources, building settlements, and training armies as they look to achieve their objectives. What makes this feel so unique is the addition of gods, mythical creatures, and powerful abilities, with each giving Age of Mythology: Retold a unique flavour that helps it make it feel distinct in its own satisfying ways.

Each civilization offers a different playstyle to take advantage of, with players choosing a major god tied to mythology at the start of each game. As they progress, they can align with minor gods who grant additional units, abilities, and upgrades, whilst the ability to summon creatures (such as cyclops, mummies, mountain giants, and krakens) or unleash devastating god powers (such as summoning a lightning storm or causing an earthquake) adds an extra layer of chaos and unpredictability to your strategic plan of action. It’s really cool and helps ensure that the gameplay loop still remains exciting more than twenty-years on from the game’s original release.

Age of Mythology: Retold is also packed with content to play through. The single-player campaign is chunky with its 50 missions, all whilst telling a story that takes players across different mythological settings. Beyond the campaign, there’s a skirmish mode for battling AI in the Arena of the Gods, and an online multiplayer mode where players can test their strategies against others (or alternatively work as a team). There’s a lot for players to get stuck into, and whilst the campaign offers the meat and bones of the experience, it’s easy to find yourself sinking hours into multiplayer too.

“Age of Mythology: Retold is a faithful revival of a beloved classic, bringing its mythological warfare to the PlayStation 5 with improved visuals, streamlined controls, and satisfyingly strategic gameplay.”

The game also launches alongside the Immortal Pillars expansion which explores the Chinese Pantheon, giving players a fresh campaign to play through with new gods, units, and buildings to take advantage of. It’s a really fun addition to the experience that further bulks out the meaty package on offer, whilst also giving returning players something that’s genuinely fresh to experience.

Visually, Age of Mythology: Retold is a major step up from the original game, though that’s probably to be expected given that it’s over twenty-years-old now. The unit models are more detailed, animations are smoother, and environments feel richer, with improved lighting, enhanced water effects, and better destruction physics all helping bring the world to life. God powers look particularly impressive, with visually striking effects that make their impact on the battlefield feel even more powerful than before, with it clear that a real effort has been made to ensure that the game fits into the modern generation perfectly. Everything runs smoothly for the most part too, though some frame drops and minor visual glitches occasionally pop up in large battles… thankfully, it’s nothing too obtrusive.

Bringing an RTS to consoles is always a challenge and one that has typically seen me reserving the genre for PC only, but Age of Mythology: Retold handles the transition exceptionally well. The game offers a controller-friendly UI, with radial menus for issuing commands, shortcut buttons for quick actions, and automation features that make unit management easier. Holding down a button to select multiple units or using triggers to bring up command options feels intuitive after some practice, and whilst it will never quite match the speed and precision of a mouse and keyboard, there’s no doubting that the controller holds up really, really well.

Check out some screenshots down below:

At its core, Age of Mythology: Retold remains a deeply enjoyable RTS. The blend of traditional strategy gameplay with mythological elements keeps battles exciting, and the variety of gods and civilizations ensures plenty of replayability. Whether you’re summoning mythic beasts, casting game-changing god powers, or launching full-scale assaults on enemy fortresses, the moment-to-moment gameplay is satisfying. And most importantly? It’s a ton of fun on console, where it genuinely feels great to play. I’m glad Microsoft have started bringing their catalogue of releases to the PlayStation 5, because Age of Mythology: Retold brings something that was missing from the platform, all whilst emphasising just how effective consoles can be at handling the RTS genre these days.

That being said, I’d be remiss not to mention that some elements feel a little dated – especially when compared to modern releases in the genre. The AI isn’t always the smartest with it easy to exploit foes and gain the upper hand, whilst the dull voice acting can make it the story a little less engaging. There are the aforementioned instances of performance drops too, which aren’t game-breaking at all, but can be noticeable in some sequences.

Developer: World’s Edge
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://www.ageofempires.com/games/aom/age-of-mythology-retold/