Age of Mythology: Retold Review Summary

A visually improved remaster with top-tier classic RTS gameplay and distinct factions that will please Age fans, though weak pathfinding and pricey DLC with missing content hold it back.

Greatly improved graphics: Many reviewers highlight the significant graphical overhaul in the remaster, noting much better visuals and detail compared to the original. Graphics are consistently praised as a major improvement.

Excellent remaster quality: The remaster is widely described as excellent, fantastic, and extremely well-made, breathing new life into a classic game. Many consider it a perfect example of how to remake a beloved title.

Top-tier classic RTS: Reviewers frequently call this one of the best RTS games ever made, praising its classic gameplay and innovative design. It is considered a must-buy for fans of the genre.

Distinct faction playstyles: Each faction or race offers unique technologies, units, and strategic approaches, making them play significantly differently. This diversity is frequently praised.

Overall very positive reception: General sentiment is that the game is very good, fun, and well-made. Reviewers express high satisfaction with the overall experience.

Pathfinding and movement issues: Units frequently get stuck, freeze, or take illogical paths due to poor pathfinding and collision detection. This severely impacts gameplay and requires constant micromanagement.

Expensive and extensive DLC: A significant amount of content, including gods and features like blood and skeletons, is locked behind DLCs that are priced as high as the base game. Reviewers criticize this as greedy monetization.

Premium Edition lacks promised DLC: Many reviewers report that the Premium Edition does not include all DLCs as advertised, with future expansions and new gods requiring separate purchases. This has led to frustration and accusations of misleading marketing.

Units fail to attack: Units ordered to attack often just approach enemies and do nothing, or fail to engage properly. This is a critical gameplay flaw that breaks combat.

Poor game balance: Difficulty levels are questionable and overall balance is poor, with some civilizations like Egypt receiving repeated nerfs. This reduces strategic diversity.

Campaigns and skirmish modes: The game features both single-player campaigns and skirmish modes, including multiple difficulties and various scenarios. Campaigns are a core part of the experience.

Classic RTS gameplay: The game is a classic real-time strategy where players build bases, manage unit construction, and engage in battles. It is often described as an old-school PC RTS with expansions.

Online multiplayer and ranked play: Online multiplayer is available, with ranked matchmaking, quick play, and custom game modes. Players can compete worldwide.

Multiple civilizations and factions: The game offers a variety of civilizations, each with unique strengths, weaknesses, and mechanics. Factions include Greeks, Egyptians, Norse, Atlanteans, Chinese, Japanese, and Aztecs.

Remaster with updated graphics: This is a remaster or remake of an existing game, featuring updated graphics and enhancements. It brings back the classic experience with modern improvements.

Frequent crashes and launch failures: Players report crashes to desktop during gameplay, when saving, or on launch, with some needing task manager to close the game. Multiple clusters confirm these issues occur consistently and affect many users.

Positive performance experiences: Some players report smooth performance, no stuttering, and no crashes, even on older or entry-level hardware. The game runs well on Windows and handles huge battles without FPS drops.

Various technical and compatibility issues: A range of technical problems are reported, including D3D12 errors, mod-related crashes, initialization failures, widescreen monitor issues, and screen positioning bugs. Some users also have trouble on Arch Linux.

Stuttering and lag in large battles: Frame drops and lag occur during large battles with many troops, and in 4v4 or 5v5 matches. Players also experience freezing in late game on larger maps.

Poor optimization and hardware underutilization: The game is described as poorly optimized, with hardware not fully utilized, causing stuttering and slowdowns even on capable systems. Some players note that performance issues are not due to their PC specs.

Recommended for RTS fans: A large number of reviewers recommend this game specifically to fans of real-time strategy. It is described as a must-play for anyone who enjoys the genre.

Appeals to Age of Empires fans: Many reviewers recommend the game to fans of Age of Empires and the original Age of Mythology. It is seen as a natural fit for those who enjoy the series.

Strong recommendation to buy: Many reviewers simply give a strong recommendation to buy the game. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive without specific caveats.

Great entry point for newcomers: Several reviewers highlight this as an excellent gateway game for players new to real-time strategy. It is considered one of the best entry points for the genre.

Nostalgia for original players: Fans of the original game appreciate the nostalgic value and recommend it to those who played it before. It is especially praised by long-time players.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $30.00.

Story completion: 40.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Endgame: 100.0h.

New players often face a steep learning curve, an unhelpful tutorial, and unforgiving multiplayer, but enjoyment tends to click later once they play in a team, use external guides, or enable accessibility options. Veterans may find it fun immediately due to nostalgia, so the time-to-fun varies by prior experience.

Friction: Steep learning curve for new players; Tutorial fails to teach advanced troop control or economy; Need to pause play to watch external tutorial videos; Multiplayer is unforgiving for novices; Confusing UI and adaptation for returning players; Dated gameplay and UI feel.

Unlock drivers: Playing later in a team; Learning from streamers and YouTubers; Auto-queue villagers for accessibility; Playing on easy initially to try everything; Co-op modes like Arena of the Gods provide progression.

Nostalgic Franchise Veteran: Replays the original campaigns and skirmishes, enjoying familiar mechanics with updated graphics and quality-of-life features. Motivation: Reliving a beloved childhood strategy game and revisiting its classic campaigns with modernized presentation. Stance: sale.

Competitive Ranked Player: Plays ranked PvP, optimizes build orders and god powers, and scrutinizes balance, matchmaking, and DLC units for competitive fairness. Motivation: Climbing the ranked ladder and mastering competitive meta strategies and faction balance. Stance: sale.

Casual Single-Player & Co-op Player: Plays campaigns and skirmishes against AI, co-op scenarios, and roguelike arena modes, avoiding online ranked competition. Motivation: Relaxing, at-your-own-pace progression through campaigns, co-op, and PvE modes without ranked pressure. Stance: buy.

Across the reported Windows hardware cohorts, lower-VRAM/RAM systems and 16GB+ VRAM systems often report crashes or lag, while 8-11GB VRAM users mostly find the game playable. The 12-15GB VRAM cohort is split between smooth reports and technical issues.

Windows <8GB VRAM / <16GB RAM: negative. Reports are dominated by crashes and startup instability, even on recommended configurations, with very low-end Intel systems failing to run the game.

Windows <8GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM: negative. Repeated crashes dominate; the sole positive snippet mainly praises content updates and patching rather than stable performance.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Most users report the game runs well, though some note late-game frame drops, freezes, and suboptimal optimization on larger maps.

Steam Deck: Age of Mythology: Retold is widely praised for first-class controller support, FSR 2.0 support, and generally solid optimization, and many users report smooth Steam Deck and Linux sessions. However, the audit surfaced substantial friction: abundant reports of frequent crashes and crash loops, post-update launch failures where the game will not start, always-online DRM with no offline singleplayer, notable battery drain and late-game stutter on handheld, and contradictory Steam Deck/Linux compatibility where the store's 'playable' status does not hold for everyone. The recurring crashes and launch failures trigger the broken tier of the scoring criteria.

Linux and Proton: Linux-specific feedback is limited and mixed. Two users report good performance on Linux, including one on CachyOS, while one Arch Linux user reports nothing but trouble and another mentions a likely Linux-only severe issue. There is no evidence of Proton Experimental/GE switching, launch-option workarounds, or community fixes dominating the experience. Overall, the game appears mostly functional on Linux with isolated reliability concerns.

Monetization: The audit finds direct evidence of real-money monetization beyond a simple boxed purchase. Players repeatedly report that DLC gods and civilizations are deliberately stronger, creating a pay-to-win environment, and that basic features such as blood effects are locked behind an Expansion Pass bundle. Season Pass bundling, unclear DLC access, and aggressive pricing or cash-grab language further support a predatory monetization profile. The final score is driven primarily by the repeated pay-to-win allegations tied to paid DLC power.

External guides: The feedback shows limited direct evidence of external data dependency. The strongest complaint concerns the removal of in-game wiki lore and character story, which maps to Tier 3 instructional and content-related data and may increase reliance on external sources for lore. Other feedback is positive about the in-game encyclopedia and the absence of spreadsheet-like management, with a minor external-search complaint about disabling a UI element. No explicit farming, drop-rate, inventory, crafting, quest, build, or mechanical-keyword evidence appears.

Remake of Age of Mythology: The game is a remake or remaster of the classic Age of Mythology, with improvements in graphics, soundtrack, and additional civilizations. It is often compared to the original and Age of Empires series.

DLCs and Add-Ons Available: The game offers multiple DLCs sold individually or as a pass, expanding the gaming experience with new content. These include additional storylines, factions, and leaders.

Premium Edition DLC Issues: The Premium edition does not include all future DLCs or an expansion pass, and there is no upgrade path for existing DLC owners. This has caused confusion and dissatisfaction among buyers.

Ongoing Updates and Expansions: The game receives constant content updates and expansions, such as the recent Aztec update. An expansion pass is available, priced similarly to the main game.

Substantial DLC Content: DLC packs add significant content, including new campaigns, factions, and updates, enhancing the overall game experience. Most new content is delivered through these paid expansions.