Info about Age of Mythology: Retold:

Official game description:
Edition Comparison
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Age of Mythology: Retold has been nominated!
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**The Legends Live On!**  
We’re thrilled to share that Age of Mythology: Retold has been nominated for a prestigious **TGA Award for Best Sim/Strategy Game**! This recognition celebrates the return of a legendary RTS, reimagined for a new era with stunning visuals, immersive soundscapes, and modern gameplay.  
Rediscover epic tales, command mythical armies, and shape history with the power of gods. With this nomination, it’s clear—the myth continues to captivate gamers worldwide.  
Don’t miss your chance to join the pantheon. Dive into the ultimate mythological experience today and see why _Age of Mythology: Retold_ is being celebrated as a must-play masterpiece!
About the Game
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From the creators of the award-winning Age of Empires franchise, Age of Mythology: Retold goes beyond history to a mythical age where gods, monsters, and humans collide. Experience an immersive real-time strategy game with an epic campaign, cooperative and competitive multiplayer, and the all-new Arena of the Gods game mode. Secure your domain, command legendary monsters, and call upon the power of the gods to achieve victory.
Will you become Mythic?
Embark on multiple campaigns spanning 50-missions that take you across a vast, mythical world: besiege the mighty walls of Troy, battle Giants in the frozen wastes of Midgard, and discover the mysteries of Osiris in the shifting sands of Egypt. Become a hero of myth—or even a god.
Choose your gods from the Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean pantheons. Devastate your enemies by summoning powerful lightning storms, earth-shattering quakes, and even the famed Nidhogg dragon. Or call upon nourishing rains and protective Dryads to help your people grow & prosper.  Plus, with the new Immortal Pillars expansion\*, you can call upon the great floods and storm dragons of Chinese mythology **(\*Immortal Pillars available with the Premium edition or sold separately).**
Unleash Centaurs, Trolls, Mummies, and more. From bejeweled crocodiles who harness the power of the sun to the mighty one-eyed Cyclops, you will command diverse units inspired by the world’s great mythologies. Plus, with the Immortal Pillars expansion\*, command winged tigers, the chaotic Hundun, and the ravenous Taotie of Chinese mythology (**\*Immortal Pillars available with the Premium edition or sold separately**).
Experience Age of Mythology: Retold like never before. In the main game, go head-to-head with friends or challenge the advanced AI across countless, randomly generated maps for endless strategic battles.
For a fresh twist, step into _Arena of the Gods_—an all-new mode where you take on the role of a legendary hero, facing 35 mythic skirmishes filled with divine challenges. Play solo or join forces in co-op\*, battling through epic trials and exploring a whole new way to enjoy the mythological universe. Whether forging alliances or battling alone, each journey is uniquely thrilling and endlessly replayable. 
**Seamless Controller Integration**
RTS with controller?  We've got you covered.  Streamlined controls make it easy to build, battle and conquer - all without a mouse and keyboard.
**Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition** 
Embark on a gaming journey of first-class offerings with the Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition.  Curated to offer an elevated gaming experience at launch and beyond.  
The Premium Edition includes the full game, up to 7-day advanced access, New Gods Pack: “Freyr”, Legacy Deity Portrait Pack, Expansion 1 (all-new Chinese pantheon expansion) and Expansion 2 (additional new pantheon). \* 
**Standard Game**:  the complete Age of Mythology: Retold experience  
**Up to 7-day Advanced Access**: Step into the divine realm before time itself with exclusive early unlock to the game available on Xbox, Steam and PC. \* 
**New Gods Pack: “Freyr”:**  Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition adds Freyr to the Norse pantheon.  Unleash the power of the Norse god of prosperity and fertility with the Freyr God Pack.  The blessings of Freyr will elevate your reign to unprecedented heights.
**Legacy Deity Portrait Pack**: a nostalgic journey back to the origins of gaming greatness.  Relive the glory days of gaming with this special pack, which offers players the option to use iconic deity portraits from the classic game that captivated audiences worldwide.  
**(2) Upcoming Expansions**: Prepare to embark on new epic sagas yet untold with two yet to be revealed and highly anticipated upcoming expansions. \* 
**Expansion 1**:  All-New Chinese pantheon expansion
**Expansion 2**:  additional new pantheon expansion  
\*Exclusive Premium benefits of 7 days Advanced Access and New Gods Pack available with Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade. New Gods Pack is a timed exclusive; may be available with future offers. Purchase the Premium Edition or the Premium Upgrade by August 27, 2024, for 7-days advanced access. Expansions 1 and 2 are available as released.

Release date: 4 Sep, 2024

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Single-player Story, Cooperative Multiplayer, Competitive Multiplayer, Base Building, Resource Management, Unit Management, Mod Support


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning, modernized graphics and visuals (weight 0.97): The game features significantly improved graphics, models, textures, and visual effects, revitalizing the classic while maintaining its original charm. Reviewers highlight the enhanced details in units, buildings, and environments, making the game visually impressive and modern.
- Successfully evokes strong nostalgia (weight 0.8): The remake successfully captures the nostalgic essence of the original game, evoking fond memories for returning players. Reviewers appreciate how the updated graphics, sound design, and gameplay enhancements enhance the experience without sacrificing the original's magic.
- Engaging and improved multiplayer (weight 0.67): The game offers a variety of engaging multiplayer experiences, with improved matchmaking, stable online battles, and crossplay functionality. Reviewers enjoy teaming up with friends, participating in ranked matches, and exploring new game modes.
- Rebalanced gameplay and mechanics (weight 0.57): The game features rebalancing and adjustments to gameplay mechanics, god powers, and unit stats, creating a fairer and more strategic experience. Reviewers note that these changes promote diverse strategies and prevent overpowered tactics.
- Many quality-of-life improvements (weight 0.51): Numerous quality-of-life improvements enhance the gameplay experience, making it more accessible and enjoyable for both new and veteran players. These include UI enhancements, refined controls, and streamlined mechanics.
- Improved modding tools/UI (weight 0.43): The game offers improved modding tools and user-friendly interfaces, allowing players to create custom scenarios, maps, and content. Reviewers appreciate the streamlined UI and the ability to easily download community-created content, enhancing the game's replayability.
- Compelling and diverse single-player campaign (weight 0.37): The game features a compelling single-player campaign with a legendary story, diverse missions, and interesting characters. Reviewers appreciate the blend of mythology, humor, and strategic gameplay, making it an enjoyable experience for both casual and competitive players.
- Unique blend of mythology/strategy (weight 0.34): The game retains the unique elements of the original, such as diverse civilizations, myth units, and god powers, creating a distinct and engaging RTS experience. Reviewers appreciate the blend of history and mythology, allowing for strategic depth and exciting battles.
- New civilizations and gods added (weight 0.1): The game introduces new content, such as the Chinese civilization and the Norse god Freyr, expanding the tactical possibilities and adding fresh perspectives to the gameplay. Reviewers appreciate the well-crafted design and unique abilities of these additions.
- Enhanced water and special effects (weight 0.07): The game features enhanced water effects and special effects, contributing to a visually captivating and immersive experience. Reviewers praise the beautiful graphics and the overall aesthetic appeal of the game's universe.
- Ongoing updates and support (weight 0.06): The game receives constant updates and new content, showing the development team's commitment to providing support, fixes, and balance changes. This ongoing support ensures the game remains fresh and enjoyable for players.
- Balanced campaign difficulty (weight 0.05): The game features a balanced difficulty level in the campaign, with adjustments made to remove difficulty spikes and provide a more consistent challenge. Reviewers appreciate the ability to change the difficulty at any point to suit their needs.

Common complaints:
- Voice acting inferior to original (weight 0.18): The new voice acting is generally considered worse than the original, lacking the same conviction and passion. Many reviewers recommend using mods to restore the original voice acting. This issue extends to both the base game and the campaign.
- Poor unit pathfinding and AI (weight 0.14): Unit pathfinding and AI are significantly worse than the original game, with units getting stuck, failing to follow commands, and behaving unintelligently. This makes micromanagement difficult and impacts strategic gameplay. The AI also relies on unit spam and resource cheating to create difficulty.
- Lacks significant new content (weight 0.12): The game doesn't offer enough new content or significant changes compared to the original Age of Mythology. Some reviewers feel it's essentially a reskin with a different user interface. Selling classic god portraits as DLC is also criticized.
- Inconsistent difficulty and outdated feel (weight 0.09): The game has inconsistent difficulty, strange controls and feels outdated. Some reviewers feel the game is a paid beta version instead of a "retold" experience.
- 'Arena of the Gods' is flawed (weight 0.08): The 'Arena of the Gods' mode is poorly designed and buggy, with repetitive gameplay, uninspired maps, and frequent crashes. Some reviewers consider it an utter waste of time. The mode also requires an online connection, even for single-player.
- Translation and UI issues (weight 0.07): The game suffers from flawed translations, with errors in localized versions. The user interface also has issues, such as missing unit commands and awkward controls. These problems detract from the overall user experience.
- Building placement issues (weight 0.03): Building placements can cause military units to get stuck in spawn points or villagers to become trapped. The game lacks a "No rush" option, preventing players from peacefully developing their city before engaging in combat.

Gameplay feedback:
- Reusable god powers with cost (weight 0.14): God powers can now be used multiple times, but at an increasing favor cost after the initial free use. This change encourages strategic timing and resource management, adding a new layer of tactical depth to combat.
- Diverse civilizations, strategic god choices (weight 0.14): The game retains its core RTS gameplay while incorporating mythological elements. Each civilization (Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Atlantean) offers unique units, gods, and playstyles, influencing strategic options and replayability. Choosing different minor gods when aging up further enhances strategic depth.
- Reworked Wonders offer powerful bonuses (weight 0.03): Wonders have been reworked to provide significant gameplay advantages beyond just a timed victory. Building a Wonder now grants increased favor generation, empowers myth units, reduces god power cooldowns and costs, and allows for the summoning of additional Titans, adding a new 'Wonder Age' to the game.
- Expanded maps, modes, mod support (weight 0.03): The game features an increased population cap, modified maps, and new game types, expanding the skirmish and multiplayer options. Mod support is included, allowing players to tweak the game and create custom content.
- Reworked Atlantean mechanics (mixed) (weight 0.02): Atlantean favor generation has been reworked to use oracles instead of town centers, and Atlantean heroes no longer require population. However, some reviewers note that the Atlanteans still struggle with favor generation, and the Atlantean campaign is very easy.
- Improved, but inconsistent AI (weight 0.02): The AI has been improved, with opponents now attacking walls and contesting resources more effectively. However, the AI's performance can be inconsistent, with some reviewers noting that it still stalls in expanding.
- Campaigns faithful to original (weight 0.02): The campaigns remain largely faithful to the original, with only general balance changes and updates. Some campaign missions have altered town center locations to focus players on the mission objective.
- New Freyr god (premium edition) (weight 0.02): The premium version includes a new Norse god, Freyr, and two future DLCs. Some reviewers note that the Freyr's Gift campaign is very easy, with only one mission posing a moderate challenge.

Performance notes:
- Smooth performance and good optimization (weight 0.12): Many reviewers report that the game generally runs smoothly and is well-optimized, even on the Steam Deck and less powerful machines. The graphics are considered good and improved over previous versions, and the game is stable with few crashes or bugs encountered.
- Unit pathfinding issues exist (weight 0.02): While generally acceptable, unit pathfinding can be problematic at times. Units may get stuck on terrain or navigate around objects unnecessarily, hindering gameplay.
- Medium-level hardware required (weight 0.02): Lower-end systems may require reduced graphical settings to achieve acceptable performance. The game's hardware requirements are considered to be medium-level.
- Lag spikes with specific actions (weight 0.01): Significant lag spikes can occur when queuing Atlantean infantry to heroes, causing FPS drops. Frame drops may also happen when RTX and epic settings are enabled, especially with large armies and particle effects.
- Nvidia GPU detection issue (weight 0.01): The Nvidia GPU is shown as an unknown vendor, even with updated drivers. This may indicate a compatibility or detection issue.

Recommendations:
- Buggy, unbalanced, and unstable (weight 0.33): The game's current state is unstable. Many reviewers cite bugs, balance issues, and performance problems that detract from the experience, leading to cautious recommendations or outright avoidance. Some reviewers are leaving negative reviews to highlight these issues and encourage faster fixes.
- Faithful and modernized remake (weight 0.28): Many reviewers feel the remake successfully captures the essence of the original game while modernizing it for a new audience. It's considered a worthy successor and a good starting point for those new to the series.
- Great for RTS enthusiasts (weight 0.21): The game is highly recommended for RTS fans, especially those familiar with the Age of Empires series or interested in mythology. Reviewers emphasize its appeal to both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
- Excellent and highly recommended (weight 0.2): Many reviewers express overall satisfaction with the game. They consider it to be excellent, worth the money, and a must-play, with some even calling it a masterpiece or the best in the series.
- Nostalgic and worth revisiting (weight 0.18): The game evokes strong feelings of nostalgia for those who played the original. Many reviewers recommend it as a way to relive those memories, especially if purchased on sale.
- Anticipation for future content (weight 0.04): Reviewers are excited about future content updates and DLC releases. They hope the developers will continue to support the game with new civilizations, gods, and single-player content.
- Worth buying on sale (weight 0.03): Some reviewers suggest waiting for a sale before purchasing the game, especially if you're only interested in the campaign or the deluxe edition. The base game is considered worth around $20-$30.
- Thriving community, responsive devs (weight 0.02): The game has a thriving community. The developers are responsive to feedback, giving hope for the future of the game.
- Recommend original audio mod (weight 0.01): Some reviewers recommend installing mods to restore the original voices or improve the translation. This suggests that the default audio or translation may be lacking.
- Freyr is a good addition (weight 0.01): The new god Freyr is a good addition. It is recommended to watch some gameplays with him before buying.

Other player notes:
- Future DLCs and pantheons (weight 0.07): The game will feature reworked Chinese civilization in a future DLC, which generates excitement. The base game includes Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Atlantean factions. Some reviewers express concern about potential pay-to-win mechanics related to new pantheons.
- Remake with familiar gameplay (weight 0.04): The game is a re-release or remake of an older title with quality-of-life improvements. The core gameplay remains familiar and solid, retaining the essence of the original. Some additions from the Extended Edition are not included.
- Variety of modes and content (weight 0.02): The game offers various modes, including campaigns, skirmish, a new arena mode, and multiplayer. It utilizes the engine from "Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition" and receives constant updates, new content, and meta adjustments.
- Extensive modding and map tools (weight 0.02): The game provides powerful tools for creating maps and scenarios, along with Workshop support for mods. Players can access graphical and sound mods, including full faction overhauls, extending the game's life and customization options.
- Concerns about live-service model (weight 0.02): The reviewer with extensive experience in the original expresses some concerns. They note the absence of Steam achievement progress display and hope the game avoids becoming a live-service model.
- Specific Atlantean unit feedback (weight 0.01): The reviewer provides specific feedback on Atlantean units, such as Kronos's building transfer and the Dagger Cavalry's role. They suggest improvements to unit characteristics and bonuses.
- Dislike style and voice acting (weight 0.01): The reviewer dislikes some style changes and voice acting. This point lacks specific details and relies on subjective opinions, reducing its importance.
- Outdated driver popup issue (weight 0.01): The reviewer encountered an "outdated driver" popup issue, which is a common problem. They are seeking a fix or update to resolve this technical issue.
- Extra god purchase in-game (weight 0.01): There is an extra god not mentioned in the store that must be purchased in-game. New god pack has been added.

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