We now have the definitive editions of all the historical Age of Empires games, and they're brilliant. Updated graphics, new features, remastered soundtracks... everything the discerning RTS fan could hope for. But there's one Age game that's still absent from the remaster and sequel talk; where is Age of Mythology?
At E3 2019, Adam Isgreen said that the mythological spin-off had not been forgotten. Indeed, it hasn't been totally forgotten. A new update that arrived in June 2020 added a new map, new cheat codes, and tuned balancing across the game - all great news, but it's not quite what many fans expected from Isgreen's comment. Mistakes learned from past games, new technology, and the wave of interest created by these new Age of Empires games creates the perfect environment to reintroduce Age of Mythology to the world, and perhaps extend it with new ancient civilisations and fantastical creatures to control, all with modern graphics.
Released in 2002, Age of Mythology was received very positively by critics and fans alike; the substantial differences between the three core civilisations, and between the gods within them, making AoM stand apart from Age of Empires and indeed other RTS games at the time. It's had some support over the years - and an 'extended edition' back in 2014, which already looks a little outdated - but the last big content update was back in early 2016 when the poorly received expansion Tale of the Dragon was released. Besides, Age of Mythology is such a different game that, despite all the recent remasters in the broader Age series, there's still a certain mythological itch that needs scratching.
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Age of Mythology has a new update with tons of balance changes and a new map
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Age of Mythology's long-awaited expansion Tale of the Dragon is out now