Age Of Mythology Retold: public beta is open, we were able to try the game that wants to redefine the series

Microsoft will release Age of Mythology Retold for PC and Xbox Series X|S on September 4. Closed beta on July 12only available to those who pre-ordered the game, Age Of Mythology Retold will be available for free play for all enthusiasts for three hours this weekend between 14:30 and 17:30.. We’ve already been playing for a few hours, that’s what we thought.

What is the Age of Mythology?

Originally released in 2002, Age of Mythology took the successful formula of “Age of Empires” and gave it a fantasy twist. Instead of historical accuracy, Players find themselves at the head of armies inspired by Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology. Its unique blend of strategy and legend-inspired gameplay sparked a huge interest among fans, and the game became a huge hit at the time.

Original game followed The adventures of Arkantos, an Atlantean admiral caught in the middle of a divine conflict. Players guided him through the lands of three different cultures, each with their own pantheons of gods they could call upon for aid.

Over the years, the “Age of Mythology” has seen several expansions and updates. The 2003 expansion “The Titans” introduced the Atlanteans as a playable civilization, while the 2014 “Extending Edition” improved the graphics and brought the game to Steam. The most recent expansion, “Tale of the Dragon” in 2016, added Chinese mythology to the game.

Age of Mythology Retold is not just a remake

When Age of Mythology Retold was announced on October 25, 2022, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Age of Empires series, Microsoft announced that the game was not a straightforward remake, but that its title accurately reflected the studio’s ambition: retells the story of the original title with numerous changes.

The public beta is pretty sectioned off, allowing you to tour what’s available in just a few hours. Provides access to multiplayer mode onlyenough to face conflicts alone or with others, whether with friends or strangers.

If you’ve played Age of Mythology before, Retold will feel instantly familiar, but it’s also quite disconcerting. If you can quickly find your bearings in a classic remake, the many new features in this new game almost make it feel like you’re reinventing the game.

The first thing you’ll notice is the graphical improvements. The game adopts a fancy graphics paste that you’ll either love or hate, but should allow the game to run even if your computer isn’t a war machine. You’ll need at least an Intel i3-4130 or AMD FX 4350 and an NVIDIA GTX 645, AMD Radeon Vega 8, or Intel Iris Graphics 550 graphics card.

This new Age of Mythology is intended to be much more chaotic and eventful than the original gameThe main change is the change in how divine powers work. They now have a cost and can be reused multiple times.

Besides, Retold introduces a new “Wonderful” era following the “Legendary” erawhich can be accessed by building a wonder. Once you switch to it, your civilization generates one favor point every second, divine powers become cheaper and reset faster, and legendary units become more powerful. In short, enough action to create a world where you don’t know where to turn.

Retold’s overall balancing has also been overhauled. Units now only perform well against a specific type, which should force you to think more carefully about your battle plans. Training only one type of unit will now almost certainly lead to defeat. Other game mechanics have been changed, such as how certain buildings function and improve them, as well as the ability to create units using keys on your keyboard.

These massive changes have caused Microsoft rewrite certain elements of your campaignbut we weren’t able to play during this public beta. During the first closed beta, in the first mission we found ourselves defending a beach against waves of pirate ships, for example, training new villagers is now impossible because the forum has been deleted. You can also build them wherever you want on the map without having to claim a colony. However, they don’t increase your population and can’t attack troops unless they are sheltered.

Artificial Intelligence is at the heart of Age of Mythology Retold

With Retold, Microsoft has redesigned the game’s artificial intelligence. Players can now choose between six difficulty levels: Standard, Medium, Hard, Titanic, Extreme, and Legendary. The original game was limited to four modes, and experienced players would quickly become bored with the most difficult mode. We were able to try out Legendary mode, and it really quickly overwhelmed us.

For beginners, Some actions are now automatic, but fortunately others are optional. Forums can train villagers in chains, and scouts can explore the map on their own without you having to do anything. It’s also possible to automatically assign specific villagers to a resource and they’ll be responsible for getting there. Just manage your economy without really thinking about it.

After a few hours of play we were won over, to say the least. Age Of Mythology Retold is much more balanced and complete than the original gameand will please the most nostalgic players. Whether it’s the cult music, the new graphics or the more consistent gameplay, It has everything that RTS fans will enjoy.Numerous changes will allow you to discover or rediscover certain mechanics that are sorely lacking in some traditional remakes.

However, some bugs sometimes break the game. We encountered some pathfinding issuesi.e. the routes units take. Some have found themselves stuck, categorically refusing to progress, but we hope Microsoft fixes this when the game launches next September.