Thursday 09 / January / 2025
Have you ever been so furious with someone that you’ve wanted to bring down meteors from space, watching with grim satisfaction as these fiery chunks of rock from the sky pummel the spot where the one who irritated you was standing?
Or have you been so swelteringly hot that you wished you could summon the rains with just a snap of your fingers, basking in the relief that the clouds provide, as you take in a lovely rainbow in the distance?
You can stop wishing and start making that happen: Age of Mythology, yet another acclaimed game from Microsoft Game Studios, gives you access to some of the most fantastical powers you’ve ever seen and experienced.
The game takes place in the ancient world, putting players among three of the great civilisations of that time, providing an amazing insight into the unique culture and ways of life that contributed so much towards shaping the world we live in.
Players are put into the sandals of the Greek admiral, Arkantos, the leader of the Greek city-state of Atlantis, who has returned from several years of fighting to see his beloved son, Kastor. It pains Arkantos to leave his son behind, especially after the boy’s mother died young, but duty comes first for the Atlantean. Although he’s hoping for a longer visit to his son, his latest trip back home will be short as well: Greek troops are currently laying siege to the un-impregnable gates of Troy, and Atlantis’ fleets are required to aid their brethren in the Trojan Wars.
En route, Arkantos has to defeat yet another pirate fleet, which dares to threaten Greek waters, after they dare to steal one of Atlantis’ most prized possessions. Having routed the pirates and secured his island’s immediate future, Arkantos and his triremes sail for Troy, where the rest of the Greek army has assembled under King Agamemnon. His arrival could not be more timely – while Greek scouts are torching Trojan forward bases, enemy cavalry decimate the king’s food stores and tents, leaving the army to starve.
Knowing time is of the essence, Arkantos teams up with legendary heroes Odysseus and Ajax to sneak their way into Troy by concealing themselves in a great wooden horse. Some call it a Trojan Horse. Arkantos and his allies rout the Trojans and sail happily back home.
Er, not quite. Over in Egypt, Queen Amanra is facing insurgents and aggressors who wish to overthrow her. They’re in league with the same pirates who’ve been haranguing Greek fleets across the Aegean, and while Amanra rallies support from among her loyalists, she receives a very welcome ally in Arkantos and his hoplites, who with the help of their newfound Egyptian friends, rout the pirate base and its watertight defences and ensure that the black sails of the fleet won’t harass ships either side of the Mediterranean.
But the leader of these fleets still eludes capture, as he escapes into the far north to plot his revenge. To him, the fleets were only a distraction – his ultimate plan is a far more sinister one, and once again, he has succeeded in sowing discord among the Norse tribes in the hope of siding with one of them and emerging victorious, sending his armies to help whoever he thinks will come out on top.
Arkantos Greek archers and Amanra’s Egyptian spearmen brave the cold north to join forces with the Norse tribes that are able to see through the deceit that is plaguing their lands, and together, the three races realise that they will have to go back to where all of this began to undo the evil that is about to be unleashed on their world: Atlantis.
And that’s where you’re going to be headed this weekend as well.
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The Short and Skinny
Name: Age of Mythology
Genre: Real Time Strategy
Produced by: Microsoft Game Studios
What it’s about: In Ancient Greece, the cradle of all civilisation, a weary admiral returns home to the loving arms of his family. But his reunion will be short-lived, for he is about to enter a conflict that could change the very world as he knows it
Where to buy: Steam Store, Amazon, Humble Bundle, Age of Empires website, eBay
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OSX
IGN Rating: 9.3/10
