Age of Mythology: Retold has officially been confirmed for release this year. This is a ground-up remake of the original Age of Mythology, first released in 2002. It’s a strategy game, a spin-off of the popular Age of Empires series, incorporating concepts and creatures from world mythologies for a more imaginative experience. Players each choose a major god that determines their playstyle, and compete to progress through four “ages” of history across several different game modes.

Age of Mythology: Retold was revealed at this weekend’s Xbox Games Showcase, part of Summer Game Fest weekend. It will inevitably retain much of what made the original game unique, but is also likely to innovate and expand on its formula. Here’s everything to know about the upcoming Age of Mythology remake.

Age Of Mythology: Retold – Release Date

When Does Age Of Mythology: Retold Come Out?

Age of Mythology: Retold will be released on September 4, 2024, almost 22 years after the original game first came out. It’ll be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S at launch, although other platforms are possible later. Age of Mythology: Retold will also be available on day one of its release through Game Pass, which means subscribers can play it without an additional fee. It also suggests that it’ll be playable on a wide variety of platforms capable of Game Pass cloud streaming, including mobile devices and smart TVs.

Age Of Mythology: Retold – All Gods & God Powers Confirmed

New & Returning Gods Appear In The Age Of Mythology Trailer

Choosing the right god and playing to their strengths are the core strategies of Age of Mythology, and things should be no different in Retold. They work akin to civilizations in Age of Empires, or factions in similar strategy games: the god a player chooses (or is randomly assigned) determines the entire course of their game. Each god has powers that can be called upon in battle, a unique branch of the technology tree, a series of passive bonuses, and a pantheon of minor gods to back them up. Some also have unique units or legendary heroes to give them an extra edge in battle.

Isis is the first deity to appear in the Age of Mythology: Retold trailer, based on the Egyptian goddess of magic, fertility, and the moon. She is also closely associated with the afterlife and funeral rites, due to her role in resurrecting her husband Osiris after he was slain by Set. In the Age of Mythology trailer, she’s seen pelting enemy units with meteors, consistent with a power provided by her minor god Thoth in the original game. Her other powers included raising gold mining rates while decreasing the cost of technologies, creating abundance and prosperity.

Loki is the next god to appear in the Age of Mythology: Retold trailer, the archetypal trickster god of Norse myth. True to his nature, Loki’s powers seem to revolve around sowing chaos: he’s seen summoning the fire-breathing dragon Niddhog to raze enemy structures in the trailer. Loki’s focus is on combat strategy: he can use his godly powers to grant his units line of sight to any enemy unit they wish. He can also spawn new powerful hero units and myth units at a much faster rate than other gods.

And last but most certainly not least, Zeus appears in the Age of Mythology: Retold trailer. The god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods, Zeus is known for his wrath and his many children. In Age of Mythology, this manifests in his powerful bolts of lightning, which can kill any unit in a single strike. He’s a pure combat god, whose powers support an unstoppable army of unique heroes. In the trailer, he’s seen causing the ground to quake, crumbling buildings across a wide range of enemy territory.

A smattering of the original Age of Mythology‘s other gods also appear in Retold‘s trailer, as well as the promotional banner it reveals for the game. Art of Ra and Poseidon is shown briefly, but if any of their gameplay is featured, it’s not immediately obvious. Kronos is mentioned in the Age of Mythology: Retold trailer, but doesn’t appear directly. Odin’s face is prominent on the banner, flanked by his signature ravens. Minor gods Thor and Set also appear, flanking major gods Odin and Isis respectively.

The only immediately unrecognizable figure in the Age of Mythology: Retold trailer is a plantlike goddess who appears only briefly. This could be an alternate take on Gaia, the Atlantean goddess whose powers mostly focus on quickly growing the economy. None of the Chinese deities or culture heroes introduced in the Tale of the Dragon DLC appear in the trailer, either, so it appears they’ll be missing from the game at launch. They may be added in a later DLC, though.

Age Of Mythology: Retold – Expected Changes From The Original

Age Of Mythology: Retold Will Inevitably Be Different

But it’s been over 20 years since the original Age of Mythology came out, so its remake will inevitably be slightly different. For one thing, there have been two new games in the mainline Age of Empires series since then, and Age of Mythology: Retold may incorporate some of their new mechanics. Things like AoE 4‘s more complicated counter system for calculating unit strengths and weaknesses may factor into the remake. The landmark feature, which requires players to build new monuments each time they age, could also play a role. Regular infantry may have access to unique combat abilities, instead of just myth units and heroes.

But perhaps most subject to change in Age of Mythology: Retold are the particulars of each faction. There may be some balance changes, especially if the game incorporates new mechanics to better align itself with more recent Age of Empires releases. The original Age of Mythology is generally considered pretty well-balanced, so maintaining that in the remake should be a high priority. However, some factions have more boring late games than others, so there may be new challenges to keep gameplay interesting through all four ages.

Finally, there may be a new (or at least updated) campaign in Age of Mythology: Retold. Age of Mythology had one main campaign, Fall of the Trident, and a side campaign, The Golden Gift, released as a free add-on. The remake may decide to shake things up with separate campaigns for each faction, as is standard in the mainline AoE series. Or, it may just opt for a slightly revamped version of the original campaign, especially if there are any new mechanics it needs to explore through scenario-based tutorials.

But for now, that’s all there is to say about Age of Mythology: Retold. Even in this early state, it looks to be a fully-featured remake of the original base game: while it might be interesting to see what other major or minor gods factor in, there’s not much left to the imagination in this first trailer. Players can explore all the available options, and begin building their legendary empires when Age of Mythology: Retold is released on September 4, 2024.