Sequel Bait - Age of Mythology

Over the course of gaming history, there have been thousands of game series that have faded into obscurity for a variety of reasons. Maybe the initial game was a flop with poor sales, or maybe the game itself wasn’t executed well enough because of time constraints or graphical limitations. Whatever the reason, there are a lot of hidden gems in the gaming world that I believe could become huge franchises if given the right resources and time.

With this concept in mind, I would like to introduce you to an article series where I discuss forgotten franchises and delve deep into the history behind the game. Next, I will discuss how I would go about revamping the series for a potential revival or sequel.

Up first is one of my childhood favorites, Age of Mythology. The spinoff franchise from Ensemble Studios legendary RTS, Age of Empires released in October of 2002. The core gameplay of Age of Mythology is virtually identical to Age of Empires. You take command of three ancient civilizations and battle against others with RTS-style gameplay. The major twist comes in the form of Myth units which are made up of many classical monsters from ancient stories.

With the widespread critical and casual acclaim surrounding Age of Empires, it always struck me as odd that this series never received a proper sequel. The potential here is huge and in 20 years the game has only received two major updates. The first came in 2003 with the release of the Titans expansion, which added a fourth playable civilization and new units. The second major content expansion titled, Tale of the Dragon was released 13 years later in 2016 and again added a new civilization, units, and an updated campaign.

Critical reception at the time of launch in 2003 was mostly positive and the game also made decent money from sales. Usually, these are all factors that would guarantee continued support for the franchise. According to an article by PC Gamer in 2021, the current creative directors of the Age of Empires series discussed the spin-off during a fan event stating that they “have not forgotten about Age of Mythology.” This is positive news, as the recent release of Age of Empires 4 will no doubt allow for the team to move forward with a potential sequel. With this in mind, here are some things I would most like to see in the future.

Right away the most obvious addition for a new Age of Mythology has to be expanded factions. Currently, there are five to choose from, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Atlantean, and Chinese. This is a great start and I hope each of these factions returns, particularly the Atlanteans as they allow for a lot of original concepts that will help the game stand out. In terms of the next most likely civilizations, I would have to go with India and Mesoamerica.

Both of these cultures have been available in past Age of Empires games so the assets for many of the infantry units can be easily carried over. If you’ve ever played SMITE then you know each of these cultures has a wide variety of interesting deities and monsters than can be drawn upon for myth units and god powers alike.

Gameplay-wise, I’d love to see the Aztecs or Maya gain favor by sacrificing their own civilians to reference the sacrificial offerings of war criminals that defined their religious ceremonies. An aggressive playstyle would make sense overall for them as well, seeing as how their culture and politics were often focused on warfare. However, I could also see them gaining favor through resource gathering or researching new technologies as their cultures were also known for advancements in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and architecture.

On the other hand, The Hindu mythology of India has a heavy focus on reincarnation. Indian myths and epic stories like the Mahabharata often focus on demigods acting as conduits for godly power. Therefore, it would make sense for Indian heroes to be the main focus of their culture. I envision them gaining faith through augmenting heroes with relics and having them grow in strength through combat. Additionally, I feel the Indian culture should have some of the most powerful god powers as their deities are often attributed with overwhelming power that cannot be fully comprehended.

Other cultures that are less likely, but could also provide interesting potential include the Celts, Babylonians, Japanese, Slavs, Persians, and Polynesians. Some of these have also been explored in past Age of Empires games while others are untouched. The next main feature I would like to be expanded on is the gameplay itself. Free camera control like in Age of Empires 4 and the Total War series is a must. I want to be able to zoom in nice and close on the action and watch armies clash.

The biggest gameplay change I would like to see is the addition of iconic, named hero units for every civilization. Mythology is just as much about heroes as it is about gods and monsters. While I like how the exclusivity increased the distinct playstyle of the original cultures, it gave fewer options to players who didn’t choose the Greeks. With the addition of heroes for every culture, I would alter the Egyptian Pharaoh, Priests, and Nordic Hesir to be special types of infantry units. For balance purposes, the other cultures would be given similar units with adjustments to their overall stats against myth units to ensure they are not as easily countered.

Heroes would also have more powerful abilities and special attacks akin to the hero units of Warcraft III, as I believe this would help them to more accurately represent their legendary deeds. However, most heroes in mythology are figures of tragedy, often falling victim to a fatal flaw or physical weakness. To mirror this aspect of the lore, I want to implement relics that can counter specific heroes. I think this would add more variance and allow for dynamic counterplay even if it does rely on a bit of luck.

Next, let’s talk about single-player content. I enjoy the campaign of the original game, but it does feel somewhat disjointed at times as the many cultures and stories are mashed together. The Age of Empires franchise made a name for itself by retelling historical events through campaigns. With this idea in mind, I think a sequel could benefit from multiple campaigns that each focus on different cultures.

Across campaigns, the player can experience some missions which focus on retelling pivotal events from the mythos of each respective culture. Finally, after completing all of the campaigns a final, secret campaign could unlock. This could focus on a few climatic battles that then tie the separate stories together in a big epic clash against a unified common enemy. Perhaps another purely fictional culture similar to the Atlanteans could fill this role.

The stories of mythology are grand in scope. With improvements in modern gaming it should be easy to have potentially hundreds of units on-screen at once. This is especially exciting as it offers huge potential for custom games and multiplayer modes. Age of Empires 4 launched with a content editor that allowed for easy mod creation and I would love for this to be carried over into Age of Mythology in addition to the beloved scenario editor. A great modding community is an essential piece for the longevity of games and will ensure continued success for the series.

These are some of my biggest hopes for the future of one of my favorite franchises. There are certainly more avenues for potential changes to the franchise but considering that the series has a decent chance of returning, I would like to leave some areas untouched. In the future, I will be covering games that are much more niche and will likely never see the light of day again. Let me know what games you’d like to see me discuss and any critiques you have for this series in the comments.