Age of Mythology: The Titans
Encyclopedia
Age of Mythology: The Titans is a real-time strategy
computer game expansion pack
of Age of Mythology
. It was developed by Ensemble Studios
and released on October 21, 2003.
The Titans adds a fourth culture to the game, the Atlanteans
, and three new major gods, plus new units, buildings and god powers. It also includes many new features, such as auto-queueing (allows indefinite training of units as long as you have sufficient resources), and the ability to summon a Titan
, a gargantuan, godlike being that forms the game's focal point. Critics gave Titans an average rating of 84% according to GameRankings.
. The Atlanteans have no specific hero units, but can convert any human unit into a hero. Citizens have no drop off point for resources, and town centers can be built at any time during the game.
Atlantean Citizens are much more effective in work than their Greek
, Norse
or Egyptian
counterparts and do not require drop-off points for resources; they instead use pack donkeys. They are also slower to train, and much more expensive. Atlanteans gain favor through possessing town centers. The more they control, the faster the rate of favor generation.
A new unit, the Oracle
, is introduced on the side of the Atlanteans. With a line of sight that expands when he stands still and a researchable ability to pick up relics, he can be very effective in the early game, but he only has an attack if upgraded to hero.
Most Atlantean human units can be transformed into heroes (including Citizens), which become a little bit better at everything they do. Myth Units, Naval Units, Siege Units, Titans, and Cheiroballistra are the exceptions. As well as being strong against Myth Units, Atlantean heroes retain their own strengths and weaknesses, so, for example, Murmillo
heroes are still weak against archers and strong against cavalry.
' Sky Passages, which allow instant unit transportation across the map. This can significantly affect the gameplay of older maps designed for Age of Mythology pre-expansion, as areas of maps that were inaccessible become accessible. The titan Gaia
has the ability to grow lush from buildings, preventing enemy players constructing buildings nearby as well as providing a small healing effect to buildings. Other, lesser god powers are available to the Atlanteans at any time during the game. Unlike the other civilizations, the Atlanteans can use certain god powers multiple times. Some, like Gaia's Forest, cause new forest to generate, which provides a far more effective wall that only villagers (or forest fires or colossi) can break through. These too may alter gameplay on older maps.
, essentially a living regenerating siege unit, the Automaton
, a robot that repairs other Automatons during breaks in the fighting, and the Argus, an undescribable creature with eyes covering its whole body, floating in the air that kills units with acid. Naval myth units include the Servant, which heals naval and coastal units and has a moderate attack, also the Man O' War, a lightning-shooting Jellyfish that caauses damage the multiple units.
The Servant affects gameplay by adding the option of loading up a coastal region with Servants who are not easily attacked by ground troops - thus fighting there is a serious advantage to the player with Servants. Like the Fenris Wolf that grows in attack effectiveness with numbers, the Automaton grows also in effectiveness because a large army of them can self-repair in time to be at full fighting strength before the next skirmish. These features make the Servant and Automaton particularly effective defensive units.
Another flying healer, the Caladria
, and flying attack unit, the Stymphalian bird
, round out the aerial myth units while the Man O'War and Nereid are available for naval combat. The Satyr throws spears, the Lampades unleashes the chaos power on units at range, and the Heka Gigantes generates shockwaves. Prometheans split into smaller Prometheans when killed. Planting a Hesperides
tree allows players to summon Dryads, and another reusable god power puts carnivorous plants in the way of enemies.
Overall, the game favors the more offensive player in the late game and the more defensive player early (who builds up to summon the Titan or earn these powers). The Titan (also a myth unit of course) is the strongest useable unit in the game. Titans can only be summoned by researching "The secrets of the Titans" in the mythic age. After researching the secrets, you'll be able to summon a Titan gate anywhere within your line of site, once it is placed, you must task villagers on summoning it. The game has been criticized for having too much emphasis on the Titan, the construction of a Titan gate being now an all-or-nothing gambit to win the game - if the gate is destroyed, no new one can be built.
In terms of bonuses for every civilization, the upgrade Heroic Fleet gives ships bonus damage against myth units. The non-Atlanteans can build town centers in the Classical Age in Titans, as opposed to Heroic in the original. Finally, the Titan unit is introduced to the game. Titans are huge units possessing large amounts of hitpoints and armor while having high attack.
The campaign is a third of the length of the one in Age of Mythology
, and this time focuses mostly on the Atlantean
civilization and its Main defender, Arkantos' son, Kastor. Arkantos, who is now a minor God of Titan fighting (as mentioned in the game), also makes a few minor appearances here. The story is set ten years after the events of the Age of Mythology storyline.
The story begins with Kronos
, who was still trapped in Tartarus
, watching the Atlanteans. He sends his unnamed servant (nicknamed "Kronny" by fans of the game as this is seen as his name in the game's editor) to possess the body of the Theocrat Krios, the Atlantean leader.
It then cuts to the Norselands, where the suffering Atlanteans, led by Kastor and Krios, are trying to rebuild their civilization after it was destroyed ten years ago. Then Krios says he saw a temple in his dream. The Atlanteans leave the Norselands by using the forseen temple called a Sky Passage, and they come to a resourceful island. Upon their arrival, Krios pointed out the plant-covered Temples to Oranos and Kronos. Krios says it was these imprisoned Titans
who helped them, and convinces his people, including Kastor, to worship them.
The Greeks
are angered with the Atlanteans' new choice of gods, and attack them. The Atlanteans retaliate by destroying the entire Greek colony from which some of the attacks came. However, some of the Greek ships escape and go to General Melagius, ruler of that colony and other lands. He is angered by the destruction of his colony and prepares for an attack. The Atlanteans, however, still manage to invade Melagius's city, called Sikyos, and slay him. Just as the Atlanteans kill Melagius, Egyptian and Norse allies of Melagius come to aid the city. Kastor decides they are too powerful and flees. However, he does not go back to New Atlantis but instead heads up to the Norselands. His plan is that the Norse will not be expecting an attack. He destroys Norse temples and replaces them with Atlantean temples, to show his superiority. He also destroys the Tower of Odin, Odin's only stronghold on Earth, by using a god power from Kronos. Some Atlantean forces then sail to Egypt. The scene cuts to Egypt where Amanra, a comrade of Arkantos when he was still a human, is conversing with her troops. Arkantos suddenly appears before Amanra and tells her that the Atlanteans are coming to steal relics from the Egyptans. Amanra fortifies the protections around the relics, but the Atlanteans still manage to steal them. Just as the Atlantean army closes around Amanra and her few troops, lightning bolts kill all the Atlantean soldiers. Arkantos appears and tells Amanra that the Atlanteans are being led by Kastor. Amanra questions this, and Arkantos tells Amanra that Kastor is being tricked. He tells her to find Kastor and to help him. It then cuts to a new scene, where Krios congratulates Kastor on his work and shows him a Sky Passage that he has found. Krios tells Kastor that the Sky Passage will take him behind Greek lines. Kastor enters it with his troop and finds himself not in the Greek territories, but on Mount Olympus
. Kastor believes that Krios made a mistake about where the Sky Passage went. He and his troops discover they cannot go back the same way they came, so they decide their only choice is to attack Mount Olympus. Using special temples that change his men into different myth units, Kastor sets foot on the peak of Mount Olympus. However, once he does this, the daylight turns a strange color. Kastor senses there is something wrong, and he leaves with his army. He heads to the Greek territories. When he gets there he sees the Titan Prometheus
and his army of Prometheans from Tartarus destroying Sikyos. He wonders what the beast is, and Krios tells him that it is a Titan. Krios tells Kastor that he allowed him and some lesser Titans to be free. Kastor realizes he has been tricked by Krios, who takes the form of Kronny and escapes. Kastor is then attacked by other Atlanteans who are under Krios's control. Meanwhile, Amanra meets Ajax, another companion of Arkantos. Apparently, Ajax was also looking for Kastor. Amanra tells Ajax that Kastor has been tricked, and that they must find him. All this time Kastor is being repeatedly attacked by Atlanteans. Amanra and Ajax rescue him with Rocs. Arkantos appears, and Kastor tells his father that he did not realize he was being tricked. Arkantos forgives him, and tells the heroes that two other Titans have been freed in the Norselands and in Egypt. Amanra decides that they will go to Egypt first, as that is her homeland. After the heroes leave, Prometheus
advances and continues to destroy any surrounding cities/villages/etc.
The Titan in Egypt is Cerberus
, and he is destoying an Egyptian city . The heroes decide to awaken the Guardian statue, an immensely powerful living statue that also helped the heroes in Age of Mythology
. The heroes manage to hold off the Tartarian beasts that had escaped during the destruction, and The Guardian is finally awakened. The Guardian sends Cerberus back to Tartarus. They then travel to the Norse lands, and they meet King Folstag, a powerful Frost Giant whose lands are being destroyed by the Titan, Ymir
. With the help of Folstag and the Niddhog Dragon, the heroes defeat the Titan (who suffers the same fate as Cerberus into Tartarus) and restore peace in the Norse lands.
The heroes then travel to Greece to find the peaceful green countryside destroyed and in flames—evidence of Prometheus's attacks. Amanra is the first to notice plants growing in a particular spot that surrounds a Temple to Gaia
. Arkantos appears before the heroes and explains to them that ALL titans, including Gaia, were strengthed, and that they could use her power to heal the land. They spread the green lush of the benevolent earth Titan Gaia
across the burnt land, both healing it and weakening Prometheus. They manage to overcome him in his weakened state. After the defeat of Prometheus, Arkantos praises Kastor and the others on their victory, but he explains that there is still more to do. Kastor reveals Kronny's location: The Atlantean colony, and they set off.
The heroes then venture back to New Atlantis, where they rescue citizens from Automaton
s. After battling all of the Automatons, Kastor and his army retake New Atlantis. Kronny again retreats to a Sky Passage from the battered battlefield. Kastor, Ajax, and Amanra enter the Sky Passage which takes them to Old Atlantis. Kastor reveals to the mystified Ajax (he didn't know where they were) that they were at Old Atlantis. Kronny appears above them and announces the future arrival of Cronus
, Lord of Time and King of the Titans. the only way to defeat the Titan Lord is to summon the mother of the Titans, Gaia. While holding off the constant attacks from Kronos's followers, the heroes plant the four magical seeds of Gaia in in four mystical pools located in the four corners of Old Atlantis. these seeds bring forth four giant trees that begin to summon Gaia. Kastor's forses are at a stand by as they wait for Gaia to arrive, but their hopes are suddenly drained as Kronos breaks free from his prison.
The Heroes avoid Kronos as he destroyes their base and the Gaia trees. Before Kronos could destroy the last tree, Gaia rises from the earth, and attacks Kronos. The fight is very one-sided, for Gaia is indestuctable. She sends Kronos back to Tartarus. The War was over. Gaia returned back to the earth and peace is ALMOST restored. Kronny was still alive. Kastor intecepts Kronny and kills him. Then Arkantos appears before Kastor and appoints him as the new leader of Atlantis by giving him the staff of Atlantis.
Now the rebuiling begins.
and GameRankings. GameSpot
gave Titans an 8.3 out of 10, and commented "There's plenty more depth to be found here since having a brand-new civilization with three new primary gods creates many more...new strategies. On the other hand, it would have been nice to see the original civilizations get fleshed out some more...because experienced Age of Mythology players will want more than just one big reason to keep playing as their favorite factions." About.com declares that the "most significant unit to come form [sic] Age of Mythology The Titans Expansion is the Titan unit itself. If you are fortunate enough to have the resources, these extremely expensive war machines can literally decide the outcome of the game, by destroying virtually everything in their path." IGN
gave the game an 8.9 out of 10 and mentioned "But as we suspected, it's an expansion well worth the wait."
Game Revolution
gave the game a B+ and said "While not innovative in any way, AOM: The Titans is everything you should expect from a quality expansion." GameSpy
gave Titans a 4.5 out of 5 and best summed it up with "Great new units and tons of gameplay enhancements make Age of Mythology: The Titans a model for how expansion packs should be done."
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
of Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology , is a mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
. It was developed by Ensemble Studios
Ensemble Studios
Ensemble Studios was a video game developer initially established in 1995 as an independent company, but was owned by Microsoft from 2001 to 2009, when it was officially disbanded. Ensemble developed many real-time strategy games, including the Age of Empires game series, Age of Mythology, and Halo...
and released on October 21, 2003.
The Titans adds a fourth culture to the game, the Atlanteans
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, and three new major gods, plus new units, buildings and god powers. It also includes many new features, such as auto-queueing (allows indefinite training of units as long as you have sufficient resources), and the ability to summon a Titan
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
, a gargantuan, godlike being that forms the game's focal point. Critics gave Titans an average rating of 84% according to GameRankings.
Atlanteans
One of the largest new additions to Titans is a new civilization, the AtlanteansAtlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
. The Atlanteans have no specific hero units, but can convert any human unit into a hero. Citizens have no drop off point for resources, and town centers can be built at any time during the game.
Atlantean Citizens are much more effective in work than their Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
or Egyptian
Egyptian mythology
Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
counterparts and do not require drop-off points for resources; they instead use pack donkeys. They are also slower to train, and much more expensive. Atlanteans gain favor through possessing town centers. The more they control, the faster the rate of favor generation.
A new unit, the Oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
, is introduced on the side of the Atlanteans. With a line of sight that expands when he stands still and a researchable ability to pick up relics, he can be very effective in the early game, but he only has an attack if upgraded to hero.
Most Atlantean human units can be transformed into heroes (including Citizens), which become a little bit better at everything they do. Myth Units, Naval Units, Siege Units, Titans, and Cheiroballistra are the exceptions. As well as being strong against Myth Units, Atlantean heroes retain their own strengths and weaknesses, so, for example, Murmillo
Murmillo
The murmillo was a type of gladiator during the Roman Imperial age. The murmillo-class gladiator was adopted in the early Imperial period to replace the earlier Gallus, named after the warriors of Gaul...
heroes are still weak against archers and strong against cavalry.
New titan/god powers
Titan worshippers have special powers, such as Kronos' ability to move buildings from one location on the map to another, or OranosUranus (mythology)
Uranus , was the primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, according to Hesiod in his Theogony, Uranus or Father Sky was the son and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth...
' Sky Passages, which allow instant unit transportation across the map. This can significantly affect the gameplay of older maps designed for Age of Mythology pre-expansion, as areas of maps that were inaccessible become accessible. The titan Gaia
Gaia (mythology)
Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
has the ability to grow lush from buildings, preventing enemy players constructing buildings nearby as well as providing a small healing effect to buildings. Other, lesser god powers are available to the Atlanteans at any time during the game. Unlike the other civilizations, the Atlanteans can use certain god powers multiple times. Some, like Gaia's Forest, cause new forest to generate, which provides a far more effective wall that only villagers (or forest fires or colossi) can break through. These too may alter gameplay on older maps.
New myth units
Worshipping the Titans (Kronos, Oranos or Gaia) entitles the player to summon one of several new myth units: the BehemothBehemoth
Behemoth is a mythological beast mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity.-Plural as singular:...
, essentially a living regenerating siege unit, the Automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
, a robot that repairs other Automatons during breaks in the fighting, and the Argus, an undescribable creature with eyes covering its whole body, floating in the air that kills units with acid. Naval myth units include the Servant, which heals naval and coastal units and has a moderate attack, also the Man O' War, a lightning-shooting Jellyfish that caauses damage the multiple units.
The Servant affects gameplay by adding the option of loading up a coastal region with Servants who are not easily attacked by ground troops - thus fighting there is a serious advantage to the player with Servants. Like the Fenris Wolf that grows in attack effectiveness with numbers, the Automaton grows also in effectiveness because a large army of them can self-repair in time to be at full fighting strength before the next skirmish. These features make the Servant and Automaton particularly effective defensive units.
Another flying healer, the Caladria
Caladrius
According to the Roman mythology, the Caladrius is a snow-white bird that lives in kings' houses. Supposedly, the bird refuses to look at any patient that is not going to make a full recovery...
, and flying attack unit, the Stymphalian bird
Stymphalian birds
In Greek mythology, the Stymphalian birds were man-eating birds with beaks of bronze and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and were sacred to Ares, the god of war. Furthermore, their dung was highly toxic...
, round out the aerial myth units while the Man O'War and Nereid are available for naval combat. The Satyr throws spears, the Lampades unleashes the chaos power on units at range, and the Heka Gigantes generates shockwaves. Prometheans split into smaller Prometheans when killed. Planting a Hesperides
Hesperides
In Greek mythology, the Hesperides are nymphs who tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in North Africa at the edge of the encircling Oceanus, the world-ocean....
tree allows players to summon Dryads, and another reusable god power puts carnivorous plants in the way of enemies.
Overall, the game favors the more offensive player in the late game and the more defensive player early (who builds up to summon the Titan or earn these powers). The Titan (also a myth unit of course) is the strongest useable unit in the game. Titans can only be summoned by researching "The secrets of the Titans" in the mythic age. After researching the secrets, you'll be able to summon a Titan gate anywhere within your line of site, once it is placed, you must task villagers on summoning it. The game has been criticized for having too much emphasis on the Titan, the construction of a Titan gate being now an all-or-nothing gambit to win the game - if the gate is destroyed, no new one can be built.
New map types
Titans introduces six new maps types, and seven new AI personalities. For the original civilizations, several upgrades and changes were added. The upgrade Beast Slayer causes the Greek gods' unique units to do bonus damage against Myth units. Hands of the Pharaoh lets Egyptian priests pick up Relics; a power formerly reserved for the Pharaoh unit only. Range of attack is also increased by two for Egyptian priests. The Norse gain the Axe of Muspell upgrade, which gives Throwing Axemen bonus damage against flying units.In terms of bonuses for every civilization, the upgrade Heroic Fleet gives ships bonus damage against myth units. The non-Atlanteans can build town centers in the Classical Age in Titans, as opposed to Heroic in the original. Finally, the Titan unit is introduced to the game. Titans are huge units possessing large amounts of hitpoints and armor while having high attack.
Characters
- Kastor: Fictional son of Arkantos and a soldier of Atlantis who helps defend the remaining, godless Atlanteans
- Krios: Fictional Theocrat of Atlantis, he is killed by a Servant of Kronos at the start of the campaign, and has his place taken by the servant ("Kronny" in the game editor) who then possesses his body to trick the Atlanteans.
- AjaxAjax (mythology)Ajax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
: A mythic Greek hero of the Trojan war, in the game a former companion of Arkantos who helps Kastor deal with the consequences of the Titans' release
- Amanra: Fictional Queen of Nubia and former companion of Arkantos who assists Kastor in the aftermath of the Titans' release
- King Folstag: Mythic Norse Frost Giant King who is thought to be evil in Age of Mythology, but in the Titans version, he summons the dragon, Nidhogg, to defeat Norse titan YmirYmirIn Norse mythology, Ymir, also called Aurgelmir among the giants themselves, was the founder of the race of frost giants and was later killed by the Borrs.-Etymology:...
.
Campaign: The New Atlantis
- For other campaigns, see Age of Mythology campaigns
The campaign is a third of the length of the one in Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology , is a mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
, and this time focuses mostly on the Atlantean
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
civilization and its Main defender, Arkantos' son, Kastor. Arkantos, who is now a minor God of Titan fighting (as mentioned in the game), also makes a few minor appearances here. The story is set ten years after the events of the Age of Mythology storyline.
The story begins with Kronos
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...
, who was still trapped in Tartarus
Tartarus
In classic mythology, below Uranus , Gaia , and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros . It is a deep, gloomy place, a pit, or an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the underworld. In the Gorgias, Plato In classic mythology, below Uranus (sky), Gaia (earth), and Pontus...
, watching the Atlanteans. He sends his unnamed servant (nicknamed "Kronny" by fans of the game as this is seen as his name in the game's editor) to possess the body of the Theocrat Krios, the Atlantean leader.
It then cuts to the Norselands, where the suffering Atlanteans, led by Kastor and Krios, are trying to rebuild their civilization after it was destroyed ten years ago. Then Krios says he saw a temple in his dream. The Atlanteans leave the Norselands by using the forseen temple called a Sky Passage, and they come to a resourceful island. Upon their arrival, Krios pointed out the plant-covered Temples to Oranos and Kronos. Krios says it was these imprisoned Titans
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
who helped them, and convinces his people, including Kastor, to worship them.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
are angered with the Atlanteans' new choice of gods, and attack them. The Atlanteans retaliate by destroying the entire Greek colony from which some of the attacks came. However, some of the Greek ships escape and go to General Melagius, ruler of that colony and other lands. He is angered by the destruction of his colony and prepares for an attack. The Atlanteans, however, still manage to invade Melagius's city, called Sikyos, and slay him. Just as the Atlanteans kill Melagius, Egyptian and Norse allies of Melagius come to aid the city. Kastor decides they are too powerful and flees. However, he does not go back to New Atlantis but instead heads up to the Norselands. His plan is that the Norse will not be expecting an attack. He destroys Norse temples and replaces them with Atlantean temples, to show his superiority. He also destroys the Tower of Odin, Odin's only stronghold on Earth, by using a god power from Kronos. Some Atlantean forces then sail to Egypt. The scene cuts to Egypt where Amanra, a comrade of Arkantos when he was still a human, is conversing with her troops. Arkantos suddenly appears before Amanra and tells her that the Atlanteans are coming to steal relics from the Egyptans. Amanra fortifies the protections around the relics, but the Atlanteans still manage to steal them. Just as the Atlantean army closes around Amanra and her few troops, lightning bolts kill all the Atlantean soldiers. Arkantos appears and tells Amanra that the Atlanteans are being led by Kastor. Amanra questions this, and Arkantos tells Amanra that Kastor is being tricked. He tells her to find Kastor and to help him. It then cuts to a new scene, where Krios congratulates Kastor on his work and shows him a Sky Passage that he has found. Krios tells Kastor that the Sky Passage will take him behind Greek lines. Kastor enters it with his troop and finds himself not in the Greek territories, but on Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
. Kastor believes that Krios made a mistake about where the Sky Passage went. He and his troops discover they cannot go back the same way they came, so they decide their only choice is to attack Mount Olympus. Using special temples that change his men into different myth units, Kastor sets foot on the peak of Mount Olympus. However, once he does this, the daylight turns a strange color. Kastor senses there is something wrong, and he leaves with his army. He heads to the Greek territories. When he gets there he sees the Titan Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
and his army of Prometheans from Tartarus destroying Sikyos. He wonders what the beast is, and Krios tells him that it is a Titan. Krios tells Kastor that he allowed him and some lesser Titans to be free. Kastor realizes he has been tricked by Krios, who takes the form of Kronny and escapes. Kastor is then attacked by other Atlanteans who are under Krios's control. Meanwhile, Amanra meets Ajax, another companion of Arkantos. Apparently, Ajax was also looking for Kastor. Amanra tells Ajax that Kastor has been tricked, and that they must find him. All this time Kastor is being repeatedly attacked by Atlanteans. Amanra and Ajax rescue him with Rocs. Arkantos appears, and Kastor tells his father that he did not realize he was being tricked. Arkantos forgives him, and tells the heroes that two other Titans have been freed in the Norselands and in Egypt. Amanra decides that they will go to Egypt first, as that is her homeland. After the heroes leave, Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
advances and continues to destroy any surrounding cities/villages/etc.
The Titan in Egypt is Cerberus
Cerberus
Cerberus , or Kerberos, in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping...
, and he is destoying an Egyptian city . The heroes decide to awaken the Guardian statue, an immensely powerful living statue that also helped the heroes in Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology , is a mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
. The heroes manage to hold off the Tartarian beasts that had escaped during the destruction, and The Guardian is finally awakened. The Guardian sends Cerberus back to Tartarus. They then travel to the Norse lands, and they meet King Folstag, a powerful Frost Giant whose lands are being destroyed by the Titan, Ymir
Ymir
In Norse mythology, Ymir, also called Aurgelmir among the giants themselves, was the founder of the race of frost giants and was later killed by the Borrs.-Etymology:...
. With the help of Folstag and the Niddhog Dragon, the heroes defeat the Titan (who suffers the same fate as Cerberus into Tartarus) and restore peace in the Norse lands.
The heroes then travel to Greece to find the peaceful green countryside destroyed and in flames—evidence of Prometheus's attacks. Amanra is the first to notice plants growing in a particular spot that surrounds a Temple to Gaia
Gaia
- Mythology :* Gaia , the primal Greek goddess of the Earth* Gaia, the Earth in New Age Gaian spirituality- Science :* Gaea , a crater on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter* Gaia hypothesis, concerning the stability of Earth's natural systems...
. Arkantos appears before the heroes and explains to them that ALL titans, including Gaia, were strengthed, and that they could use her power to heal the land. They spread the green lush of the benevolent earth Titan Gaia
Gaia (mythology)
Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
across the burnt land, both healing it and weakening Prometheus. They manage to overcome him in his weakened state. After the defeat of Prometheus, Arkantos praises Kastor and the others on their victory, but he explains that there is still more to do. Kastor reveals Kronny's location: The Atlantean colony, and they set off.
The heroes then venture back to New Atlantis, where they rescue citizens from Automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
s. After battling all of the Automatons, Kastor and his army retake New Atlantis. Kronny again retreats to a Sky Passage from the battered battlefield. Kastor, Ajax, and Amanra enter the Sky Passage which takes them to Old Atlantis. Kastor reveals to the mystified Ajax (he didn't know where they were) that they were at Old Atlantis. Kronny appears above them and announces the future arrival of Cronus
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...
, Lord of Time and King of the Titans. the only way to defeat the Titan Lord is to summon the mother of the Titans, Gaia. While holding off the constant attacks from Kronos's followers, the heroes plant the four magical seeds of Gaia in in four mystical pools located in the four corners of Old Atlantis. these seeds bring forth four giant trees that begin to summon Gaia. Kastor's forses are at a stand by as they wait for Gaia to arrive, but their hopes are suddenly drained as Kronos breaks free from his prison.
The Heroes avoid Kronos as he destroyes their base and the Gaia trees. Before Kronos could destroy the last tree, Gaia rises from the earth, and attacks Kronos. The fight is very one-sided, for Gaia is indestuctable. She sends Kronos back to Tartarus. The War was over. Gaia returned back to the earth and peace is ALMOST restored. Kronny was still alive. Kastor intecepts Kronny and kills him. Then Arkantos appears before Kastor and appoints him as the new leader of Atlantis by giving him the staff of Atlantis.
Now the rebuiling begins.
Reception
Titans was well received by critics, with an average score of 84 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave Titans an 8.3 out of 10, and commented "There's plenty more depth to be found here since having a brand-new civilization with three new primary gods creates many more...new strategies. On the other hand, it would have been nice to see the original civilizations get fleshed out some more...because experienced Age of Mythology players will want more than just one big reason to keep playing as their favorite factions." About.com declares that the "most significant unit to come form [sic] Age of Mythology The Titans Expansion is the Titan unit itself. If you are fortunate enough to have the resources, these extremely expensive war machines can literally decide the outcome of the game, by destroying virtually everything in their path." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game an 8.9 out of 10 and mentioned "But as we suspected, it's an expansion well worth the wait."
Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
gave the game a B+ and said "While not innovative in any way, AOM: The Titans is everything you should expect from a quality expansion." GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
gave Titans a 4.5 out of 5 and best summed it up with "Great new units and tons of gameplay enhancements make Age of Mythology: The Titans a model for how expansion packs should be done."