Ancient Legends: Greek Mythology Today

Introduction

Hello! Let me introduce myself – I’m the Magical Mythtress, and I’m here to write all about mythology. I have a particular fascination with Greek mythology, but my writing will also include Norse and Celtic mythologies on occasion.

When I was offered the chance to begin working with Myths and Mischief, my first thought was to introduce everyone to a delightful edutainment game that I grew up with – Mythweb’s Wrath of the Gods. This is a full-motion video (FMV) journey through a selection of Greek myths, culminating in a journey through the labyrinth and a face-off with the minotaur. While I grew up with this game on a cool-looking CD-ROM, it’s now free to play on both browser and mobile devices, with an updated save interface and some fresh new actors. For this article, I was lucky enough to get in touch with one of the creators of Wrath of the Gods, as well as one of the driving forces behind its modernization, Joel Skidmore, who graciously agreed to a brief interview. Read it in Mythology in Modern Media!

Greek Mythology Overview

Greek mythology is a body of stories and traditions created by the ancient Greeks to explain the origins of the world, the lives of gods and heroes, and the nature of human existence. At its core are the Olympian gods, such as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, and Hermes, who ruled from Mount Olympus and embodied aspects of nature, society, and human emotion. These myths also recount the exploits of heroes like Heracles, Perseus, and Jason, whose adventures blend divine intervention with human struggle. The myths were not just entertainment; they served as a framework for religious practice, moral lessons, and cultural identity. Do any of you have a Greek myth that you consider your favorite? Comment below!

Central themes in Greek mythology include the tension between fate and free will, the consequences of hubris (excessive pride), and the fragile boundary between mortals and immortals. Myths explained natural phenomena, such as the seasons through the story of Demeter and Persephone, and offered allegories for human behavior and societal norms, such as the honoring of guests in the Theseus myth or in Homer’s The Odyssey. Over time, these stories were passed down through oral tradition, poetry, and drama, influencing Western literature, art, and philosophy for centuries to come.

Which brings us to 1994, when a company called Luminaria – later rebranded to Mythweb around 2011 – released an FMV edutainment game called Wrath of the Gods on PC and Mac. This was an amalgamation of multiple Greek myths, including some of the trials of Heracles, to Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece, and culminating in the story of Theseus and the labyrinth. The player takes on the role of the eponymous Hero, portrayed by Chris Marcovici, as they travel across photographs of the Greek landscape, completing heroic acts in exchange for points. These points can be hoarded completely, or they can be used to buy hints from the Oracle of Delphi – the first one is free, but after that, “it’ll cost ya!”

Mythology in Modern Media

I was fortunate enough to get a brief interview with one of the creators of Wrath of the Gods, Joel Skidmore, who, along with the late Jeff Cretcher (1956-2025), has kept this game alive for those revisiting and those experiencing it for the first time.

What inspired the creation of Wrath of the Gods?

A lifelong fascination with Greek mythology.

How did you select the myths to explore?

I researched all the Greek myths and selected the most exciting ones.

What challenges did you face during the original CD game? 

The only real challenge was a technical one. First-generation CD-ROM drives were so slow that full-motion video of the hero’s actions was a problem. Co-designer Jeff Cretcher solved it by cutting the background out of every video frame. (That’s why the hero’s outline wavers when he moves.)

When updating it for mobile and browser? 

The update was easy thanks to Marty Beckers and his team at Pushbutton Technologies, Inc.

I noticed that there were some casting changes between the original CD and the browser/mobile version. What prompted these changes? 

What brought it about was the same technical challenge of designing a live-action game for single-speed CD-ROM drives. The full-screen videos of the characters talking was way too much data. So Jeff had to cut all the characters out of their backgrounds, which meant that the only part that moved when they were speaking was the size of a postage-stamp. So when we were redoing the game for browser and mobile, Jeff re-shot every video as full screen. And some of the actors were no longer available.

How did the recasting affect the programming for the update?

The actors’ lines were exactly the same so the new videos just dropped right in place of the old ones. (While that part was no problem at all, I might mention that the then-current Apple iOS caused a glitch with all the videos. We spent weeks and weeks correcting for it, only to find that it was fixed with the next iOS update.)

What was your favorite part of creating Wrath of the Gods?

Programming the scenes and watching them come together right before my eyes.

Least favorite? 

Making the installer for PC.

What is a story from the production that stands out for you?

If by the production you mean the video shoot, that was Jeff’s department, so the memories are his, and sadly he recently passed away. I do remember something that wasn’t noticed until programming. When the hero is accepting the Naiad’s invitation to jump into her pool, in the blue screen simulation the hem of his costume flies up and exposes his heroic Greek underpants. Speaking of the hero, we were so lucky to have a perfect one, and I’ll never forget first meeting Chris Marcovici when he was working as a waiter in a Greek restaurant. Fortunately, he overcame his understandable suspicions about some stranger asking if he wanted to be in a computer game.

Greek mythology in modern media is not limited to educational pursuits. Games like Immortals: Fenyx Rising and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey bring the mythological landscape to the forefront as well.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is an action-adventure game set in a vibrant, myth-inspired world that follows Fenyx, a mortal chosen to save the Greek gods from the monstrous titan Typhon. Guided by Hermes and narrated humorously by Zeus and Prometheus, players explore an open world filled with puzzles, mythical creatures, and divine powers. The game blends lighthearted storytelling with fast-paced combat and exploration, presenting Greek mythology in a colorful, approachable way.

Set during the Peloponnesian War (431–422 BCE), Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey places players in the role of either Kassandra or Alexios, mercenaries with Spartan bloodlines. The story intertwines historical events with mythological elements, as players encounter legendary figures and creatures such as Medusa, the Minotaur, and Cyclopes. The vast open world of ancient Greece emphasizes choice-driven storytelling, naval combat, and exploration, while blending history and myth into an epic narrative.

Additionally, films and literature are a ripe source of Greek mythology. Clash of the Titans, Troy, the Percy Jackson series, and the Lore Olympus webtoon all bring mythological tales to the forefront, and have their own spin on each.

Clash of the Titans, initially released in 1981, then remade in 2010, follows the hero Perseus as he embarks on a quest to save Princess Andromeda. With divine assistance from the gods, Perseus faces mythical monsters like Medusa and the Kraken. The movie showcases the clash between mortals, monsters, and meddling Olympians, blending mythological figures into a classic hero’s journey.

Based on Homer’s Iliad, Troy dramatizes the Trojan War, sparked by Paris’ abduction of Helen. The film portrays legendary warriors such as Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus, emphasizing human ambition, pride, and tragedy more than divine intervention. While not every element of myth is included, it grounds the legendary conflict in an epic, historical-feeling retelling.

The Percy Jackson series follows Percy Jackson, a modern-day teenager who discovers he is a demigod – the son of Poseidon. Alongside his friends Annabeth (the daughter of Athena) and Grover (a satyr), Percy embarks on quests to prevent wars among the Olympian gods and confront threats from ancient monsters and titans. The series blends Greek mythology with contemporary settings, using humor, action, and themes of friendship, identity, and resilience.

Lore Olympus is a Webtoon retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, reimagining the gods in a modern, stylized setting that combines myth with contemporary social issues. The story focuses on the relationship between Hades, the reserved god of the Underworld, and Persephone, the sheltered goddess of spring, exploring themes of love, trauma, power, and consent. With its striking art style and mature storytelling, it offers a fresh, emotionally resonant take on Greek mythology.

These are just a few examples. Comment below with your favorite adaptation of Greek mythology in modern media!

Gameplay Analysis

Wrath of the Gods is a third-person, point-and-click adventure built from live-action actors deposited onto photographs of Greece. You click to move across 2D scenes, talk to characters, collect items, and solve inventory-driven puzzles rooted in Greek myths. A built-in “Info” panel doubles as an encyclopaedia + hint system, and you earn points for solving set-pieces (e.g., +25 points for outwitting the brigand Sciron, +25 points for defeating Medusa – and +25 more if you can escape). Hints are also available through the “Oracle” feature, though these will cost some of your hard-earned points to buy. Items “ping” into an on-screen inventory, and the cursor changes contextually (e.g., a hand/“do” cursor or drawn sword during encounters). Failure is educational: “wrong” choices often branch into side adventures (frequently via a humorous death and detour through Hades) rather than hard game-overs.

Solutions usually mirror a hero’s canonical trick:

• Theseus’ boulder: you can’t lift it outright; instead place a small stone and use a stronger branch as a lever to reveal the sword and sandals, an explicit nod to leverage over brute force.
• Hera’s test: carry the old woman (not the pretty young one) across a river to gain Hera as your patron; taking the necklace reward leads to arrest and a jailbreak puzzle.
• Snake-tongue “ear cleaning”: offer a honey cake at a roadside shrine so a snake can lick your ear, which will unlock some humorous animal speech for later scenes.
• Pan/Argus gate: lull the all-seeing guard to sleep with Pan’s pipes; brute force and booze won’t work.
• Bellerophon vs. Chimaera: craft a lance and, following the myth, add a lump of lead so the monster’s breath melts it.

This myth-mirroring design makes the “Info” entries feel like fair clues rather than spoilers, so reading the archive directly improves your play.

The game strings together 100+ photo-real scenes you can revisit, with light nonlinearity and frequent backtracking between hubs. Contemporary reviews praised the cinematic feel but noted that the lack of modern conveniences (e.g., full fast travel between scenes) can make traversal feel slow by today’s standards. The design softens this with alternate paths when you “fail,” keeping momentum even as you learn. There is also a chariot system that allows players to travel between the three hubs of Mycenae, Mt. Pelion, and Hesperides, for the low, low price of 2 gems.

“Fights” are really puzzle encounters with timing or correct-item checks (Medusa, Hydra, Minotaur, Chimaera), often solved by preparing in advance rather than reflexes. Expect quick vignettes (click the right hotspot, use the precise item, or die amusingly and reroute). This keeps the focus on reasoning over dexterity.

Beyond the in-scene “Info” bites, the game effectively functions as a guided tour of heroic cycles (Theseus, Jason, Perseus, Bellerophon, Heracles, etc.). The official guidebook mirrors the in-game script and adds context, making it easy to connect each puzzle to its source myth. For classrooms and mythology buffs, this is the game’s killer feature.

Originally a 1994 CD-ROM title (created by Luminaria and distributed by Maxis), it’s now playable free in the browser and available as a mobile app. The web version saves with cookies, the mobile versions keep the touch-friendly tap-to-move interface, and the live-action aesthetic – once a technical flex – reads today as charmingly retro. Billboard famously called it a “landmark effort” in live-action games.

Clever, myth-faithful puzzles; approachable hinting; failure that teaches; memorable FMV charm; and a dense concentration of Greek lore you actually use to play count among the strengths of Wrath of the Gods.

For new players, or those used to modern gaming loops, Wrath of the Gods can carry some weaknesses, such as old-school navigation (backtracking), occasional pixel-hunt tendencies, and puzzle logic that assumes at least a skim of the “Info” text or use of the Oracle feature.

Resources

Special thanks to Joel Skidmore, for agreeing to answer a few of my most burning questions around the development of Wrath of the Gods, including its modernization for browser and mobile devices.

Interested in learning more about Greek mythology, or even playing Wrath of the Gods? Mythweb is host to a full encyclopaedia of Greek myths, as well as host to the game that started it all for me. Check it out here!

Conclusion

Greek mythology has always had a way of bridging the gap between the ancient and the modern, and Wrath of the Gods is a perfect example of how timeless these stories can be when retold through new mediums. From CD-ROM adventures to webcomics and blockbuster games, the myths continue to evolve, inspiring fresh generations of players, readers, and dreamers. Revisiting this classic game – and hearing directly from one of its creator, Joel Skidmore, about its past and present – reminds us that mythology is never static. It grows, adapts, and survives, just as it always has.

What was your introduction to Greek mythology? Comment below.