Chris- 0 Comment
- May 3, 2022
Expeditions Rome is a historical RPG, that will have you do a lot to become the powerhouse you will be known for. As you battle to gain control of Asia Minor, North Africa and Gaul. You will also have to deal with some pesky corrupt Senators and a constant back and forth with King Mithridates.
For a history buff there is so much involvement in this game, the game may not be 100% percent historically accurate but nonetheless, the essence the game throws at you will scratch that itch. As they give you a good portrayal of how the figures and the whole era in itself was. It manages to captivate the spirit and culture of the time period that we all have come to truly love, may it be sided with the Romans or not.
"Lots Of Systems To Master "
The game is huge. With loads to do and so much well written narrative you will be intertwined in the Roman times for around 70+ hours. This is even if you are not being careful and taking all the dialogue in. It will be split across three acts each with a varying degree of challenges for you to sink your teeth in. I found the game to be challenging enough even played on normal difficulty. Mostly because of the sheer amount of systems you will need to learn and hopefully remember. I felt a close resemblance to the type of combat that is in the Divinity series, with the turn-based tactical combat along with the traversal of the overworld. Then it throws even more systems at you while managing a legion, as you will do mass battles in overview mode and some more traditional loot systems that are present in a RPG.
As much as these were fun, I had a good time taking over all the zones and making me feel like a true commander. I found it lacking engagement most of the time as once you have your legion built up strong with the right commander, it feels like you were never punished choosing the same choices each time it came around to these types of battles.
Your time spent conquering in Expeditions Rome will be split into different combat scenarios. Firstly the main system you will be using is mostly done on the overworld map, when you send your legion to attack. Unless it is controlled by the enemy and you need to fight when taking over camps, and mines for resources to progress your own legion, this will be done automatically and you just wait for time to pass. If it is an enemy outpost however this will prompt a choice chain, where you select cards that will predict the outcome of the battle. Making sure to keep your morale of the legion up, as well as not losing to many of your good men. Also building your camp with certain buildings, can help buff your legion and having the right commander can decide a lot in these battles.
The main staple in this game when it came to combat, was the tactical battles. Controlling your little team in turn-based combat is fun and feels more fulfilling when you come up with an awesome strategy to turn the tides in a dire situation.
"Turn-Based Combat Is Fun & Engaging "
You can choose to make sure your team is geared up and have the right skills required for this scenario as they do vary, keeping it feeling fresh and unique. The game even introduces multi-stage scenarios where debuffs and deaths carry over to the next stage, sometimes making you change your plan of attack. The best strategy for most of the scenarios is to have some heavy shielded guys in the front, using their blocking skills to not let anyone pass. Your second line will be your spear wielding Triarii, which can be equipped with armour penetrating weapons allowing you to get through pesky shields. And your back line consists of archers and utility, and have some light armoured soldiers with the assassins skill tree take the flanks. With the change of maps and scenarios this will not always be the case, sometimes you will need to change up your tactic, as speed is sometimes the key, could be anything. I found myself reloading the previous autosave as I knew, the Praetorian Guard I selected for this scenario was just not going to be sufficient.
Winning battles either with your legion or Praetorian Guard is the way to success, as you will have so much to loot, the sad thing is there did not seem to be such a majority of major differences between the weapons. Thankfully they have added a streamlined way to upgrade the legendary ones you have found, by being able to directly disassemble pieces of armour and weapons for the materials, makes it feel less of a drag when you need certain materials to upgrade your awesome full set of armour, you managed to obtain.
It is definitely a beautiful journey traversing through the map, as you conquer Asia Minor, North Africa and Gaul. You will meet a lot of the great figures along the way including Caesar, Pompey and many more, this game is definitely not short on that front. Along with following the detailed main story dialogue, the introduction of random events is a great addition as not only does it break up the game but adds more lore, and fun to the ever growing story. When it comes to an RPG this is key for a good time.
- A Strong Journey, Keeps You Intriguied8
" The battles are tough in this one, but with the tactical turn-based style, it is very engaging. With so many possibilities during combat, no two battles feel the same. A strong narrative gives you a joyful history lesson and transports you back in time. There is so many systems though it can feel overwhelming, and has a strong learning curve. You will need to put the hours in. "