[h3]"Veni, vidi, vici"
- Gaius Iulius Caesar[/h3]
[u][b] Total War Rome Remastered Review:[/b][/u]
🏺[b]Context:[/b]
For me personally, Total War Rome Remastered is the best strategy game I have ever played. The replay value is extremely high, the factions are among the most interesting in the genre, and even the base game already offers a huge amount of content. On top of that, there are DLCs, a strong mod community, and an online mode.
The game is set in the era of ancient Rome. You choose one of many factions and try to prevail against the others in order to expand your own empire and increase power, glory, influence, and wealth.
I played the original many years ago as a child and only remember that I loved it back then as well. That is exactly why I later picked up the remastered version and have since spent over 200 hours in it. That is more time than I have invested in any other strategy game I own.
🏹[b]Gameplay and Campaign:[/b]
Total War offers the perfect mix of city building, politics, and warfare for me. Cities can be expanded and developed, not as complex as in Anno, but perfectly balanced for my taste. Every building serves a clear purpose. New units can be recruited, population growth increases, public order is improved, or income is raised.
There is also a political layer involving other factions, such as alliances, rivalries, hostages, marriages, and betrayal. These mechanics are not as deep as in Crusader Kings, but once again they feel just right.
The campaigns differ noticeably depending on the difficulty level. On higher difficulties, you are attacked more often, betrayed by allies more frequently, and have lower chances of success in auto resolved battles.
⚔️[b] Battles and Units:[/b]
The core of the game lies in its real time battles. Even though the enemy AI has never been perfect in any Total War title, the battles still provide a real challenge, especially on higher difficulty levels.
The combat system essentially follows a rock paper scissors principle. For example, cavalry is strong against lightly armored or flanked units, while spear units are effective against cavalry, and so on. Additionally, units gain experience and can become stronger over time, reduce their weaknesses, or even unlock special abilities.
Battles take place in a wide variety of environments, such as open fields, forests, mountains, near water, or in and around cities. Sieges play a major role as well. Attackers require proper siege equipment, while defenders can rely on city walls and other defensive systems.
👑[b]Factions and Replay Value:[/b]
All factions follow the same core gameplay principles, but they differ through unique units, buildings, abilities, and starting positions. In addition, each faction features short, unique cutscenes at the beginning and end of a campaign.
This results in a very high replay value. Each campaign feels somewhat different, especially depending on the chosen faction and difficulty level.
⚒️[b]Graphics and Remaster:[/b]
Visually, the game is of course not on the level of more modern Total War titles. Compared to the original, however, the graphics have been noticeably polished in the remastered version, which is more than sufficient for me personally.
According to various articles, several mechanics and control systems have also been improved and simplified. This makes it easier for new players and returning veterans to get into the game, even though newer Total War titles push this approach even further. Whether these simplifications are a good or bad thing ultimately comes down to personal preference.
📜[b]Mods and Community:[/b]
I would especially like to highlight the mod community. It adds a massive amount of additional content to the game. There are several complete overhauls as well as mods on the scale of full DLCs, alongside the usual graphics and performance enhancements.
🪕[b]Music and Atmosphere:[/b]
The music fits the setting perfectly. Especially during battles, it feels epic and heroic and has given me more than one catchy tune stuck in my head.
🏛️[b]Conclusion:[/b]
For some players, the relatively similar flow of each turn may become repetitive over time. Personally, I find this game loop very motivating, especially when planning several turns ahead and looking forward to executing those plans. The game never bored me for long, and I still enjoy starting a new campaign from time to time between other games.
Total War Rome Remastered is, for me, a timeless classic with enormous replay value, strong battles, and a good mod community.
Vale et gratias vobis ago for reading, and until the next review. ✋🏻
Saderhorn
