Rome Total War was released in 2004 and to this day it is a game loved and played by many, especially thanks to the many mods available. It must be admitted, however, that it is starting to take the brunt of the years and its developers have therefore decided to give it a little facelift (via a third-party studio) to update its graphics, but also its gameplay.
So much at the beginning: This Total War Rome Remastered is clearly not aimed at all players. If you know the series, you know that a sequel saw the light of day in 2013 and received content through 2018. This revised version of the first opus is therefore positioned rather oddly as, despite the efforts made, it is less beautiful than Rome II and less rich in mechanics, particularly in terms of management and politics.. Still, some are allergic to this second episode, preferring the more raw, sometimes more realistic, and less strategically oversimplified aspect of its predecessor. This is why Rome Remastered is aimed at these and only at them, since at $ 30 it is almost more expensive than its sequel, often available at ridiculous prices.
Let’s see what’s ahead of us in the game. That’s how we find it The entire content of the base game and its two expansions, Barbarian Invasion and Alexander, as well as 16 new playable factions distributed over the 3 campaigns. Note, however, that these are not brand new and were simply unlocked as they were already there as AI enemies. We can still add some historical or custom battles, the latter being playable individually as well as multiple and for the first time cross-platform between Windows, MacOS and Linux. It is a shame, however, that the campaigns still cannot be played online and that no more modern functions have been added at this level. There are no leaderboards, clans or anything else; we can fight and that’s it. However, all of this already gives you hundreds of hours of gameplay in the pipeline so there is nothing to cry about.
The overall playing comfort is much better than in the original
The most obvious novelty is obviously the graphic redesign. In addition to supporting resolutions up to 4K, The textures have been improved, the battlefield environments are denser, and the unit models are more detailed. There is also a little more variety in the faces, but unfortunately the equipment is systematically identical within the same unit, while the most famous mods offer variety at this level. The lighting effects have also been retouched and ultimately the result is much more pleasing to the eye than the original. However, we will stay up to date, so we should not expect any significant progress or even a result at the level of the current standards. On the other hand, we appreciate them more modern camera management with standard control with ZQSD and the possibility to carry out campaign card rotations. Overall, everything is customizable at this level, which is much more practical than before.
In this Rome Remastered we are also offered a revised interface to be closer to what was done in the last episodes of the series. We have more tools and information at our fingertips, starting with a one-click overview of cities, armies, agents and flotillas. However, we are losing a bit of simplicity. Certain elements are therefore well hidden in submenus, such as the family tree, which, however, is necessary for the selection of his faction heir. Likewise, the numerous notifications that come in each round have been broken down into different topics (Alerts, Messages, Senate Reports and Missions), but we are not finding them any more than before. Worst, Some vital information is not displayed and is left by the wayside, especially Senate missions
We can find all of our armies with one click
We also notice the addition of some gameplay elements, including a new agent: the dealer. The main purpose is to generate money, for example by monopolizing scarce resources in enemy provinces or exchanging them in conquered regions. This provides an additional source of income, but we have to admit that we are often tempted to click on the self-manage button so that it is left to its own devices. By the way, we find the elements that still make Rome Total War an episode appreciated by fans: The armies are not recovering and must be reformed in the city for a fee. Diplomacy can only be done through agentsetc., which is still very pleasant today for those looking for a little more realism.
The AI can duck without moving a toe.
That side of the old school still works, but we have to admit that Some elements could have been improved. We especially think of AI in combat
The notes
+Good arguments
- More comfort than the original (more modern camera, display of the archers, etc.)
- The old school side: armies don’t reform
- A good dose of nostalgia
- More beautiful than the original without being up to date
- All of the content of the base game and its expansions: hundreds of hours of gameplay in perspective
– –Negative points
- Disappointing AI
- New interface in the campaign not very intuitive
- Much flatter than newer episodes
If you’re a fan of Rome Total War and still play it, this revamped version will likely charm you with more modern controls, HD, workshop compatibility, 16 unlocked factions, and a good dose of nostalgia to top it off. In that respect, this remake is quite successful, especially since the formula is still generally effective. On the other hand, we have to admit that certain elements indicate the weight of the years and in particular the AI. The new interface is also not very intuitive and the graphics remain below those of Total War: Rome 2. Unless you have a particular dislike for the latter, it is more advisable to turn to it as it is almost more complete with all points.
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May 01, 2021 at 5:03:52 pm
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