Aggressors: Ancient Rome

 PC
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. SpazioGames
    Sep 17, 2018
    70
    Aggressors: Ancient Rome is an old style 4X, but it is historically inaccurate and has some missing points.
  2. Everyeye.it
    Sep 21, 2018
    50
    Aggressors: Ancient Rome is an empty and soulless 4X.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Captain_Narol
    Nov 9, 2018
    9
    A fascinating mix between a classic 4X and a strategic-level wargame (the Dev mentioned Panzer General as one of its inspirations) usingA fascinating mix between a classic 4X and a strategic-level wargame (the Dev mentioned Panzer General as one of its inspirations) using concepts like Supply and Unit Morale.

    Quite innovative on many points, complex economy (10 different types of resources), very realistic on the historical level (far more than Civ games or RTW2).

    Cherry on the cake, the best AI that I ever faced in a strategy game ! Be prepared to suffer and struggle !

    Strongly recommended to all strategy fans, wargamers or history buffs. This Game grow on you, especially as you discover all the little details that makes it a true gem.

    Just one more turn, please....    … Full Review »
  2. uncajerf
    Nov 8, 2018
    9
    While my very first impression of this game was, "Hmmm... nothing special", I have since considerably revised my opinion; the more I play, theWhile my very first impression of this game was, "Hmmm... nothing special", I have since considerably revised my opinion; the more I play, the more intrigued I become, wishing to delve deeper into its systems and 'invisible' depth -- indeed, even its historical context.

    Perhaps I'll first tell readers what it isn't: it isn't Civ, or Total War, or even Hegemony, all of which I have played and wast--err...in which I've sunk hundreds of hours. While it has elements of all these and more, it carves its own niche with more or less unique takes on morale, happiness, supply, and combat mechanics, among others. It's also well-rooted in history -- something for which the first two games mentioned above have been critiqued -- while offering its own sandbox mode and virtually infinite modding/scenario creation possibilities.

    Some may criticise its aesthetics and a lot of the written material (in English,. at least) -- I initially did, in my own head, anyway -- but one should keep in mind that its dev team is very small, non-native English speakers, and other than that, the map, at least, grew on me; it's quite beautiful in its own way. Not only that the Dev support I've seen is second to none, IMO -- and I have played a lot of games over the years (you see, I'm very old!). Planned DLC is already in the works -- what other dev firm asks explicitly in their forums for user-input on this sort of thing? -- and its potential for a virtually endless stream of content -- official or not -- is already manifesting.

    So, if you're on the fence, I suggest you give it a try -- and don't write it off after only an hour or two! ;)

    I should add that although I was a beta-tester, I came in very late in the process, and didn't receive my free key before my beta key was invalidated -- so I bought it for myself. That should tell you something too.    … Full Review »
  3. Sillyflower
    Jun 9, 2019
    9
    With over 50 years of gaming experience, I've played almost every ancient/quasi-ancient like Civ and Warhammer period game. This is in the topWith over 50 years of gaming experience, I've played almost every ancient/quasi-ancient like Civ and Warhammer period game. This is in the top 3 for me - though I'm not quite sure where in that trio, and has got me re-reading the books of Caesar, Tacitus etc.

    This is not a game for those who adopt Homer Simpson's philosophy of 'if at first you don't succeed, give up'. I read the long (it has lots of screenshots) but very well-written manual and got hammered in my first few games but am now winning: most of the time anyway. It is a game that rewards applying a bit of brain-power and perseverance. I started 'noob tips' thread on the Slitherine forum which should help with the early learning curve.

    The game has several several difficulty levels and the different nations in the Mediterranean scenario do not start equally strong. I still can't win with some of them even on easy mode yet, but the developer Pavel assures me that all 10 nations can be won on the heroic difficulty level and some on higher levels. There is also a sandbox mode to set up random worlds etc.

    I think the game is quite pretty - especially the way that units' appearance change as they get damaged. The map is functional and clear.

    What makes the game stand out is that it is a really good game. There are several resource types and mechanics such as national and individual but linked city and unit morale/happiness, supply, random events etc most of which can be turned on or off in the settings menu.

    Cities work very well, with many upgrades to be gained through research (research tree has 160 items) and can build units - though none can build every type. Outside of cities you can build roads (2 types), temples for population growth, blacksmiths to boost the output of mines and stables which produce cavalry more cheaply than cities do. Units can only be built in cities which can build them and benefit from multiple upgrades when available as well as from experience gained in combat.

    Trade is between nations as long as as there is a trade link between at at least 1 city in each. You can opt for fixed trade (eg 2 gold for 2 timber and 1 stone) or you can offer something and see what if anything is offered in return before agreeing a deal.

    All this and the diplomacy system is pretty familiar territory for strategic games. Where this game excels is the way that everything interacts in an intelligent and thoughtful way to make a game that is easy to play (helped by a very good UI) but much harder to play well against an impressive AI.

    It hasn't been out for long but seems to be very free of bugs and there is huge potential for expansion. As Uncajerf wrote in his review, dev support is of the highest quality - putting this game's rivals to shame.

    If you are interested in the period or just need to conquer the known world, I cannot recommend this game highly enough. I've given a score of 'only' 9 because it will continue to grow and a score of 10 implies that it can't get better. I hope/expect that I can come back in a year's time and change my score to 10    … Full Review »
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