Imperator: Rome

 PC
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 218 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 218
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 218
  3. Negative: 107 out of 218

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  1. erfunfazli
    Aug 14, 2023
    4
    A copy paste from Paradox interactive bad games.
    There is nothing but some annoying details.
  2. Xuande
    Oct 6, 2021
    9
    Imperator Game is now (2021) an excellent "grand strategy game", with incredible depth and replayability. The various patches have greatly improved the game and gameplay, and it is now a completely different game than in 2019. There is still a lack of in-game documentation (which is quite an issu given the complexity of the game mechanisms), a lot of micromanagement, and many nations,Imperator Game is now (2021) an excellent "grand strategy game", with incredible depth and replayability. The various patches have greatly improved the game and gameplay, and it is now a completely different game than in 2019. There is still a lack of in-game documentation (which is quite an issu given the complexity of the game mechanisms), a lot of micromanagement, and many nations, especially the "barbarians", lack local flavour, but overall, once you get over these drawbacks, it is indeed a wondrous game you can play for centuries ... By comparizon I do find the much prized Crusader Kings III boring. I stop playing it and reverted to Imperator.

    I therefore recommend this game to all those who love grand strategy, history and complex games.

    Please note that as of 2021, it seems that Paradox has given up maintaining this game. So don't expect it to evolve anymore.    … Expand
  3. wolfaust
    Jul 14, 2021
    9
    If you are a fan of Paradox Interactive's grand strategy games, you'll probably always feel the same thing: Paradox Interactive comes up with a new grand strategy game and makes a start at a truly predictable level, not on odds.

    As with every grand strategy game from Paradox, the game version 1.0 is always painful. I think this is in a way a demo or test process. At least I think    If you are a fan of Paradox Interactive's grand strategy games, you'll probably always feel the same thing: Paradox Interactive comes up with a new grand strategy game and makes a start at a truly predictable level, not on odds.

    As with every grand strategy game from Paradox, the game version 1.0 is always painful. I think this is in a way a demo or test process. At least I think they've left most of the QA to the players. Because, even if you've been familiar with such a game genre for years, you can't imagine that it will make a 100% absolute breakthrough. It is really hard to make only one of the hundreds of stages in the game suitable for each player. If we think that this is craftsmanship, it may sometimes not be possible to keep everyone's expectations at a high level.

    So, as a player who has been playing Paradox Interactive's grand strategy games for years, I can say that Imperator: Rome will be much better in the coming months. This will be possible with the feedback given by the players to the developers. Because this development process allows players to adapt to this game in an easier way.

    A year passed since the day I first published a review for Imperator: Rome. Since the first day, I started to play this game, I had to give time to the game because there are some negative things and mechanics that need to be improved. Still, I never stopped playing it entirely, now I can say that there are lots of successful improvements Paradox Interactive (PI) did in every update.

    With the original release, no one can deny that there is not any lack of feature, there was a lot, but also, at least we have a game to play that we waited so long. On the other hand, any Paradox Interactive grand strategy player knows why they need to wait. We get used to playing these games and see how they grow in time; I mean the improvements, DLCs, free updates, etc., shows us something; we can’t run from it! I wish that PI released the whole game futures with the original release, I will be happy to wait a couple of years, too.

    Now, with there are three different major updates (Pompey, Cicero and Livy) in the game since the original release, each of these updates has good features in it.

    In the original release, there aren’t dual rules in Rome and Carthage, and that felt empty in the political features. With the Pompey Update, they finally added this feature; still, I think they should have added this with the original release. They have an excuse for this, though, it wasn’t ready they said. Then why did you release a game that isn’t ready? Of course, this isn’t the only feature in the Pompey Update.

    Then, we had deeper province management with Cicero Update. Also, this update makes politics more challenging.

    Lastly, we had Livy Update. In this update, they focused on Missions. Yes. They didn’t add it in the original release.

    Now, we are waiting for the new update which fills the game with more features in a realistic way. In this situation, 1.3.2 (Livy), the game is playable more than the original release. I believe that further updates will make the game unique. As every grand strategy games developed by Paradox Interactive, Imperator: Rome, too, have deep character management, diverse population with their own culture and religion; so you can manage them, too. The military needs more attention because you must choose a tactic for your armies and navies, but beware that your enemies developing their tactics. Trade and provincial development are matter because investing in some buildings that you think is helping to improve your province and cities, do it. Make your province and then kingdom, even empire strong with every section. You can even state deities for your faction; this means the gods know what you are doing and they are eager to help you with your tasks.

    With the Marius Update, everything is a compact and military improvement of the factions and for the whole game is a really sharp edge of the gladius!

    In conclusion, you must consider your faction, your empire, your characters, armies, navies, and everything from all points of view.

    I still, recommend you play the game and feel the atmosphere of antiquity.    … Expand
  4. kitru
    May 23, 2021
    6
    Мне хватило 4 дня чтобы выучить эвенты и понять основные механики? Круто это или нет - судите сами. На определенном этапе становится скучно, потому что играешь ты 445 до н.э. - 20 н.э. и добиться захвата всей германии + скандинавии у меня заняло 100 лет, а впереди ведь еще 400 лет игры ( 4/5 геймплея если угодно ), ивенты повторяются и превращаются в рутину, менеджмент семей, вовремяМне хватило 4 дня чтобы выучить эвенты и понять основные механики? Круто это или нет - судите сами. На определенном этапе становится скучно, потому что играешь ты 445 до н.э. - 20 н.э. и добиться захвата всей германии + скандинавии у меня заняло 100 лет, а впереди ведь еще 400 лет игры ( 4/5 геймплея если угодно ), ивенты повторяются и превращаются в рутину, менеджмент семей, вовремя подкупить подсосов, союзники вообще в этой игре с середины игры не нужны, на меня лично никогда никто не нападал, только грозились (может потому что я постоянно держал для такого случая союзника ), в общем недельку позависать интересно, потом ме. Не лучшая стратегия от парадоксов. На память: https://i.imgur.com/PNqwHW0.jpg… Expand
  5. KevLooney
    May 12, 2021
    7
    The game in inaccessible. What else is there to say? One doesn't intuit gameplay decisions.
  6. Demainn
    Apr 22, 2021
    10
    Imperator Rome is still not perfect, and many of its features have a long way to go, but now it's a good game that's fun and exciting to play. While the game is still far from reaching its full potential, I now believe it has a really good chance of success. Imperator Rome shows what is possible when developers listen to their community. Whatever you say about the Paradox DLC policy, I'mImperator Rome is still not perfect, and many of its features have a long way to go, but now it's a good game that's fun and exciting to play. While the game is still far from reaching its full potential, I now believe it has a really good chance of success. Imperator Rome shows what is possible when developers listen to their community. Whatever you say about the Paradox DLC policy, I'm not aware of many other companies that have reworked the game so much since release.
    I really liked the reworking of the war with the new mechanics of the legions and the militia. I like that the number of cohorts depends on the population of the absorbed culture.
    The weakest side for me is the interaction with the characters.
    I'm definitely looking forward to future updates.    … Expand
  7. Crowmeat
    Apr 22, 2021
    9
    This game has come a long, LONG way since its release. With the most recent patch, 2.0 at the time of writing, I'd even argue it's one of Paradox' most well-realized titles. Large patches have seen improvements to culture, religion, civic management, tech progression and most recently, warfare. While there are still improvements to be done - notably in trade and diplomacy - what weThis game has come a long, LONG way since its release. With the most recent patch, 2.0 at the time of writing, I'd even argue it's one of Paradox' most well-realized titles. Large patches have seen improvements to culture, religion, civic management, tech progression and most recently, warfare. While there are still improvements to be done - notably in trade and diplomacy - what we currently have is one of the best civilization builders in the Paradox lineup.… Expand
  8. IsaacCAT
    Apr 20, 2021
    9
    Grand strategy game from Paradox that sinthetyzes all the experience from previous games to a master piece with a lot of potential. Because Paradox model to develop their games through time it gives players free features of the game every year, as DLC are cosmetic and completely optional so far. The game at release was barebones and that deserved some criticism, but now with 2.0 it isGrand strategy game from Paradox that sinthetyzes all the experience from previous games to a master piece with a lot of potential. Because Paradox model to develop their games through time it gives players free features of the game every year, as DLC are cosmetic and completely optional so far. The game at release was barebones and that deserved some criticism, but now with 2.0 it is already a very nice game to enjoy for many hours and different plays. Replayability it is higher when you are acquainted with the ancient period, but is not one of the major points of historical games the opportunity to learn something new?… Expand
  9. Shogun96
    Apr 21, 2021
    9
    Yes , the launch of this game was horrible, but now, two years later, the game has MASSIVELY improved with FREE patches (yes, no need to buy anything more). New systems have been introduced and they are perfectly intertwined with the already existing and improved mechanics of the game.
    Regarding the DLC, this is one of the few Paradox games where DLC are absolutely not needed, they add    Yes , the launch of this game was horrible, but now, two years later, the game has MASSIVELY improved with FREE patches (yes, no need to buy anything more). New systems have been introduced and they are perfectly intertwined with the already existing and improved mechanics of the game.
    Regarding the DLC, this is one of the few Paradox games where DLC are absolutely not needed, they add flavour and some very minor secondary mechanics, but 95% of the important stuff is added with the free patches.
    Give this game another chance, because it certainly deserves it and I am convinced that you will like it!    … Expand
  10. Megabyzos
    Apr 21, 2021
    10
    Maybe starting version was bad. I had luck and started with 2.0. And this is the best game about ancient Rome I ever played in my life. Only more events and repair barbarians to realize full potential.
  11. HardCheck
    Feb 24, 2021
    10
    With Update 2.0 this game ist that, what i call a paradox game!
    I love it, before and now double!
    Take it for less now and go to rule the world
  12. Orange-A
    Dec 19, 2020
    5
    Paradox fails to deliver better quality releases as they become increasingly mainstream, it should not take several DLCs for the game to become good. Although Imperator is in a better state in 2020 than it was in 2019, this is the bare minimum.
  13. Nordak
    Nov 29, 2020
    10
    I originally purchased this game at release as for most Paradox games when they first come out they tend to lack a lot of content. I'm a huge fan of EU4 and Hearts of Iron IV fan and I can tell you that Paradox games are like a bottle of wine. If you open it early it's not as tasty, if you wait several years and check out the game with the DLC packs its a delicious tasty red wine. IveI originally purchased this game at release as for most Paradox games when they first come out they tend to lack a lot of content. I'm a huge fan of EU4 and Hearts of Iron IV fan and I can tell you that Paradox games are like a bottle of wine. If you open it early it's not as tasty, if you wait several years and check out the game with the DLC packs its a delicious tasty red wine. Ive revisited the game after Patch 1.5 Menander update and it's really great fun with all the improvements they have made. A lot of aspects from EU4, Hearts of Iron IV and others but feels unique and very immersive and historical to the time of Rome. My hope is a DLC will come out taking the timeline all the way from 27 BC to 350 ish AD the fall of Rome and the birth of Christianity would be so exciting! Overall a great game and looking forward to the future DLC and extended timeline!… Expand
  14. otto500206
    Sep 2, 2020
    7
    This game is not a successor of a game with Clausewitz Engine, meaning that this game is a successor of a very old game(EU: Rome). Because of that, the game looked very empty when it was released. But with updates, Paradox Development Studio made this game better. Also, the fact that this game doesn't having a single dlc like a CK2, EU4 or HOI4 dlc is a very great thing.
  15. LeandroB
    Aug 12, 2020
    3
    Update 1.5 is out now and i have to say that i tried...
    The release was a total mess, the game was bland and uninteresting, lacking all aspects. Much have changed since it, but over a year later and the game still have no soul.
    at the forums i read someone saying that the game was a "Complex Spreadsheet" and its totally true, there is a lot of micromanagement that changes absolutely    Update 1.5 is out now and i have to say that i tried...
    The release was a total mess, the game was bland and uninteresting, lacking all aspects. Much have changed since it, but over a year later and the game still have no soul.
    at the forums i read someone saying that the game was a "Complex Spreadsheet" and its totally true, there is a lot of micromanagement that changes absolutely nothing, the game is a big map painter and paint the map is the only thing you can do. I was hoping for it to get better and interesting, but i have now lost hope. Buy it on sale if you have to.    … Expand
  16. XBliss
    Apr 28, 2020
    4
    Hey, Europa Universalis fan and Ancient Rome geek here.
    Imperator: Rome is bad game for those who seek strategic game in ancient age with all of mechanics provided in this times. The game called "Imperator: Rome" must have well-developed mechanics of ancient Rome policy. Am I right? There's nothing near about it. Roman politics and political system had a special shade especially in    Hey, Europa Universalis fan and Ancient Rome geek here.
    Imperator: Rome is bad game for those who seek strategic game in ancient age with all of mechanics provided in this times. The game called "Imperator: Rome" must have well-developed mechanics of ancient Rome policy. Am I right? There's nothing near about it. Roman politics and political system had a special shade especially in ancient age (2 consuls, pretors, tribuns, internal political war between the aristocracy and the opposition etc.). But instead of everything, Rome has a state system (aristocratic republic) similar to all other republics represented in the game. Consuls are elected for five years (!), which does not comply with the Roman constitution of those times and a bunch of others things that do not match history.
    This game is a combination of all the mechanics from past games. Because of this, for example, the mechanics of characters imported from the Crusaders King are very circumcised and inferior.

    Question of other nations represented in the game is going to Paradox Interactive game developing strategy:
    As I say I am a Europa Universalis fan(2k+ hours played) and i have played other games from paradox(victoria, stellaris, crusader kings, hearts of iron) Developer has similar politic from game to game - release pre-alpha version of game calling it "1.0" and over the next years to refine their games by releasing huge patches and paid DLCs adding content to the game. I hate Paradox for this. I want to see all of content in the full game release instead of collecting the game in parts like LEGO.

    Maybe after 3 years this game will be playable and enjoyable but for now it's a dummy    … Expand
  17. Skogen21
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    One of the best strategy game I've played. I bought the game after cicero patch and there are no problems with game performance or crashes.
    Game seems to be complicated in the beginning, later just simple paint map game. But now it is shiny diamond with some interesting mechanics. I just want to explore game mechanic, trying different approaches. (rule the world as roman emperor, restore    One of the best strategy game I've played. I bought the game after cicero patch and there are no problems with game performance or crashes.
    Game seems to be complicated in the beginning, later just simple paint map game. But now it is shiny diamond with some interesting mechanics. I just want to explore game mechanic, trying different approaches. (rule the world as roman emperor, restore Greek city states power, civilize barbaric tribe, be a technological super power in the middle of nowhere, rise and unit galic tribesman a and conquer roman empire ... no, problem)    … Expand
  18. Sheleshka
    Apr 23, 2020
    7
    The game now has very little content, but soon it will come out additions and the game will be very cool. As it is, it is an empty game.
  19. Ghost1069
    Apr 19, 2020
    0
    Terrible game. I tried it with all the updates and DLCs and it is STILL, after more than a YEAR after launch and SEVERAL DLCs (the cost for everything is like 100€), pure **** I did not get ANY enjoyment from this game. And I have been played since EU II and HoI II; Victoria 2, EU IV and CK 2 are really good games (Stellaris is pretty good too), but this one... it just takes the worse fromTerrible game. I tried it with all the updates and DLCs and it is STILL, after more than a YEAR after launch and SEVERAL DLCs (the cost for everything is like 100€), pure **** I did not get ANY enjoyment from this game. And I have been played since EU II and HoI II; Victoria 2, EU IV and CK 2 are really good games (Stellaris is pretty good too), but this one... it just takes the worse from each one:

    - boring micromanagement from Victoria (with little to no reward for it other than it is necessary);

    - the arbitrary limits and variables ("political influence", "tyranny", etc.) that limit you for no reason (and prohibit you from emulating many things that historically happened);

    - the abstracted, rather shallow representation of pops;

    - diplomacy is bare bones,

    - battles and tactics, although interesting in paper, end up being just... boring.

    And I liked managing the hierarchy in HoI III, so I am not adverse to micromanagement, it´s just that this games throws a lot, seems complex and immersive... and ends up being shallow and boring paper-work. I just cannot believe there are people who would pay around a hundred bucks to play... this thing. I honestly think that many (most) of the reviews above 5 are either bots or paid reviewers.

    tl;dr: NOT RECOMMENDED    … Expand
  20. Hectorbodies
    Feb 21, 2020
    8
    Will be a very good game, for the moment it lacks a lot of things but i had fun in different campaigns. Not as polished as Eu4 and Ck2 but still a very decent one.
  21. tobivv
    Nov 26, 2019
    3
    The UI is hard to navigate, it takes a lot of time to execute desired actions. The game offers no interesting mechanics and is only about conquering with nothing else to do.
  22. inkmmo
    Oct 23, 2019
    1
    Paradox lost it's creativity for making video games. This game is half Crusader Kings half Europa Universalis but it is such a bad mix that makes game boring. Player comes in wanting to play wanting to enjoy but game is old engine unsure what to do and player for the most time after patch 1.2 is emptying corpses from the government because they die too quickly. So then player hires 16 yearParadox lost it's creativity for making video games. This game is half Crusader Kings half Europa Universalis but it is such a bad mix that makes game boring. Player comes in wanting to play wanting to enjoy but game is old engine unsure what to do and player for the most time after patch 1.2 is emptying corpses from the government because they die too quickly. So then player hires 16 year old kids to run the state - it doesn't matter just not to be annoyed and game really annoys player with irrelevant stuff sucking out any potential to have fun.… Expand
  23. hknyrbkn
    Oct 16, 2019
    6
    Yes, it still needs to be polished with update over update and of course, DLCs, but the overall idea and its mechanism are promising. It is exciting to watch how it evolves.
    For those who are bothered with the DLC policy, well, Paradox has been doing it this way since time immemorial. You should have taken this into consideration before buying it.
  24. MykytaP
    Oct 5, 2019
    8
    This game got much better after the update which changed a LOT and the game is much deeper and enjoyable now. A lot of game mechanics were reworked still I would like to see different nations to be more fleshed out and unique, which I’m sure will be added with updates and DLCs
  25. Netcriminal
    Sep 22, 2019
    5
    I found the tutorial completely unhelpful, the game mechanics are not substantial to the enjoyment of the game. In the end it seems like a wonderful simulation, but a very bad game to play. I enjoyed the historical events a lot.
  26. MNCCritic
    Jun 4, 2019
    4
    Failing grade.

    The Good: The Hellenistic Period is a brilliant choice. Oh, and they used lots of pretty colors. The Bad: Let's keep it simple. I will use the same amount of effort they used in making this game. 1) A highly dumbed-down version of Europa Universalis. 2) More work than fun. The Ugly: The desire to maximize revenues through expansions couldn't be more obvious.    Failing grade.

    The Good: The Hellenistic Period is a brilliant choice. Oh, and they used lots of pretty colors.

    The Bad: Let's keep it simple. I will use the same amount of effort they used in making this game.
    1) A highly dumbed-down version of Europa Universalis.
    2) More work than fun.

    The Ugly: The desire to maximize revenues through expansions couldn't be more obvious. Paradox has INSULTED their fan base.

    Sad really. I will never trust this company again.    … Expand
  27. deathmachinept
    Jun 2, 2019
    0
    Paradox studious has been in a downfall trend when it comes to the quality, polishment and innovation of their games, Imperator represents the lowest bar yet.

    The game forsakes basic game design rules and builds a messy foundation of a game that seems to point to failure and an unsalvageable product. Technologies, decisions, army training, political decisions are done with single    Paradox studious has been in a downfall trend when it comes to the quality, polishment and innovation of their games, Imperator represents the lowest bar yet.

    The game forsakes basic game design rules and builds a messy foundation of a game that seems to point to failure and an unsalvageable product.

    Technologies, decisions, army training, political decisions are done with single clicks and immediate results there is no build up or strategy in choosing which direction to take or when to wait for x tech and declare war.

    You mop the map with your armies there is no combat strategy just move your army with more troops and attack the enemy.

    Characters and the consul play such a small role and come and go so fast that you can't build an attachment with them, if there is a complex logic behind them it's impossible to experience.

    The game has no redeeming qualities everything is bland and awful, total war rome 2004 is superior in every way to this game.

    Also shame on this fake reviews like from
    Destructoid, Gaming Nexus... they didn't even tried the game, no gamer could give a postive score to this pile of cookie clickers..

    Enough to say that after 3hours of giving the game a chance I had it uninstall.    … Expand
  28. Turbo823
    May 31, 2019
    0
    A barebones game at re-release of EU-Rome with broken mechanics and uninteresting factions. This game is obviously a platform for Paradox's DLC. The base game is uninteresting and boring. The AI is dumber than a rock.
  29. PoshMafia
    May 29, 2019
    2
    I just want to thank all of the publish game journalist out their for their impeccably, undoubtedly, unarguably biased reviews. I hear the media event was really awesome last year. Money well spent to be sure. ;-)

    Also this game is a re-skin of old mechanics, out side of the world map. i know 10 man modding teams that could do this better and bring more compelling game play to the table.
  30. Gernmeier
    May 26, 2019
    9
    I think the game isn't as bad as many people say. It isn't always accurate, it is made very easy and so on. And to be honest: Even on hardest difficulty it's way too easy. But I enjoy playing it, so a 9/10 is my rating.
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Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
38
#38 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Softpedia
    Feb 16, 2021
    90
    Imperator: Rome is an example of how hard it can be to reconcile gameplay and history. On launch, the game failed to deliver the mix that players expected from Paradox. The Marius update, especially with the tweaks to warfare, is closer to the historical record while also offering gamers plenty of agency. Heirs of Alexander is a good paid expansion, even considered apart from the free update. The Diadochi wars are fascinating and complex. I played quite a bit as the Antigonids and I still have options to explore. The other successor kingdoms have the same amount of content. For anyone who exhausts the stories of the Diadochi, there's more to discover and more places to conquer when playing as Rome, Carthage, and the rest, making Imperator a joy to return to.
    Read full review
  2. Riot Pixels
    Jul 9, 2019
    55
    Imperator attacks confused players with tons of buttons and information, but in reality it’s one of the most vapid and boring strategy games ever created by Paradox Interactive. The world map is very pretty, though.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Jul 8, 2019
    55
    Imperator: Rome is another showmanship of Paradox’s greed that is manifested through their DLC politics. In its core, it is a good game with some intuitive ideas that are resolved through a very interesting time period, but it falls short in almost all fields where its mechanics are clearly left unfinished for some DLCs to fulfil them.
    Read full review
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