Expeditions: Rome | PC Review

Forge your own path in history, and take them with you. Expeditions: Rome puts the gladius in your hand, the scutum on your arm, and sends you out on your own campaign to build your magnificent empire, however you deem necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the prior two entries in the Expeditions series. I found myself moved by and very appreciative of THQ Nordic and Logic Artists’ attention to detail concerning the historical cultures they represented in those games. When I caught wind of a third entry upcoming, and that it was to be centered on the historically influential colossal Roman Empire, I was elated. And Expeditions: Rome did not hold back.

For Vengeance, And The Eternal City

You play the role of a young Legatus, coming into the position you’re in after fleeing for safety from your father’s murderer. With nothing to go on other than the knowledge that his murderer was a political opponent, you now have to make your own path. As politics and war go hand-in-hand, what better way to find the assailant than to climb the ranks of the Roman legion? 

The story presented by Expeditions: Rome is very well done. At times, I felt as if I were in the middle of a Shakespearean work. There are about a bazillion choices you will make, and each one affects your comrades in one or more ways. You will build trusting relationships with your battle brothers and sisters, and you will destroy relationships with them as well. It was enthrallingly fun to watch all of this play out as I progressed.

A Three Headed Monster

The meat, potatoes, and *insert other favorite food here* of Expeditions: Rome lies in its three major play mechanics. On the world map, while you are away from your settlements, Expeditions: Rome plays as a RTS. You will send your legion to different parts of the areas you have conquered to retrieve different resources, all while making sure to protect the settlements you have established. Your settlements will come under attack at any time, and if you do not have troops garrisoned at that settlement, it is automatically lost to the enemy, and you must recapture it. Luckily, you will most often receive a tip on when and where your enemy will attack next, so you can logistically strategize to make sure you have a legion at that settlement when needed.

Fireworks follow shortly after. When either you attack your enemy’s settlement, or they are attacking one of yours, Expeditions: Rome transitions into what I can only really describe as a battle simulator. I’m not big on simulators, personally, but this was entertaining. You will pick one of your subordinates that you have designated as one of your centurions, and they will lead your legion into battle. Each one has different perks, abilities, advantages, and disadvantages, so your decision here is one of importance. Then, you choose one of three stratagems drawn (you can craft them at your camp), and battle begins. You are taken to an overhead view of a very simple map, with simple icons portraying the different types of legionnaires in both legions. As the battle rages on, the icons move back and forth, toward and away from the opposition. Battles are separated into four stages, and you choose different stratagems for each stage. Whichever you choose will guide your legion with certain maneuvers or directives. During the fight, text boxes and icons are displayed periodically that let you know what is happening, and how each legion is doing. These battles, while displayed rudimentary to the extreme, were riveting. I never thought I would be as excited as I was to watch simple icons perform a dance of death on my monitor. Whichever legion wins takes the settlement, and you are back to mission objectives and exploration with your party on the world map.

The Turning Tides

Bringing us to the third and most prevalent part of Expeditions: Rome. When you and your small party enter a mission objective on the world map, or run into a random encounter which requires it, you enter a turn-based combat system. Similar to the ones in the Divinity: Original Sin games and the Wasteland series, combat is done from an isometric view of the battlefield. Each character has the ability to move a certain number of spaces, and a handful of actions they can choose to perform. Actions and abilities are determined by the character’s weapon, essentially making each weapon style a different type of “class,” if you will. Environments are usually interactive, with a torch you can ignite and throw into a crate of oil jars, different levels to climb to gain height advantages, and such.

These three major gameplay mechanics, being thrown into the jaws of the beast together, seemed to be a bit too much flavor at once when I first looked at what all was going on in Expeditions: Rome. While they do pile it on somewhat quickly, after a bit it all slows down enough to let you grip the reins confidently. One aspect that was uncomfortable throughout the entire game, however, was the view during the turn-based encounters. The camera, while having a small amount of a zoom feature, is set at a fixed distance where you set the zoom. This would not typically be a problem, but when applied to maps with multiple latitudes, it turns into a nauseating, headache-inducing traumatization. Coupled with the inability to zoom out far enough to view the entire map, this was, while one of only a few flaws, a rather large one.

When In Rome

Expeditions: Rome takes you on a trip across the entire historic Roman conquest. You will venture to North Africa, Greece, and Gaul. The scenery along the way is nothing groundbreaking, but was very well done for what it is. The orchestral music that accompanied helped to set the mood of every facet of the environment.

To hear me talk more about Expeditions: Rome, be sure to listen to Episode 381 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

Expeditions: Rome Final Verdict

Expeditions: Rome has the potential to be one of the best turn based RPGs I’ve enjoyed in a really long time. The setting, and especially the dedication to historical accuracy, were exquisite. The story was great and refreshing in a world of over-the-top sci-fi or mature fantasy dramas. The gameplay and mechanics are magnificent. Logic Artists’ ability to meld those three genres together and balance them as well as they did is nothing short of magnificent. If you’re able to get over the poorly designed camera functions, this game is a must play for any fan of the turn based genre.

This review is based on a Windows PC copy of Rome: Expeditions provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. As of this writing, it is exclusive to that platform.