Recent reviews by $MoneyMan$

I've never written a review for a game, but for this I've decided to make an exception.

Expeditions: Rome is a masterpiece. I would say, without qualification, that it is the best game I've played in years.

The story is thoroughly compelling and intriguing. I was always interested in finding out what would happen next. Story elements were seldom predictable, and your decisions have a meaningful influence on how the narrative unfolds. And although the story elegantly raises important questions about law, war, culture, and ethics - questions which have hardly disappeared in our own time - the story does not superimpose a simplistic "modern" view on anything. Antiquity, along with its violence, wisdom, prejudices, heart and glory are all allowed to speak for themselves. This is extremely impressive, and only adds to the already beautiful and meticulously-constructed settings.

Your companions have unique backstories, personalities, and motivations. All are very likeable. Different aspects of life in the classical era are woven into their stories. The antagonists are seldom plainly evil, which provokes some interesting decisions. Rest assured, however, that the plot does not fall into the common trope of presenting each adversary as some misunderstood antihero. There are genuine villains in the story, and they are enjoyably reprehensible.

The combat is very satisfying. You often face overwhelming odds, but careful use of skills, positioning and equipment is well-rewarded. Combat scenarios are consistently challenging, but seldom feel unfair. Even in the late-game, when your characters have many abilities and high-quality items, combat scenarios continue to demand careful tactical forethought. The multi-stage siege missions which take place throughout the story were a highlight of the whole experience, and I always looked forward to them. I also greatly enjoyed the large-scale legion battles, which, while lacking the depth and intensity of praetorian combat scenarios, still succeed in presenting interesting risk-reward decisions of strategic consequence.

Overall, bravo to the developers and everyone else who was involved in the making of this game. It's rare to find a game with stories so thoughtfully told, settings so lovingly designed, and gameplay so thoroughly fun. Hats off to you, well done.